I just finished a quilt with warm and natural batting . I did not preshrink for the quilt but... took all the "scrap" batting to soak to preshrink for some table runners , and there was a not so pleasant odor in the batting. It took quite a bit of rinsing to get most of the smell out. Anyone else had this issue?, and what is the cause of this smell? I am very concerned about the quilt as the smell will "bloom again" in humid weather. I have been using warm and natural for years and never had this happen. I recently stocked up and now am concerned about my generous reserve of batting.

I haven't ever had that problem with Warm and Natural.

Don't know about the batting, but I received a pkg. of quilting scraps . ordered from EBay, the seller from MI and when I opened the box the smell was soooo bad I had to put the box in another room...It smelled like chemicals..I am VERY sensitive to different odors and this one even made my mouth taste funny!! I contacted the seller, and she didn't know what I was talking about..I placed the fabrics outside for a couple of hours and today the smell is still there..I even had my husband smell and he agreed, don't know what to do about it

cotton in the fields when ready to pick has a distinct odor.. to me, it stinks, but isn't something that you 'can't get used to'...
it may be the 'natural' cotton smell - very hard to describe...

hmmmm let me see - it smells like a cotton field LOL

a field of cotton does NOT smell any thing like the fake-o 'cotton' smell in room sprays...

Never had any problems with my W&N or Warm and White. I have some on a roll and some folded and tuckes away in my sewing room. Did yours have a chance to get wet?

Can't say I enjoy the smell of W&N batting when I first open the package.
It smells very dusty. Once it's sandwiched I don't smell it as much.
How do you store your batting? I store mine in big plastic totes because
we've been having very high humidity this past summer.

Never had a problem with W&N but definitely had a problem a brand whose name I can't remember. It had that moldy shipping container smell but it was on the inside not the outside of the bag. I tossed it and told the famous seller about it. I rarely bother with arguing over refunds.

Try soaking overnight in a vinegar rinse--this works for lots of smells---1-2 cups to 1/2 washer load or equivalent......
I do this a LOT--VERY sensitive to chemicals--fabric stores make me very sick if i am not just in and out in a few minutes--cuts down on fabric stash the hard way!

I will try the vinegar/water soak..I hope it helps, some of the fabric was really neat!!

Sounds as if your package rode in the same freight container with someone's shipment of whatever the smell is. If your shipper had value declared (insurance) and it is within the timeframe that sill permits you to file a claim I would suggest that you do. The carrier needs to know it happened. If everyone in that container calls the carrier; they will know they have a problem with one of their shipper's packaging and they can address it.
I am sorry that happened.

I haven't noticed odor from the batting but sure have noticed some odors on fabric tat must be chemicals. Sometimes I sneeze like crazy when around certain fabrics. One time I did take some fabric back to the store and told them about the odor...they immediately gave me a refund without any questions. I have noticed at times even the ones cutting the fabric will sneeze and they say they don't have a cold. I haven't been one to wah all fabric but it may be healthier to do it.

Use it all the time and never had it happen

I use cotton batting all the time and I have a great sense of smell. I can smell food once and copy it. All my batting alsways smells to me I think it is just a cotton smell.

send the smelly fabrics back to the seller!

They use formaldehyde to set dyes--and other nasty things that those of us who are sensitive have a hard time with.
I ended up in Er one time wearing a new dress--found out later I was not the only one who got sick---store sent that whole batch of dresses back after MANY complaints.
so far, the vinegar rinse has not failed me!

Thank you for the advice on the vinegar, as soon as I can get out , I'll buy some and try it, I did call the owner and she said she hadn't any other complaints, she did offer for me to send it back, but I really liked the fabric and was hoping to save it...besides I don't want her to think I was looking for a handout, or anything

Colorfulquilter, you could try washing the fabrics with your regular soap and add some baking soda and white vinegar to the load. I always do this with fabric or new clothes because I get sick from the odors. It may take a couple of washes - don't dry in between if the smell is still there - to get all of the odor out. It always works for me.

I have noticed Warm and natural has a smell as well..it is a cleaner ..I think. It smells like a cleaner we used to have at school...I can't remember the name..but I don't enjoy it either.

I was told once to wrap stinky/mold smelling items in newspaper and that would help to rid the odors. I also think a good soak in vinegar/water base would rid the odors as it does for the air in the home. Good luck, let me know if you tried this and if it works, hope so.

I love the idea of warm and natural, but I too encountered an order. Since I am very sensitive to odors, I do not use is any more.

