Posted on Monday, January 26, 2009 | By Deb Hearn | 1 Comment

Getting the Most From Your Batting

Dear Quilting Friends:

Do you ever wonder what you are going to do with those scraps of batting you have been keeping?  Too large to throw away…. so we keep them piled up in our spare space.  Now that’s a question–where is the spare space??

1.  Use the batting to create larger sized quilt batting.  Take the pieces and sew them together using a large zigzag stitch and your walking foot.  When sewing the trick is to not overlap the batting.  

Just butt up the edges so there is a smooth transition from one piece to the next. The pile of pieces really disappears when you put together a large quilt batting and you save lots of $$.  

2.  Use the pieces of batting as dust cloths.  Take a 10 inch square piece (or whatever you are comfortable with) and use it like you do a dust cloth.  The fibers in the batting attract the dust.  I use my batting to dust my machine, lights, magnifying glass, computer screens…  

3. Instead of buying Swiffer floor wipes (dry type) simply cut a piece of batting the size of the mop head.  Wow, this works wonders in the quilting room with the dust bunnies and threads.

By Teresa Johnson

About the Author: Deb Hearn

QUILT Editor-in-Chief I have enjoyed quilting for over 25 years, ever since the day I stopped by a friend's house and saw a quilt on every bed! I was so inspired, that I went home and started a Grandmother's Fan for our daughter. As soon as the quilt was finished, our three sons were waiting in line for a quilt of their own! My latest adventure in the quilting world is my position as Editor-in-Chief of QUILT Magazine, a job that is more like play than work ...with inspiring quilts and friendly conversations with quilters almost every day!