ArchaicArcane

I'm planning to make some Microwave fabric bowls for some friends. I know that one of the requirements is "cotton batting".

Regular 100% cotton batting isn't just cotton. (Arctic White or Warm and Natural both) It's about 13% Polypropylene, the "scrim". Is this batting still "OK" for the project? One friend, who knows a lot more about this than I do says no, don't use it.

I know that the Warm Company made Warm Tater which is microwave safe. I also know that they've just discontinued it. http://www.warmcompany.com/wnwhitepage.html - the first comment after the write up. The replacement is Warm and Plush, which on their website says: "Limited Time". Hmm.. that's not good. http://www.warmcompany.com/warm-and-plush.html I know also that Pellon and Quilter's Dream and probably others have a similar product.

Some of the tutorials I've seen show a very white looking batting, so I know that it's not Warm Tater and this one says that they used Warm And Natural: http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...s-t144848.html, and someone in the thread several pages in says they used 80/20!

Warm Tater is a relatively expensive batting, since it sells in 22" wide bolts. I have a line on some on "sale" (probably clearance) but it's still $6/m(39") for that 22" wide meter. Should I be going to get (more of) that? (The packrat in me wants it - it's discontinued, etc etc. The frugal side of me says what do you need all of that for? I suspect that the frugal side is going to lose... again.) Or will one of the "100% cotton" battings that are 87.5% cotton be OK? (of which I currently seem to have no shortage of scraps)

I guess at the end of the day, my main question is:
What is a "cotton batting"? One that's all cotton, except for the chemical framework the cotton is punched through to make it stable, or the one that's all cotton and nothing but. I see both referred to as cotton batting, but....?

feline fanatic

I have read WAAAY to many accounts of these "microwave save" quilting products catching fire in a microwave.
https://www.google.com/#q=microwave+...ags+catch+fire

Here is an account right here on the QB
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...-t77011-3.html


Personally I would not risk ever making any microwave safe fabric bowl, potato bag or anything fabric that is going to be "nuked" for more than just a few seconds to a minute. Any longer is just asking for trouble. If you are dead set on making these microwave fabric bowls, I would use a 100% cotton with NO SCRIM (such as Mountain Mist products) and include a note to not microwave bowl for more than one or two minutes. But really, how would you feel if your bowls that you gifted to your friends, caught fire in the microwave? Why take the risk?

mckwilter

Pellon makes a product called Wrap N Zap, which is 100% cotton, no scrim. I found it at JoAnn's and it can be ordered on line.

I just finished making around 24 fabric bowls for Christmas presents, and I made up a little instruction sheet to go with them. In it, I specifically state that the bowls are 100% cotton and can catch on fire if left in the microwave too long, and for safety sake, not to heat anything with the fabric bowl for more than 3 minutes at a time. So, zap the food for 3 minutes, stir and check temperature, then continue heating if necessary. This is the method I've been using with mine, and so far (3 months), no fires.

Regarding

dunster

Where did you get the 13% figure for W&N? I'm really surprised that it would be that high a percentage of the batting.

Since there were so many problems with potato bags in the microwave, I hesitate to put any fabric in it. A friend gave me a lovely microwave bowl, but I will use it for other purposes.

ArchaicArcane

Thanks FF! I hadn't seen this. The scariest one is the one where they hung the bag up after use and it caught fire after they'd left the room. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/cou...iscussion.html

I do think there are extenuating circumstances in some of the cases. The bags are supposed to be washed after use (the starches, the oils, etc), the wrong battings, threads, etc.

You're right though. I would feel really badly if one of them caught on fire.
I might make a few for us and just use them for once we remove the bowls from the microwave.

I just saw this at Fabric Land the other day for the first time. It's the Pellon product I referred to. I think it would be worth testing in the mocrowave the way some people have been. It reads like it's the same as the Warm Tater.

Right on the paper wrap for the batting. 87.5% and 12.5%. It says it on the "federal requirement" portion.

In fact, the W&N I have here doesn't say that it's 100% cotton, unlike the Arctic Cotton, which says 100% cotton, then in small print says it's 88% and 12%. sheesh!

I think you guys are right, I will use the fabric bowls for after the bowls come out of the microwave. I will just try not to burn myself taking the bowls out, but that's better than burning the house down.

QuiltnNan

this has been the topic of conversation around town here for several months. the strange thing is... my elderly aunt has used for years a microwave warmed rice bag every night for her feet. she nukes it for several minutes. the outside fabric is polyester fleece!!!! never a fire

ArchaicArcane

Yikes! Anything Poly concerns me because of the melting. I don't even want to think of what sort of fumes it's giving off just being heated, nevermind smoldering!

I have a rice bag, and I never even thought to look at what the materials are in it. I did find the don't heat more than 3 times in a day thing weird...

I read that lower wattage microwaves might not be as much of an issue, and if it has a turntable it's better. I'd sure like to know what the perfect storm of events is that sets the fire off.

crocee

In my opinion the perfect storm occurs from the particles left in the bag after use. Food particles, oil particles from the vegetables, particles left from bread. Even soap particles that didn't get rinsed out well will catch fire when heated. I believe the rice bags somehow don't because they aren't heated to a point where they loose all moisture and puff up. This being said I have opened a couple to change the covers and found some burned rice kernels.

Clueless Quilter

What I find scary is that there is now a bag being sold as 'Potato Express' that is polyester. The Bed Bath and Beyond web site has three reviews that say it doesn't work well, but it looks like so far no ones has caught fire.

I am one of those that used an 'all cotton' bag that, while it did not actually catch fire, did get scorched.

I would not be surprised to learn that 'