Month: November 2025

According to AI, it’s a quilting technique where small pieces of batting are sewn together to make a larger piece for a quilt top. This method uses batting scraps, saving money and reducing waste.

I use a walking foot to zigzag the pieces together and try to sew them right after attaching the binding to a quilt. I was a few quilts behind, and now that I’m used to piecing them as I go, it was bothering me so I spent this morning putting the pieces I had together.

A quilting friend asked me how I determine the size to make since she stores her pieces in a bin and then puts them together when she’s ready to quilt a top.

I typically create kid-sized quilts around 42″ x 54″, which is equates to twelve 12″ blocks with a 3″ border, but it varies by pattern. I decided on a target size of 46″ x 58″ for my frankenbatts, and it’s worked well for the past year. It’s easy to add a strip or cut some off when necessary.

When I trim after quilting a top, I also cut any leftover batting that’s at least 3″ wide into 46″ lengths.

The pieces that are less the 46″ get sewn together until I have a piece 46″wide and then it gets added to the frankenbatt in progress.

Very little gets wasted and after today’s stitching, I only have this one little piece leftover.

Before I store a frankenbatt, I always label it with the current measurements so I can easily check if it’s big enough for my next little top without measuring each time. The new shelf under the frame is going to be a much handier place to keep it than the end of the long arm table was.

There are many ways to do things, but what works for me is focusing on one frankenbatt at a time. If it’s slightly too small, I can quickly cut a piece from the bolt to make it the right size.

I’d rather spend 5 minutes sewing pieces together than half a day trying to fit them like a jigsaw puzzle. I also like the fact that the batting scraps get used up quickly and not taking up valuable real estate in my sewing room.

A friend from my Stashbuster group shared this video with me today for joining batting on a long arm. It’s interesting! I enjoy learning new techniques, but I don’t think this method would fit my routine.

I chose the American Spirit collection by QT fabrics to make this quilt using the currently free pattern from eQuilter.

It was made to donate for a benefit quarter auction being held on December 15th. The fundraiser is for our 5 year old great nephew’s kidney transplant surgery .

The second quilt I’ll be donating for the auction is this which measures 52″ x 74″ (even though it does look much smaller in this photo).

I’ve been thinking a lot about the quilts I’ve been wanting to make. I’m tired of seeing them get pushed down the priority list so I need to be proactive.

It may be a little early to begin thinking about 2026, but I know if I have a plan in place, it will help me wrap up a few things so I’ll be ready to get started. It might also keep me from impulsively signing up for one of the many new Block of the Month quilts that’ll be all over the internet in January.

The primary reason for making the list NOW though is to take inventory and determine. what I might still need (if anything) to make these quilts. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and End of the Year Inventory sales are all coming up so I’ll be ready with a list in hand!

Here are my top 18. I made a separate page for them too so they’ll be easy to find when I’m considering what to work on next. Some are UFOs but most are just patterns I own paired with fabric I’ve collected to make them.

The holidays are here! The days are getting shorter and the “to do” list is getting longer.

I’ve done a few things on the quilty side but not a lot to blog about and I’m not expecting to get a lot more done before the first of the year. I’m okay with that.

I had a bit of sticker shock when the batting I’ve been purchasing on Walmart (sold and delivered by them) doubled in price. It’s been $40.99 for the nine yard bolt I like to buy for about two years now.

Imagine my surprise when I went to buy more and saw the price is now $81.47!

I did find a similar batting at Walmart for $46.06 so I ordered several bolts of it. When it came I did a side by side comparison and couldn’t tell the slightest difference between the old and the new. I have 54 yards now so I’m stocked up for about a year … just in case the price on this one goes up too. The shipping is free with my Walmart plus account so as I finish one bolt, I’ll replace it with a new one as long as the price remains the same. (If not, I’ll be researching a new source.)

I posted this before. It’s 4 bolts of the batting on a bar my husband attached to the long arm. We just split the cardboard bolt in the center and slip the bar through it. I move the frame away from the wall when I want to quilt behind it so I don’t like storing anything underneath it.

I really wasn’t sure where I’d put those extra two bolts of batting I ordered this time. I woke up the next morning and had an epiphany. I could put a Closet Maid type shelf under the long arm on the back side, behind the batting bar. I shared the idea with my husband. He made a quick trip to Home Depot and by lunch time I had a new shelf installed. Yay!

He bought the heavy duty 16″ wide shelf which has an extra support down the center of it. It also has a lip on the front edge. We flipped the shelf upside down so the lip is facing up and toward the back. That will help to keep from sliding off the back.

We couldn’t put the batting bar on the backside of the frame because of the extra center support leg (you can see it in the photo below) but, it worked great for the shelf and even added a little extra support! The bolts of batting weigh just over 5 pounds each so the shelf can easily support them. The shelf might look likes it’s bowing a little bit in the photo. It’s not. It’s just the way the light is reflecting.

And, I even have room on the other end of the shelf to stage a few more tops & backings ready to be quilted. I don’t know why I didn’t figure this out sooner.

We decorate for all the holidays but my neighbors have already begun putting up Christmas decorations so my husband added something new this year.

Last year he made a few turkey protest signs from discarded political campaign signs. The neighbors love it. Just today a couple of students walking home from school thanked him for celebrating Thanksgiving. Then laughed when they saw the “fat boy” sign and stopped to take a picture of it. 😉

I made a new little turkey banner for the inside.

to go with my other Thanksgiving things.

I also made some new seat covers with leaves to use on the couch from Halloween through Thanksgiving. They’re reversible so I can use for Christmas too.

This week, I’m working on a quilt to be donated for a quarter auction. Next, I have a few things I’d like to finish for Christmas.

Hopefully, I can get back to my patriotic string/scrap quilts after that.

In the evening I’ve been working a bit on a cross-stitch kit I bought in 2020 (and never made). Plus, I’m thinking a lot about my plans for 2026.

I have several quilts on my bucket list I’d really like to focus on. I’m committed to helping the guild get the tops finished that have been in storage way too long. My plan is to help quilt those and work on my bucket list quilts the rest of the time. Once those are finished, I’ll have time to make some more of my own quilts to be donated. I have ideas and fabric, just not the time to do it all.

Maybe I’ll number my bucket list quilts and pull a number every month or, take a calendar and plan the order I’d like work on them. I really haven’t decided yet. Luckily, I have about 6 weeks to think about it.