Good morning! I am planning to make my own burp diapers want to add a soft thin layer of cotton batting , my question is do I quilt the fabric before or after the embroidery? Is it too bulky for the machine if I do the batting before? Thank you.

I have done it both ways. I guess it depends on if you want the embroidery to show on the back side or not. If you want to quilt it first , I recommend using the same thread in the bobbin as on top so it is reversible. Good luck, Susan

I, too, used some diapers & they do pill & look ugly after several washing. Flannel is great. I got somewhere a pattern for a sorta peanut shaped burp cloth. It's a raggy one. Stack back flannel, batting, top flannel & sew it around with about a 5/8" stitch. Then cut away the batting showing & clip the flannel all around about 1/4" apart. They will "rag" with each washing. My daughter has one & loves it. I did run 3 rows of wavy stitching from side to side, one in the middle & one about half way between the middle & each end. Put the baby's name on it so the folks in the nursery know it's hers! Maybe so a search for "raggy burp cloths".

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by gerryb 21 Aug 2012

It's at homemade by jill blog spot. I did find it with google. There's the pattern there to print as well as some pictures.

Hi Mary,
I quilt the center section of my burpies all the time, I place the batting between my two layers of cotton and embroidery them using a stippling rectangle. I do not know how big your hoop is but mine is 300mm x 200mm so I do it all at once. No problem for my machine. In this one shown in the pic, I had previously embroidered my design on the lower section prior to doing the stippling.
Hope this helps
Hugs
Michelle

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I think I know what you are asking - I always make the decision that works best with the project. Designs get all out of shape when you stitch them through too thick a stack, and the stack can slip when hooped. I would do the design first, then assemble and quilt. Or, if you really want the quilted look under the design, quilt the top with just a think layer underneath, and then assemble all the rest and finish as needed, maybe a stitch around the design. Batting can cause shifting, so I think that's how I would attack this challenge :-) Also, I made some baby burpers out of real diapers. I wish I had used white cotton flannel over cotton batting and shrunk first. The diapers "pilled" and looked ugly after washing.

Well, only you can answer that question. ;) What I mean is are you using a thick minky fabric or a thin cotton for the top and back?
If you are using a thin cotton, then insert your batting between the thin layers, quilt it and then embroider.
If you are using the thicker material you will have to visually decide. (Think the thickest towel you have ever embroidered on) In this case I would use a water soluble topper and embroider first, then don't quilt on top of your design. ;)

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by mary51 20 Aug 2012

I am usign a diaper fabric, is like medium i will think

I haven't done this, but I would think I would quilt the fabric then do the embroidery. I think the quilting lines would distract from the beauty of the design. But let's see what others have to say.

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by mary51 20 Aug 2012

I was not planning to sew the quilting lines on the embroidery, my plan is to the lines areound it. Thank you