I'm almost tempted to not write this blog, as the photo I am attaching is less than flattering for my work. Nevertheless, it must be said. Batting makes a difference.
I shipped two quilts to PIQF last week, one of which (Flourish) took a ribbon for "Best Use of Color." It hung neatly at the show, without a single wrinkle. In the photo below, you can clearly see several very deep creases in this work (Reflections of Liberty Station).
What happened? Well, both pieces were shipped in the same box. They were neatly rolled around a piece of tissue paper, not folded. Both hung flat and square at my home prior to shipping. The only thing I could think of was that once unboxed, they were placed in a pile of other quilts, and severely compressed as they were handled by the staff of Mancuso Bros.
Flourish, my butterfly, survived the rough treatment without a bit of problem. This quilt, however, looked simply terrible.
Both quilts were made more or less the same way. Both are cotton. The batting, however, was very different. I used Tuscany Silk Batting by Hobbs in Flourish. In Reflections, however, I used Hobbs Heirloom Fusible Cotton Batting. I did like the fact that I didn't have to baste. I ironed the top and backing to the quilt and proceeded to spend many (!) hours sewing it.
Both were quilted more or less equally. Reflections was also, in full disclosure, built on a piece of white muslin, and Flourish a hand dyed cotton fabric.
I have recommended this batting, but won't in the future. The wrinkles in this piece can be ironed out, but because I cannot control what happens to it once shipped to a quilt show, I would rather use a product that can live up to the hype. I am all in to the Silk batting now. Really.