Originally Posted by Scissor Queen

Depends entirely on the finished look and feel you want. I like cotton batting but I don't always want the crinkled look so sometimes I preshrink my battings. Do NOT let it agitate!!! You'll end up with a giant cotton ball! I use hot water and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes and I use a stick to push it down in the water. After it has sat I turn the machine to the last spin and spin the water out. I use regular heat in the dryer. I'll pull it out of the dryer a couple of times and move the middle of the ball to the outside so it dries evenly. It doesn't take very long at all for a bat to dry so you need to rearrange it about every 10 minutes or so. Also make sure it's a batting that can be preshrunk. Not all of them can be.