When it comes to wadding we all have a favourite and everyone has an opinion as to why theirs is the best, for some it's the price, for others the brand or company that makes it, some go solely on the fibre mix - so many things to think about and consider. For me personally I like something that feels really soft and will stitch well, my go to for several years has been Stitch It by Empress Mills I know it meets my criteria so I've never really looked for or tried anything else. When the opportunity came up to test out the Soya Mix from Vlieseline I jumped at the chance to broaden my horizons.
The first thing I noticed is how unbelievably soft it is, it feels amazing! It's a medium weight wadding made from 50% soya bean and 50% cotton fibres, it's unbleached and quite an odd patchy yellow colour, but don't let that put you off. It's 60 inches wide so can accommodate a great range of quilt sizes, has a really lovely drape, a smooth finish and an even thickness throughout - something I find particularly great as a longarm quilter.
The fibres are all natural, eco-friendly and antimicrobial, the product itself was 'Highly Commended' in the British Sewing Awards 2020 in the category for Best Eco-Friendly Product.
The guidance on the Vlieseline website is a maximum quilting distance of 10cm, this wasn't going to be a problem for me because I had always intended to do some hand quilting with this one and wanted it fairly close together. It was an absolute joy to work with, both my needle and thread effortlessly went through the wadding and fabric layers, making it much easier to create even stitches.
I've been using Aurifil 28wt thread and a size 12 needle and have found the Soya Mix wadding allows for great stitch definition and texture. I will definitely be using this wadding again, it is a dream to work with and has a lovely soft finish to it, I certainly recommend giving it a try!
You can find out more about the Soya Mix, as well as all the other great products Vlieseline have, by visiting www.vlieseline.com