With Quilt Market only a month away, I’m busily scrambling to get a couple of Elemental Coats done for Shannon Fabrics and Benartex–one made of Quilting Cuddle® and one with quilting cotton. I’m worked with cotton for thirty years, but Quilting Cuddle® is a new product that they released earlier this summer. Since I’ve been working with it a bit, I thought I’d answer a few of the questions I’ve been getting…
What’s the difference between Cuddle® 3 and Quilting Cuddle®?
Quilting Cuddle® has a 1.5mm nap, so the fibers are half the length of the Cuddle® 3 (so named because the nap is 3mm long). The shorter nap makes for less Cuddle® dust and easier to pin together. Digital Cuddle® also has a lot less stretch than Cuddle® 3, making it easier to sew with a 1/4″ seam and with only a few pins.
How does Quilting Cuddle® work for piecing?
It works really well! It’s not the same as using cotton or Cuddle® 3, but something right down the middle.
I found that it still helps a lot to keep the naps going in the same direction. When the naps go in opposite directions, they shove against each other making it move or stretch in unhelpful ways.
There are times that the naps have to be in opposite directions, such as in strips and in certain blocks, but I found a trick that worked really well for the strips.
• Cut each strip 1/4″ wider than it calls for.
• Sew strips together with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
• Trim to the right size.
I did this for several parts of this block and each time the amount trimmed from each side was different, so the fabric was clearly moving one way or the other. That didn’t affect the end result and had me pinning (and stressing) a lot less.
Can you iron Quilting Cuddle®?
Thanks to the lower nap, the Digital Cuddle® presses open along the stitching line better than the Cuddle® 3. I pressed all my seams open, after spritzing with water. It didn’t melt any of the fibers, despite the worry that it might. I ironed on the right side of the fabric (within the seam allowance) without a pressing cloth and it was totally fine!. And just like quilting cotton, pressing the blocks made a huge difference in how nicely they laid.
I’ve done a few pieced/quilted projects with Cuddle® 3 and I found it much easier to piece after ironing on a fusible stabilizer, I’m happy to report that no stabilizer was used for this project. I might try a block with stabilizer just to check on it, but really I think it works just fine as-is.
I’ve got 30 more blocks to make, so I’m getting back to work, but I had to check in and let you know… it’s coming along swimmingly.
Happy sewing!
P.S. Quilting Cuddle® is just showing up in shops, but I know that Old Alley Quilt Shop in Minnesota, The Quilt Basket in Nebraska, and Lizzy’s Biz in Iowa all have it in stock now.