Piecing batting
 

I've read that in order to successfully piece batting you put the two edges next to each other and zigzag stitch.

I'm trying to do that with a straight stitch only machine on a somewhat fluffy poly batting and not having much luck.

So my obvious question is how can I make this work for me? Or should I just give up and open a new package of batting to do this 24" square wall hanging?

Thanks for all your expertise that y'all so willingly share!

I just put the batting over he backing and overlap the batting pieces. I use Warm and Natural, so not sure how it would work with poly. You could test it with scrap pieces.

I've used iron on pellon for this and it works fine.

I was having some trouble and wasn't working until I used a pre-washed strip scrap and sewed up one side then dow the other. Like sashing.

You can lay the two pieces of batting next to each other and hand stitch back and forth (whip stitch). The stitches don't need to be tight or close together for it to hold long enough to do the quilting. Or you can tape the pieces together using a fusible. I wouldn't overlap them if the batting is fluffy because it will probably show up in the finished piece.

I cut lightweight fusible interfacing into strips abut 2 inches wide, butt the batting together and press on the strip. It is a good idea to use a press cloth and steam when doing this. Works really great for me.

I do the same as dunster and it works fine.

Nor would I overlap even it it is not fluffy (eg. Warm and Natural) .... it may not be fluffy, though it is bulky and would create a ridge that might be noticeable in your finished quilt.

Here's a couple of hints I was given for joining batting pieces...
* Lay two pieces on top of each other (yes overlap!!) ... top with a ruler, and then slice down the overlap with your rotary cutter. That way, you have two pieces that are now cut straight and match precisely. Then sew.

* When joining batting pieces, don't make the seams at right angles to the way it will be in a quilt. Angles are actually better, and probably will be less apt to be noticeable in a finished quilt, than they might be if all is kept straight and rigid. Keeping them straight on the horizontal or vertical, you might hit right on a seam, which could make quilting awkward, whether by hand or machine. If on an angle, then you are more likely to just have to work with it crossing a seam.

Thanks all!
My batting is cut straight on each edge that I'm trying to hold together and I did not want to overlap creating a hump in the middle, so it sounds like the hand stitching method would be the least likely to cause other problems (lumpiness, possibility of melting, necessity to drive 45 min to a shop, etc)
Happy quilting to all!

Like Dunster, I also hand stitch. I handstitch loosely. I use mostly poly batting.