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[Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

Thanks, Susan Jane! I'm also making a 'bed topper' out of my wool; it 
sits on top of the mattress. I've seen two styles, quilted batts with 
covers, and a shag rug type. I've been making tied rugs, so I'm 
currently making a tied shag type. I have some beautiful, long wool this 
year, and the topper is coming out well...maybe too well to waste on the 
bed. I'm thinking of using it as a rug and making the quilt-type for my bed.

Lynn Wigglesworth

SJC wrote:
> Lynn Wigglesworth wrote:
>> Well, I guess I'm not making real window quilts, just insulated 
>> curtains. 
> As long as you have several layers quilted together you have a quilt, by 
> definition :-)  so nobody can say it's not 'real'....  But in this case 
> you want to have at least one layer that's not stitched together with 
> the others, back or front, doesn't matter which.  Heat/cold will be 
> better stopped than if you have stitching lines that go all the way 
> through; that's the weak point when it comes to heat transfer.  By 
> having one layer that's not stitched down with the others any more than 
> is essential you can gain several degrees. 
>> I don't want to spend any money; so far I've spent about $5 on 
>> fabric remnants on clearance at Goodwill, and pieced them together into 
>> quilt faces. I have to get 3 or 4 sheets for backing ($2.99 each at 
>> Goodwill, unless I can find some on the $.25 rack). 
> Man, we need better secondhand stores here.  They want $5/6 for a twin 
> sheet here.  Once in a while I can find them cheaper at a yard sale but 
> not often.  Last time I went out of here I came back with lots of used 
> sheets I got for around $1/apiece.  I like sheets for weaving rag rugs 
> and I've no clue why our Goodwill/SA stores are so high here, but they 
> stay that way and getting worse.  This summer some had Ball jars for 
> $.75 ea, quarts.  I could actually have bought new cheaper.  As is was, 
> I just dried more stuff rather than canning it so I used fewer jars 
> total.  Used to find them free at any junk shop but not any more.  
> Fortunately at some yard sales clothes are cheap and I've no problem 
> with cutting up a $.25 skirt into chunks to sew back together...have a 
> big pile of stuff by my chair right not for taking the buttons and 
> zippers out, then they'll be ready for whacky, whacky....
>> ....My wool will be the insulation.
>>   
> If you're using carded batts, want to make sure they are quilted well to 
> keep wool from shifting/felting when they are washed.  I found that out 
> the wrong way :-) ; on the first one I did had quilting lines way too 
> far apart .   The quilts I've done with carded batts I ended up quilting 
> with no more than 2" open in any direction to keep wool from shifting 
> and some of that has shifted, despite my best efforts.  I was using a 
> Romney/Shetland blend, as it was what I had at the time.  I think the 
> safe spacing would vary some depending on which wool you use.  For the 
> next ones I did have better results by deliberately felting the carded 
> batts together by making thin-ish batts and layering them between 2 
> cotton (they'll beard and 'stick' if you use poly) sheets, checkerboard 
> style in 2 layers, and felted them in the machine , then removed the 
> sheets.  Then you have a nice batt for the window quilt; it's the same 
> way you'd make a mattress pad, except you don't need near as many  
> layers) and then using that big flat batt for your window quilt.  That 
> way the fiber will already be somewhat stabilized to start out with and 
> that will keep you from getting those little wads of wool between your 
> stitching lines.  I have a Lincoln fleece here I'm going to try for a 
> quilt batting, staple is about 7", curious to see if that works out to 
> be easier.  Afraid it might feel a little coarse, even through the 
> fabric, guess I'll find out this winter.  I'm thinking I might make one 
> layer of Lincoln batts and a layer of Romney so the top (well, one side, 
> anyway) is softer.  Not sure exactly how they'll work together but it 
> seems worth a try.  I have the picking done but won't do the carding 
> until snow flies, other stuff in the way now.
> 
> Lobster was $3.12/lb yesterday at the dock in case your sister is back 
> home, must be similar up her way.  My company got 4 of them to take back 
> home with them.
> 
> SJ, in Maine
> 
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