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Fusible batting - anyone tried this?

(15 Posts)
Indinana Sat 21-May-16 19:35:16

I'm thinking of buying fusible batting for a quilt I'm working on but have never used it before. From the description it sounds as if it will make things a lot easier and cut out all the tedious work of basting the 'sandwich' together.
Has anyone tried it? How did you get on with it?

BBbevan Sat 21-May-16 20:28:02

I thought it was a new sport! grin

thatbags Sat 21-May-16 22:54:54

I haven't tried it, indi, because I worry about fabric shrinkage and how the fused on part would affect the look of the article.

Perhaps you could try a sample piece first, including the laundering part.

I did experiment with some wadding made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. It gave the quilted piece, which was a wall-hanging, good defintion so I think I'd use that again for a similar project. I don't think I'd use it for a bed quilt because it isn't soft enough.

Indinana Sat 21-May-16 23:15:27

Thanks for your input thatbags. The shrinkage was what was worrying me, because if you prewash fusible batting, then it is no longer fusible! Perhaps it would be better to get plain cotton batting, prewash it, and then use specialist spray glue. Though that will, of course, make it much more costly - fusible batting isn't really much more expensive than non-fusible. It would be useful to know how far a 250ml can of spray glue will go. I might contact one of the suppliers.

PRINTMISS Sun 22-May-16 07:38:27

I was like you BBevan,

sherish Sun 22-May-16 07:49:27

Maybe try it on a smaller article such as a cushion. You could then try washing it to see how the finish is. As you say it would be a real time saver if it worked.

Lisalou Sun 22-May-16 08:35:24

I have never used fusible batting, but have used spray on normal batting, and i will never tack a quilt together again! I have had absolutely no problems with shrinkage at all. I imagine it is because the damp in the spray is so minimal that it really doesn't affect the fabric.

HTH

L

Lisalou Sun 22-May-16 08:37:42

Also, I can honestly say that it really doesn't take much adhesive spray, so the cost is hardly much more. I find that with the adhesive i can get the sandwich really smooth, so less likelihood of rucking up.

Indinana Sun 22-May-16 09:03:55

Thanks lisalou, that is really helpful! I may give the spray glue a try then.

Lisalou Sun 22-May-16 17:47:00

Let us see the final result! I love a peek at others' work!

Stansgran Sun 22-May-16 20:30:30

I've started to back charity quilts with fleece. It cuts down cost and having to smooth things endlessly. Also as the fleece is lightweight and washable it is IMO better for wheelchair users or cot quilts.and great for student quillows. My local quilt shop recommended this.

rubysong Sun 22-May-16 21:20:51

Does spray basting make the needle sticky, for hand quilting or machine quilting and do you spray booth sides of the batting so that both the top of the quilt and the backing are fixed? (Sorry if these are daft questions; maybe someone who has used it will be able to tell us.). I haven't used fusible batting, in fact I didn't know it existed. I have only done a couple of quilts which I have hand quilted.

Lisalou Mon 23-May-16 06:16:37

I have not yet done any hand quilting - it is on my list of "to do's when I have time" (when that will be, i have no idea!) I have, on the other hand, done several machined quilts using spray adhesive. The key is in using an adhesive appropriate for fabric (i bought the wrong one once, it was labelled crafting adhesive and yes, it got EVERYTHING sticky) If you have a good sewing store, they should carry it. Something like this
www.amazon.co.uk/505AD-Temporary-Spray-Adhesive-250ml/dp/B0051F7930/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1463980494&sr=8-3&keywords=temporary+fabric+adhesive

JamesKirk Thu 02-Jun-16 11:05:59

Thank you for the link.

quiltingnana Sun 17-Jul-16 13:21:01

When we were at Malvern Quilt show I bought some fusible backed hexagons. They are a dream to sew, and cut the prep; down by half