Opinions of Mountain Mist 100% Polyester Batting

[Sandra Darlington]

Hi,

I just got a quilt to do for a lady and she provided this batting.

It seems very thin and I can even see through it. I have never used it, and I'm concerned that it will tear.

What are your thoughts? Should I load it and use it, or should I ask her if I can use a QD poly?

Has anyone used Mountain Mist, and what did you think about it?

Thanks,

Sandy

[yankiequilter]

I've used Mountain Mist, probably on a community quilt. I don't recall that I had any problems with it or that I could see through it. I don't know if they have different weights of poly, but the one that I had was packaged, most likely from Joanns.

I think if you are concerned about tearing the batting you should discuss it with your customer and see what she wants to do after you warn her of the risks.

[Quilting Heidi]

I won't use Fairfield and I wont use Mountain Mist. I recall the first roll of Mountain mist I ever bought and I unrolled it and put 3 holes in it before I ever put it in the quilt sandwich. I rolled it back up and took it back.

[ffq-lar]

This is one I usually refuse--but you can manage to quilt it and it looks fine. I have found that the consistency of thickness is lacking and there may be really thin spots on occasion. You will be happier with QD and so will your customer, if you can talk her into it. I gently explain that the quality is not good and results are not guaranteed with the MM batting. Sometimes price is an issue, but you get to make the final decision whether you want to chance it.

[Sandra Darlington]

That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for your input. I'm going to re-package it for her and call her tomorrow.

She does beautiful hand quilting, and this is probably great for her, but not on a longarm. Even her backing is muslin, as she likes the look...again, she uses it for her hand quilting. In fact, she wants an off white thread (to match the muslin) on the back and on the front which is dark green, maroon and a mauve. It is an Amish bar quilt for her sister for Thanksgiving.

She wants feathers in the bars and the border and NO marking. I explained that I could do that, but the feathers being freehand would be an "artistic expression" and not exactly the same. I had planned to use a stencil to make them exact, but I would need to mark the top. But, since she does not want it marked, I certainly won't do that.

[ffq-lar]

Sandra **sigh**

Now is the time to educate your customer about machine quilting and especially longarm quilting. Feathers need to be marked--if nothing else, the spines need marking. Show her what safe tools you use for marking. (You must know, if she was hand-quilting feathers, she would have marked them!!) Show her a Bohin white marker or safe school chalk--both application and removal. Do not let a customer dictate your methods. If she doesn't want chemical markers (blue or purple) find what she will accept.

I know you are building your business, but fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-feathers are not the way to impress a hand quilter.

Explain, educate, demonstrate, convince--but if she still wants feathers and no marking, do you think there is a competitor locally who will take the job with those restrictions? I wouldn't.

[Guest Linda S]

I don't think the Mountain Mist is really suitable for longarming. It's just not stable enough in my opinion.

[quiltmonkey]

OK I'll be the odd man out and say I think it's fine. I try to accommodate anybody's batting they bring, even if it's not my "favorite" This includes mountain mist and fairfield. So there, I said it!

[Kay Anderson]

I have used both, some of them are ok, some are very poor quality. If it is very poor in quality, I would tell the lady and ask her to provide a more suitable batting. Don't make yourself crazy over it.

[IQuiltToo]

I won't use MM or Fairfield. Won't use the Select QD either..just too thin. She will not be happy with the outcome with all her restrictions.

Marilyn

[Neher-in-law5]

Can you make samples of some feathers or/and other designs to show the difference in results of freehand feathers and stencil feathers? As well as half and half samples of the easily removed marking methods, one half with the marking still on, the other half with the marking removed? Maybe her education will be easier on you then.

[Sandra Darlington]

I think I will try marking the spines with a chalk pencil that I often use and always brushes right off. I don't know the name of it, but it is a chubby red plastic holder and the thin (not as thin as a lead pencil) chalk inserts are put in from the bottom. IF I go as light as possible, I don't think I will have any problems getting the "tell-tale" signs completely removed.

She said she uses a product called Sketch & Wash and has been using it for many, many years. IT writes and looks like a lead pencil, typical for had quilters to mark with, but this one always washes out very easily. I am going to try looking them up on the net to see what I find. This product might be worth getting for a future project.

I am hoping to get this quilt finished over the weekend...before I leave for Houston on Wednesday morning...in the wee hours of the morning.

Oh, I mentioned that machine quilters, whether longarm or domestic, usually use busy backings and did she want to consider saving the muslin for one of her beautiful hand-quilting projects and getting something busy to coordinate with the front. She said she doesn't like that look at all and that's why she always uses muslin. I tried, but it didn't work. So, I'll be using the muslin.

