kellysuequilter Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 I have a customer quilt that I need help with. This quilt came to me via my best friend\'s husband, he has a client who\'s spouse\'s mother pieced together a denim top using her children\'s old jeans. I guess she was working as she went along because there is no rhyme or reason to the colors of denim or sizes of the blocks. Everything is really wonky and so far off from flat!. I have it trimmed down to 105 x 113. (The scraps that were trimmed off will be made into throw quilts.) I have pieced together flannel to make the backing and it\'s all loaded up on my frame. I\'m about to take the plunge and begin quilting. The quilt top itself weighs a ton so I am not going to include any batting I am wondering if this is a mistake though. If I should include batting what kind would work best? Has anyone had experience with this? I\'m going to use King Tut on the top and bottom line in the bobbin along with a generously sized needle to handle the chunky seams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 Judy....the only commission quilt that I have ever done was a denim one and yes it did need a batting, so I used a very thin poly batt because the backing was flannel....Man it did weigh a ton, but without the batting you could feel EVERY bump and seam...once the batting was there it wasn\'t as bad. It was a cute quilt when done...she only wanted me to use the leg parts of the jeans, except for one side pocket and one back pocket...she wanted placed for her hubby to put the remotes while he was sleeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 In My Very PRE Quilting days, I made a picnic quilt using Good parts of the old twill work uniforms, front and back, with terry clothe bathtowels in side... I didn\'t know there was such a thing as batting and just sewed some chunks together, thru all 3 layers, added some more, etc.. on my dsm.. I think we sill have it. It only weighed 14 pounds.. I made it in 1967,,, only srestitched a few places, used the old icky satin blanket binding.. what did I know.. lolol... Good Luck.. RitaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellysuequilter Posted June 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 The only two battings I have on hand are Quilter\'s Dream Blend and Quilter\'s Dream Puff. I suppose I could run and pick something else up......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyc Posted June 9, 2008 Report Share Posted June 9, 2008 because of the disparity in the weight of the top (denim) and the back (flannel) the quilt will not wear the same. You may want to reconsider flannel as the weave is so loose and move to a regular woven. Anything will feel soft compared to denim.) The flannel will wear out more quickly because of the disparity (the flannel can shift and the denim is rigid. A quilt this heavy is one way to keep small children in bed at night...they can\'t move once they are under the quilt. Of course, none of this is your problem if it what the customer wanted. However, when the flannel wears out quickly the customer will be unhappy because of the price she paid you to quilt it and blame you, even though it was her fabric choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 Judy, if it were me I would use a lightweight batt. I know, it doesn\'t make sense to make the quilt any heavier than it already is.....but Bonnie makes a great point about being able to feel the seams of the denim through the backing. I think a low-loft poly batt might be a good idea - no shrinkage, not too poofy but will lend some stability to the whole quilt without adding too much weight. I\'d probably use a 5.0 needle - sounds really big, but you may need it if you\'re going to be sewing over those thick seams....... Best of luck - let us know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I made a denim quilt with a batik flannel back. I didn\'t use batting. I was going to, but decided not. All I can say is I\'m glad I didn\'t. It\'s so heavy and hot, if I had used batting, I probably wouldn\'t ever be able to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I made a denim quilt out of oodles of pairs of old blue jeans. It was the second practice quilt I did on my Liberty. It is about the size of a twin bed quilt, although a bit wider than most. I pieced 6" squares together and it took about 3 years for me to collect enough discarded jeans to make it. I used a thin cotton batting that I pre-shrunk. The backing was flannel that was also pre-washed and dried. It weighs a ton! My only problem was that I could not turn the screw to raise my hopping foot. I really had to guide/push the fabric under the hopping foot. I used a 4.0 needle because that was the only size I had. I quilted a fist size meander all over it, and avoided the intersections. It looks OK, but it sure isn\'t great. It is what it is - a true utility quilt. We will use it on car camping trips. I may suggest my daughter keeps it in her car during the winter so there is something warm available in case she has car trouble and the kids are in the car with her. It is not something I would use on my bed. I\'ll try to attach a picture in a minute...if I can lift the sucker:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 As I look at this picture, it really looks ugly. If you look at it like the rings of a tree that has been cut down, you can see what jeans we discarded each year. LOL. I sewed the rows together as soon as I had enough squares to make a row, so there wasn\'t a rhyme or reason or any planning for the placement of the shades of the denim. It just happened. Oh, and the borders are flannel, too. The borders were from leftovers from another quilt project a few years ago and the backing was donated to me by a friend who had no idea why she ever bought it in the first place. She offered it to me so I could help her downsize her uglies. What a friend:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewbobby Posted June 10, 2008 Report Share Posted June 10, 2008 I recently quilted a scrappy quilt that was made out of old heavy rubbery upholstery fabric. the weight was similar to heavy denium. I was shocked at how well it turned out with no batting. Customer loved it. Good Luck Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellysuequilter Posted June 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2008 OK, well the monstrosity is done. I did an all over panto that was very forgiving around the chunky seams. I have no directions for this quilt other than they would like it done for sentimental reasons. Not for actual use. I think it has turned out ok but it weighs about 50lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Gamez Posted June 12, 2008 Report Share Posted June 12, 2008 Judy, Do you do commission quilts? I had a call from a girl in Scottsdale the other day that wanted a custom baby quilt made but I dont know how to do much piecing and I didnt have anyone to send her to...just wondering if that is something you offer so I have a referral in the future. -Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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