Originally Posted by ckcowl
DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR WASHER!!!IT WILL SIMPLY DISINTEGRATE
YOU HAVE TO FELT IT at least enough for the fibers to hold together....the more it is felted the more stable it will be....you use hot water and detergent when felting- so the washing part will be accomplished at the same time you are felting it FOR IT TO BE USED AS A BATTING.
I would not try to felt raw wool to use it for quilt batting. You will end up with a huge, thick block that you could not quilt through. There is a different set of steps if it is going to be made into batting. First, though, it has to be cleaned - if is indeed a raw, unprocessed, freshly shorn pelt.
When washing wool in a washing machine you're not agitating it like you would clothes. You're basically using the tub to soak and then spin.