In the middle of August an invitation went out from Alex Anderson to a group of people to try, and test the new Quilters Select Batting by Floriani, I emailed Alex, the batting arrived a few days later. Needing a bit of a mental break at the end of the day, and longing to explore the depths of the B 790. There are 2 different battings the first a cotton, the second a poly/cotton blend. The adhesive is activated in a 2 step process, the first is a sneeze of water and the second, a heat setting. I like the spritzer on my bottles of Flatter, it’s a fine mist…which is perfect as it will not overly wet the batting. I’ll let you inhale the lovely scent of Yuzu and Fig. I will be getting more of this.
The heat setting on this is right about here, on the cotton setting. Cotton really wants a lower heat setting. Kind of learning to use the sewing machine at medium speed while quilting and piecing. It’s a simple thing that makes a huge difference in the overall product at the end. As an aside, I recently had The Quilt Show playing in the background and watched an episode with Sally Collins, I’ve long admired her and now long to take one of her classes. Details are important, slowing down, enjoying the steps is a good thing.
Now I’ve felt and tried fusible batting before. As a general rule, I don’t use it. It’s not bad, just not my favorite. Until now. My comment to Alex, “I’d use this in a competition quilt.” I like it that much.
I do have a couple of hints
- watch this video
- cut the batting to the size of the quilt top and the backing a wee bit bigger. if you’re quilting a small piece you can do the whole process on the ironing board.
And here’s a friendly reminder of the nature of cotton, it can be a bit stretchy so when layering things up, press the batting with your hands and later on with the iron. - if you’re using this on a big quilt, do the spritzing on the floor or a big table, work in small sections just like using 505 Spray, then go to the ironing board
- have all three layers together before going to the ironing board, the batting will stick to the ironing board
- when ironing, Press rather than iron.
- enjoy the process of quilting
Both the 100% cotton and poly/cotton quilt up beautifully
So here’s the bonus!
I have one of each batting to give away! That’s right, Thank you Floriani. So, in typical Generation Q fashion answer 1 of 2 questions:
- if you were given a vintage Singer Featherweight, that’s in rough shape, would you have it painted up in your fave colors?
and - what are your favorite colors, and how would you use them in a quilt block?
I’ll draw 2 names Saturday September 19th. US entrants only please.
Happy Quilting!
Teri
Yes, if I was give a vintage Singer Featherweight in rough shape, I would have it painted turquoise. My favorite colors are turquoise and lime green and I use them usually as accents in quilt blocks.
it’d be fun to silverplate an old, non-functional, Singer Featherweight, wouldn’t it?
Your Bernina sounds awesome.
#1. I own a featherweight and would not even consider change it one bit.
#2. purple first , red second, and orange third but definitely purple. in a block I probably would use it for the prominent color balancing it with a strange combination and pow it works everytime. according to Me. Created a quilt with a group of fabrics today using a pattern front the 30s
Can’t wait to start on it
Color is my best friend
If given an old beat up featherweight I would have it painted a soft spring yellow. It would look great next to my pretty black one!
Well, I just don’t know. I lloovveee the painted little ladies but I also love the patina of a previously loved machine. Plus..would my budget allow me?
Right now, I am totally into reds, blacks, grays and white. I want a swoon quilt in those colors and I have started collecting the fabrics.
I would want my fearherweight restored to its former glory, complete with beautiful gold decals! Would love to try this batting, too.
I would paint it whatever the originial color it was. I have a black featherweight and love it
My favorite colors are shades of purple and turquoise. With a med to royal blue thrown in dor good measure
I love to do scrap quilts so do a lot of string piecing so this batting would be perfect
I have a friend who painted hers red with black spots, like a ladybug… I could do something like that. As for my colors, right now I am feeling sea foam green and sand for something kinda beachy…
If I had a non working vintage featherweight, I would paint it red. A bright cheery red. I love all the bright colors. I never cared for brown tones like civil war or country prints. I use floriani products all the time, particularly the stabilizers and machine embroidery thread. I loved to try the batting!
I would want to paint my vintage Featherweight, a beautiful Teal with gold accents as that is my favorite combination.
My favorite colors — hmmm … there are so many! But I do tend toward the “cool” colors: blues and purples, especially. I’d probably use them in a range of shades for a quilt that would inspire calm and tranquility. Perhaps just a tiny “pop” of yellow, orange, or red to enhance the cool shades and keep them from being so calm as to be boring.
I would paint my vintage machine…in a bright spring green. I love green so much that my daughter calls me “O’Susan” (Obviously loves green Susan). Would I use this in a quilt….YES! I would you shades of pink and blues…especially sky blue! I would love to try this batting! Sounds amazing!
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If I were given a beat up featherweight, I would paint it red–to do the town! Lately, that’s become my fav color.
Question on the batting. If the quilt is folded for storage/shipping, will the batting hang out and eliminate wrinkles (like wool) or will it have a “fold” memory?
Non working featherweight would definitely get painted-maybe. Not sure about a working featherweight in rough physical condition. I might paint it (but not sure of the color or pattern) particularly if I were going to take it to workshops etc. where there were sure to be lots of other featherweights. I’d like to be able to keep track of mine and a custom paint job would certainly help.
Oh I would paint that lovely singer coral and tourquoise and a bright silver scroll plate!
My favorite color is orange and all colors that match and variations of it. The accents of a swoon are my favorite with them.
Oh, I hope you haven’t drawn yet, and I’m not too late! If I had a featherweight, I’d keep it as it is — love, love, love old things! And, my favorite color is blue. I use it frequently in quilts — sometimes as the main color, and (more often) as the focal color in scrap quilts, i.e., setting triangles, sashing, etc.
Lynne the drawing is in about a week. Send all your friends over! The more the merrier.
I think red would be really splashy for a non working featherweight. My favorite color is green though, but I think a sewing machine deserves more flash.
If given a rough featherweight, the paint colors I would choose would be black/red/yellow/gray/turquoise and the design would be a Native American one.
Red and turquoise are my fav colors and I use them in every quilt, sometimes as a design element but always in the label.
As I have a pristine featherweight and love the traditional black, I ‘d be willing to experiment with one needing some love — how about a new acid green coat of paint?! (With black pinstripes…)
Question 1: Yes, I’d paint it green and add some decals of darker leaves and maybe some gold painted designs.
Question 2: Favorite color? Hmmm….I suppose it is green and blue, or maybe it is black and red, or maybe….If I were making a pieced quilt, I would probably make them into something that I could foundation paper piece, since that’s the only kind of piecing I can do well enough. 😀
Q1: I would keep it the traditional black with the gold accents, but somehow I would get someone to paint a Batman logo on there. Why? Because my name is LaWanda and I am Batman.
Q2: I love purple in all shades. I love to use different shades in one block that compliment each other.
I would paint it black with purple, pink, red, yellow flowers probably. There would be purple in there somewhere, for sure. As soon as my grandkids see something purple, they want to get it for ‘Bubbe’. My quilt block would have some purple in there. How much depends On the accent fabric, which should have some purple in it. Purple makes me feel rested and happy. My wall hangings at work have purple in them so I can meditate on them and de stress. BTW, I’m interested in this fusible batting of which you speak. I only used some once, but found it kind of stiff. That was many years ago.