Our guild was once offered a real deal on some books. 3 for $10. Wow, however when they came they had a horrible odor. I was going to just toss them as it was really BAD. DH said to sprinkle cinnamon into the pages and over and under them and put them in a plastic bag for a week. It worked. Later he said it was from shipping and something in the shipping compartment had died and that is what the smell was. I didn't ask what he thought had made the smell. I just had visions of rats or some such.

I don't know about cotton, but when I was spinning I was told to NOT store any fibers, such as alpaca and wool in closed containers because it would build up an odor.

Put it in the garbage. Might be hazardous to your health.

Try washing the fabric and rinsing in a vinegar solution. That should take some of the odor out. It could be the chemicals they processed the fabric. Usually it's a formaldhyde solution.

It's usually the chemicals with which it has been sprayed. Once I ended up with an allergy attack which went to bronchitis which led to pneumonia and a week in the hospital.

Write a letter to the manufacturer and ask what it might be. Maybe they will send you a credit. Who knows but it may be worth a try.

Nor I. I wonder if something got on it either in shipping or at the store,

I find that Warm and Natural stinks when it is wet or damp. When I wash my quilts that have it as batting, I have to make sure it dries completely before they get used again. I prefer to dry on a clothes line.

I also use W&N as my base on my large cutting table, to iron yardage and find if I use steam, I can get that smell again, so water makes something react and smell.

Other than that, I love it.

Diane

In some areas of the World, a little too much formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of fabric. It can sometimes 'smell' and irritate the skin. Sometimes, whatever is used to size the material can leave an odour as well. Even the napthalene that some people pack their stuff in gets to my nose. So I guess these are all arguments for pre - washing. (I still do it after I've finished...)

i recently had a warm & natural batt that had a very strong odor to it. i found after it being (open) it diminished and after the quilt was finished and bound i washed it and there was no odor left in the finished quilt. so, i recommend, if you can't stand to work with it, pre-wash it, if you can work with it then wash it when the quilt is finished and it will go away.

I know this has probably been posted somewhere already, but still want to ask about pre-shrinking natural and warm batting. Can you throw it in the washing machine on hand wash or will it all come apart? How do you pre-shrink it?
Thanks in advance for the help.

I bought a queen size pkg of W&N at Joann's and it did smell funny, now that I think about it. Haven't noticed it in any other W&N I have purchased. HUMMMM?????

i have been using warm andnatural for years and have a large bag of it in my seewing room and never had a smell problem with it, maybe try washing it or soaking it in some water and baking soda i use this in my laundry all the time

I have never prewashed W&N. One time I soaked it in the tub and it was almost impossible to get it wet, but I didn't want to put it in a washer and dryer because of the excessive lint I felt would result. I always wash my fabrics, and then the finished quilts. Those that have the W&N shrink less than 2% and it gives the quilt a bit of a barely wrinkled look that is typical of all quilts.

Diane

I do preshrink most of my Warm and natural batting, or warm and white. Warm and Natural actually is one of the best for preshrinking in that it holds up well in the wash and dryer. I wash on gentle, But let it soak over night ( just lift the lid on the washer so it does not continue in its cycle), because it does not seem to take up the water easliy. Not sure why this is . Then once the full cycle has completed toss it in the dryer, regular cycle. It holds up beautifully. If you can also use a soak cycle on your washer , but so spin out the water before drying.

I have always noticed W&N having a smell, but then, I can smell an odor from most fabrics-quilt shop quality or Walmart quality. The cheaper the fabric-the more the smell it seems. I am very allergic to the formaldehyde used in fabric. I washed just over 800 yds of fabric in my stash and got rid of about 200 yds. Now I prewash ALL fabric. My sister (not a pre-washer) sent me a quilt to quilt on my frame and I thought I was going to croak! I could only work on it a half-hour at a time!

Yep, it was probably the formaldyde. I used to work for a company that only sold socks. Millions on the walls and tables. I also had a problem with the oder of many mills that made them. The formildade is put into the yarns so the boweevills don't eat it up before the mills can get it used. Some times it goes away, but most times it lingers alot longer than most. I used the plants in the shops that love the sent. Then I made sure that everyone knew about it and washed the items befor wearing them. Some Countys stll use too much of the cheimicals. (China). Good luk in getting rid of it.

Lori,

Thanks for the info on machine washing. I really need to pre-wash everything since I also have allery problems to the chemicals in the fabrics, both breathing and skin contact.

Thanks to everyone else who responded, this is a great group of people for a newbie like me. I appreciate each and everyone of you and wish you all a Happy Holiday Season.

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