This gal was referred to me by another hand quilter that I did a twin quilt for in the spring. It was a panto, so no marking was needed, and her backing was very appropriate, as well as her thread color. My new customer also said she has another hand quilting friend that has a large quilt she may want me to do after she sees this one. I surely hope this one looks good! The fabrics feel wonderful and the piecing is perfect, although there's not much piecing as it is just a bar quilt. It is very plain and simple, but very effective in it's simplicity.

If I could have stenciled with a pounce pad it would have been so easy. I am really learning a lot on each quilt I take in, not just about the quilting challenges, but especially about the personalities of these folks.

[Dave-Jane]

Both Fairfield and MM are very inconsistent and discourage it when clients ask - but if they bring it - we use.

[victoriasews]

I'm with Shanna on this one. I quilt with whatever is brought to me. I found MM to be uneven in thickness and it does tear if you are not careful, but when it's quilted up, I don't find it looks too bad. As far as marking feathers, I never mark my feathers. You can either use an undulating spine or straight spine and just gently move along the space and do a simple curve at the corners. I have done one side of the spine, then go back to the beginning and do the other side and that works very nicely. I have also done both sides of the feather at the same time and although you have to go slower so as to hit the spine exactly, it avoids stopping and going back to the beginning.

[LinneaMarie]

I had someone bring me a Fairfield poly one time. When I held it up it fell apart like bread dough!!:mad::mad: No more of that for me. Also, I was in a LQS and saw MM for over $50 for a cotton queen size!:o Wow that is pricey!! Especially for a crappy product!

JMO and I'm sticking to it!

[Ferret]

I try to never mark customer quilts as at one time or another I've had troubles with nearly every marking tool. They all come off fine, right up to the first time they don't.

I would show the customer a sample of free hand feathers before doing them though. Personally I would refuse this quilt on the thread choice. I won't do that big a difference between front and back threads. Of course if it was hand quilted she would have the same colour front and back so why not by machine?

My gut feeling is this quilt will be trouble without more education and possibly even then. I can't help you with the wadding question as I've never seen any.

Ferret

[marycontrary]

I quilted a charity quilt recently with MM. The lady who pieced the quilt and brought the batting knew that some quilters don't like to use it, but it was all she had. Yes, it was thinner in some spots than others, but really didn't look bad when quilted. Now, if I were making a special quilt for my sister, this is certainly not the batt I would choose. Besides the inconsistency in thickness, I bet this stuff will end up migrating like crazy up through those dark colors. And I really don't understand her not wanting any marking -- I know the Amish mark their feathers (lead pencil!) and I bet she does too when she hand quilts. Lastly, with the combination of a thin poly batt and two contrasting threads on top and bottom, there is next to no chance that the white thread won't be visible on the top in some places, IMO.

Heidi, have you quilted on Fairfield Traditional? It's getting harder to find, but it's more tighly woven, more like a thin blanket. I've never had any problems with it.

[Sandra Darlington]

Thanks everyone...

My customer does want the off white thread on both the top and the bobbin. I probably didn't explain that properly in my earlier post.

When she does her handquilting, she uses a product called Sketch & Wash which is like a lead pencil, but comes off when the quilt is washed. However, she doesn't want this quilt marked. I can't understand it, but I will honor her wishes, except I think I will use a very light mark to mark the spine. IF not, they will not be the same and since this is a bar quilt, they will all be running in the bars side by side. The top has 9 bars plus the 2 borders. Two of the bars she wants me to follow the swirling design that runs through the floral print, the rest of the bars "read solid" and she wants the feathers in all of them. I don't know if it will look right if all the bars have feathers swaying this way and that way. That's why I am thinking I may have to chalk-line the spines to get them going the same way. What do you all think?

BTW, I already got out a twin pack of QD 70/30 white batting to use.

[ginnysnowden]

The last time I used Mountain Mist, I was doing a King size quilt. The batting separated in the exact center. I had to remove the quilt from the machine pic some stitching out and then repair the batting before returning to the machine and finishing two days more work. I will not use MM any more period.

Ginny

[Bekah]

I guess I have been lucky. I have two customers who refuse to use anything but MM and so far their quilts have quilted up ok. I have explained all the reasons why I prefer to use some other batting but this is what they prefer so I make it work.

Sandra, I do not envy you this customer but I am sure you will do a wonderful job and I can certainly see future business not only from her but her friend so good for you for honoring her wishes.

anxiously awaiting pictures. This quilt sounds intriguing