A few weeks ago I won a package of the new EQ Newsprint from their blog! Thanks EQ! The packaging says it's for paper piecing and machine quilting. I thought I would test it out and show you my results!
Then I did the paper piecing. I tried 2 different stitch lengths- 1.5 and 2 on my machine. Both were excellent and tore very smoothly when I was done. This EQ newsprint worked much better than the paper I have been using ( I don't remember that brand now). I even had to tear out a seam and redo it. It held up well!
Next up on the test was to try machine quilting. I just pinned down the paper and followed the lines - well mostly followed the lines!
Then I just tore off the paper. I am really pleased with how smoothly this paper tears. There was minimal pulling of my stitches and hardly any shredding of the paper.
So the big question is would I keep this paper well stocked in my sewing room? A BIG yes! And now that I have tried it for machine quilting I can see me using a lot more of it!
So now that I have given a great review how about a bad one?
Do you remember that Redwork Santa? Well I started to hand quilt it using a new batting.
It is a cotton and bamboo mix and it feels so very soft to touch it. It is also thin enough to hand quilt BUT it is horrible to hand quilt. My quilting needle actually gets grabbed by that dastardly batting. I have never had that happen. At first I though maybe it was my needle, so I switched out the needle to not just a new needle but a different brand. Then I thought I might be crazy but I didn`t think so...
Finally I decided to stick it out and see if things got better. After all it is a Christmas project so it will only be out once a year. Well I finally gave up trying (and I mean trying with no success) to keep my stitches even so now they are what they are. If this had been any larger I would have torn it all out.
So I won`t be using bamboo again for hand quilting.
Hope you enjoyed my reviews!
Happy Stitching!
Your Santa looks fantastic! Sorry to hear about the problems with the bamboo wadding. I googled about it and most of the sites recommend it only for machine quilting! I'm glad, as I have a HUGE quilt all pinned ready to quilt with bamboo wadding --I'll let you know how it goes when I eventually get around to doing the quilting (this quilt has been "in the queue" for months!!
ReplyDeleteYour quilting looks perfect!!
Happy Sewing!
Thanks for the info re hand quilting bamboo. I had thought of trying it. Not now. One of my friends used bamboo in her silk trapunto quilt (machine quilted) - first time using it. Says she won't use it again because of instability and will go back to Warm & Natural or Hobbs cotton. Love your little quilts Ann and the info on your blog.
ReplyDeleteYour Santa is great and congrats on thee win!
ReplyDeleteMicki