Originally Posted by PatriceJ
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.
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?