On my first quilt totaly done by me I used poly batt, mainly because I got very nervouse/confused on the cotton batts.
After reading alot about batting here for my next quilt I'd like to use cotton batting.
BUT at the LQS they had a few different kinds of cotton batting, one in particular (I can't remember the name) clearly said on the outside of the packaging "do not wash before using", or somthing to that affect. So my question is, with other cotton batting do you pre-wash it before you quilt?
Zoo

I've never washed batting at all. One thing I will say about folded up packaged cotton batting is that a lot of them come out of the package with thin spots due to the folding process. Warm and Natural is the only one I've not had this happen to. I'm out of batting now, so I'm going to try the stuff on the huge rolls next to see if that is better.

I always wash all my fabric and soak my battings. The chemicals that come off the batting is unreal and I could never use it without this soaking, spinning & drying in the dryer (having sensitivities to fragrances & chemicals has me more conscious of what goes into the consumer products, I guess).

I have never washed batting either, and I use Warm and Natural and get it at Joann's on sale or use a coupon.

I did pre-wash HOBB'S HEIRLOOM 80/20. I wanted to use cotton batting in a quilt. I had already pre-shrunk all the fabrics. I wanted to pre-shrink the batting also.

I ran it thru the wash and the dryer without a problem. It came out nice and fluffy without any bag wrinkles.

I generally use poly batting, because I like the light weight. Never wash it beforehand.

most won't, but some cotton batting will fall apart if you wash it all by itself. most cotton batting will shrink once it is washed. how much it will shrink varies by manufacturer. the good ones are honest about that and will tell you right on the package how much shrinkage to expect.

when batting of any type comes out of the package it's quite wrinkled and lumpy from having been folded so tightly for so long. working with it like that can be a bit of a pain where you'd prefer to sit. the solution is not to prewash it like you would fabric.

throw it in the dryer, on the delicate or knit setting, with one or two damp bath towels. the moisture from the towels will infuse the batting without weakening it. by the time the towels are dry, the batting will have done whatever shrinking it's going to do and come out in a smoother condition. it'll be easy to flatten out any remaining wrinkles or lumps.

Chances are the batting with that warning did not have a scrim. Scrim is a poly netting through which the cotton fibers are needlepunched during the manufacturing process. It stabilizes the cotton and is the reason that the quilting on Warm and Natural can be as far apart as ten inches without the batting shifting. Without scrim, cotton batting, all by itself without being in a quilt, would likely fall apart in the washer.

I think that the batting that is needle punched is able to take a soaking before use better than the regular cotton batting. That, at least, had been my experience. The needle punching makes the fibers interlock and not come apart as easily when they get wet. I stopped pre-washing my batting as I didn't feel it helped anything and might actually make things worse, it it started to turn to mush in the machine. If you have chemical allergies, then that might be a reason to do it regardless.

John

the first time i ever used warm and natural (80/20) it had thin spots, as mentioned, fold lines, as mentioned, and it had been cut 160" x 145". don't even ask why. maybe in my next life i'll know.

i almost wept. i didn't know what to do with it. i called the company and spoke to customer service who told me that each batt is hand cut and i got lucky that day. Right! i had to get down on my hands and knees and trim it to 105" x 105" for a 96" sq quilt. then she told me to lay it out on a carpet and lay a damp towel over the fold lines. then as it got damp i was to push the thicker spots onto the thinner places to even them all out. four days later my husband was ready to set fire to the whole thing and i was still laying damp towels on it.

i wish someone had told me then that i could throw it in the dryer with those *d* damp towels. does that even out the thin places and get rid of the fold lines as well? does the batt stick to itself? i'm trying to picture what happens to it. does it fluff? do the towels get full of lint?