How far to stitch apart on different battings?

[chrina2]

Hey there ladies....

I've completed another 4 quilts of various sizes for my charity quilts! YEAH!

I've just finished up 2 'friends and family' quilts (ones I've bought fabric for and made for my friends and family) tonight.....but I've got a question that I can't find the answer for.

Different battings will state how far you can stitch apart. "Up to 4" or 'Up to 8", etc..... Why are there differences, and what happens if I leave a larger gap?

Most of my quilts are quilted with less then 4" between my stitching, whether it is done SITD, or meandering free motion, but I've got one quilt that I really would rather leave my outside border with no stitching, but it is a 6" border. The batting I'm using says up to 4". What will happen if I leave it? And does it really matter that much?

I understand that batting can start to bunch up over time, but what kind of time frame are we looking at? 2 months, or 10 years?

Any previous experience and thoughts are very welcome.

I'll post some more pics of my finished quilts in another forum another day.

Thanks,
Selina

[Blondie]

Gosh, I have never even considered this subject. I always stitch a few inches apart but I am a hand stitcher, so I reckon I am not much help. I am interested in reading what others have to say.

[gloria]

How far to quilt apart?

I've always heard that you have to quilt closer [ 2-3 inches ] on cotton and you can leave more space between the poly batting. Has to do with the cotton falling apart easier when left with too much of a gap. Don't know if thats right but thats what I do. Hope this helps.

[kelandspence]

I heard that if you don't quilt close enough on low loft then it will ball up ! That's what I've heard anyway ! I know for sure that it's true with cotton batting but not sure with poly batting... I usually try to quilt within the 2-3 inches anyway !

Kelley

[Leigh]

When the quilt gets washed, it will ball up if not done close enough.

I don't think it is like the lovely puffy dry-clean only bedspread I had that the dry-cleaner put in a big washing machine and now it is flat.