Frankenbatting - how to join batting pieces

Have you heard of "Frankenbatting" and wondered what that is? Sounds like a great idea for a Halloween costume :-)

It's nothing quite so scary, though. The term Frankenbatting just refers to batting scraps that are sewn together to make a new piece of batting you can use in a quilted project. Kind of like how Frankenstein's monster was pieced together.

If you're like me (and most quilters for that matter), you probably keep the batting scraps you trim off before you bind a quilt. I used to keep them thinking I'll make coasters and other little things from them, but somewhere after my second or third quilt, I quickly realized that nobody needs *that* many coasters.

Enter "Frankenbatting"! 

Frankenbatting how-to

Here's a quick photo tutorial on how I do it:

1) Select a few pieces that will make up the size you need and make sure they're all the same kind of batting. You don't want to mix batting for this because different batts could wash up differently, distorting your quilt. So make sure you select only pieces that are the same fiber and thickness.

2) Lay the pieces out the way you want to join them, making sure they're all facing the same side up if they have two distinct sides.

3) If your pieces have wonky edges, you'll need to straighten them up first. If two adjoining pieces are wonky, put them "right" sides together (we'll just call the side you put facing up the right side, since batting doesn't have a pattern), and cut a straight line across both layers to straighten out the edges.

If your batting pieces are quite long, you can also trim them individually. This also applies if only one piece needs trimming and the other one already has a straight edge. Fold them in half (short end onto short end, like the piece on the left below), or even quarters, then line up a line on the ruler with the fold and trim the edge off the batting piece. This ensures that the cut is perpendicular to the fold and you don't end up with a zigzag shape to your batting piece.

4) Once all pieces have straight edges, check that they fit nicely together when butted up against each other. Now you're ready to start sewing them together.

5) Select the widest zigzag stitch on your machine, and your normal stitch length. On my Bernina 475, that's a 5.5 width and 2.5 length. Use a walking foot if you have one, to help to make sure both pieces of batting move through the machine at the same speed and you don't get puckers.

6) Now butt up both pieces right next to each other, edges touching but not overlapping. Start sewing slowly, keeping the two pieces butted up against each other, and making sure the zigzag stitch catches both pieces each time. Make sure the pieces don't start overlapping, as that will cause a hard ridge that you can feel in the final quilt.

7) Keep adding pieces until your Frankenbatting is the size you need for your project. Now you can use just like any new batting.

I often use these bits of joined batting for smaller projects like table runners because I don't need many to make it big enough for the project. Other small projects are totes, cushions, or wall hangings. If you have large remnants from a prepackaged batt, you can also join 2 or 3 for a baby quilt.

I don't really like joining more than 3 or 4 pieces, just for simplicity's sake. But there's nothing saying you can't make a king-size batt from remnants. After all, making do with what you have is how patchwork and quilting started out.