Using fusible batting for a quilt sandwich tutorial

I know putting a quilt together so it  is ready to be quilted can be quite a pain. There are so many methods to choose from. I have to say, I have never used the same method twice. This method with fusible batting, I will using again and I thought I would take a moment to share it with you. 

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By the way this is in no way a sponsored  post. It is just my experience with Heirloom® 80/20 Fusible Cotton Blend and some notes to maybe make it easier for others who decide use this product too. 


Step one: Lay out your backing. Make sure you smooth out the backing, tight but not taut. Also make sure it stays straight. I do this by finding the center and centering it in the middle of the table.

For this method, I used two 6x3 foot table that I bought on sale earlier this year. Don't pay full price, wait for the sale, I got mine for less than half than that website states. Then I used clamps. I got the big ones at Lowe's and the little ones at harbor freight. Both  kinds were less than a dollar a piece.  I like clamps because I can move them around as needed. Tape always seems to move on me. Also, if my quilt was larger, I could just leave the sides hanging off and clamp so the center was tight. Then move the quilt and clamp again.

*I did fix that little bubble right after the picture. I also didn't have enough big clips so I added some painters tape in places that needed some extra help. Had I made the backing a little larger or had some more large clamps that would not have been necessarily.

Step two: Lay out your fusible batting. Match up at the top corner and along one side. Open clamps and re-clip in place. Smooth out batting. Then trim to fit. Re-clamp on other-side, top and bottom. Make sure to smooth as you go. The batting is tacky. So it will stick together. Just work with it and smooth it out. The tackiness does not stick to you.

Step Three:  Lay out your top. Smooth it down. Since the batting is tacky/sticky, I didn't need to worry about the top moving once I placed it. If I wanted to move it, then I just pulled it up and re-positioned it. Work with you top to make it nice and smooth.

Step Four: Iron with steam. Make sure your iron is all the way up and you just filled the reservoir. I didn't and the press wasn't very good at first. To make it stick together all you do is press for just a quick bit and move on to the next little bit. Press not iron, if you iron it makes bubbles and stretches the fabric. If you do get bubble or stretches they are easily fixed. As you can lift up your top, smooth out and press again. Remember pressing is put the iron down, wait a couple seconds, lift and place it down again right next to wear you just pressed. 

Here are the directions from the Hobb's  website:

"To fuse all three layers of your quilt at once, set your iron on a wool or cotton setting with steam. Simply press your quilt from the center to the outer edges.  Be sure you keep your iron moving, pressing approximately 2-3 seconds in each area. This is only a temporary fuse.  If you make a mistake or have a crease just simply lift the fabric and reapply the iron to fuse again." 

Step Five: Flip over and press the backing on too. 

Now the Hobb's website said you can fuse all three layers at once. It sorta worked. I even let it sit came back and added more water to my iron and tried again on the front. The batting stuck to front great, but the backing was only ok, and I didn't feel it would hold up to being squished in my machine as I free motion quilted it. So I just flipped and pressed again on the back.


Step Six: Let it rest or It is ready for quilting.

Now you could get right to work after you are finished pressing it and it has cooled (which is about 2 minutes), but I think it important to set the quilt to the side and admire the fact that you just made a quilt sandwich that you can quilt at anytime you really want to.

Overall thoughts:

1. The batting was easy to use. It did stick to itself a bit, but nothing that wasn't manageable. 
2. I am glad I didn't have to pin anything. 
3. It did kinda have a chemical smell to it once you started warming it up, but nothing like spray adhesive. Just a weird smell. 
4. I would not suggest doing this one the floor, especially hardwood flooring, as the steam would damage it. Nor on a wood table, same problem. 
5. I shook the quilt sandwich a whole bunch to make sure it would stick. The corners came up a bit, so I just pressed them again and all was good. 
6. This method was easy and I will use it again. Not to say I won't ever pin again. I am not sure about the loft after washing. I will let you know more after I have quilted it and have given it a good was.