MaHubs Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I have not quilted in many years and am starting anew. To re-learn my quilting skills, I am making lap quilts for residents in the nursing home where my Mom is. So far they are free. I will later perhaps charge at least some portion of the materials. Many of these people are in wheelchairs and need a small lap quilt that will cover their lap but not get in the wheels. Most send their laundry to the nursing home's laundry, where nothing gets special attention. I've tried using Thermore as a thin batting that won't shrink when washed in hot water. However, even with minimal quilting it seems a little stiff and doesn't seem to drape quite as well as I'd like. I did one in a thin cotton batting but it hasn't been laundered yet so I'm not sure how it will look. Many of the fabrics I intend to use are 5" squares that were samples from Hancocks of Paducah. [i must confess to not using as many as I intended; instead I've been using fabric that I buy on sale plus my larger pieces from my huge stash...] I really don't feel like washing and ironing them all before using them. I've considered flannel, but it never seems to stop shrinking, so that seems like a poor choice over time. Do you agree?? Because of the warm temperature nursing homes maintain, most of these people don't want these items for warmth...just cover and decoration. As professional quilters, what do you recommend for this situation? You work with all brands and types of batting. Which one would be best for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debberdo Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 MaHubs, A 3 oz. poly is light enough...I've used it in a hundred care home quilts and they love it. It's inexpensive and because it's poly, it's practically indestructable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Norece, I love Hobbs 80/20 also, but when it is washed in hot water it does shrink. The quilt really needs to be tightly quilted, but then it takes away the lightweight drape of the quilt. I think I would use something like Mountain Mist poly/silk blend or the Mountain Mist lightweight poly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CherylUribe Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Dream Angel by Quilter's Dream is what I would use. Very light weight, very drape-able. Minimal shrinkage. It is their 100% flame retardant batting. Special engineered man made fibers, no chemicals added, will not melt. Looks like a cotton, nice and soft. You can stitch 6" apart. It comes in "request" or "select" lofts. I would recommend the request, but either would work well. This is the batting I've been using for my Orange Peel Quilts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grammie Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 I love the Dream Angel. It is a wonderful batting. Feels really good on the finished quilt as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grammydiane Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 I'm trying to decide what batting to buy in a roll. I will probably go with Quilters Dream, but can't decide if I want the Dream Cotton, Dream Angel, or Dream Blend. I do quite a few baby quilts, and most of the others are lap quilts. I don't do a lot of heavy quilting as I like them soft and flexible. Would love to hear thoughts on these 3 battings. Thank you:):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckirk Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 I quilt with all three. The Dream Angel is often chosen for baby quilts. It is very drapey and soft. The all cotton is also soft and quilts beautifully. The blend is slightly heavier, and is the easiest to adjust on the machine without pulling it out of shape. The weight that I use in all three products is the Select, which is the mid weight. The Request is very delicate and stretches easily. I would think that Dream Angel might be your best bet, unless you want 100% cotton. These two drape nicely even with a lot of quilting. Good luck with your selection. I think you will be pleased with any of them! Cathy Kirk Quilting Cowgirl APQS Millennium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grammydiane Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Cathy.... Thank you so much for your reply. It really helped. Now if I can just find my order form I filled out a couple days ago.:mad: Think I will start by getting one bag of each kind and see how I like it before ordering a whole roll. I also like Hobbs 80/20, but they have a minimum order of 4 rolls and I just don't need that much. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that is what I read on their price list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grammydiane Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 OOPS....if I had read one of my e-mails from JoAnn Hoffman, I would have realized I would only have to have a 2-roll minimum of the Hobbs if I went to the APQS website. Guess you can also mix and match. That makes it a little more bareable or is that bearable!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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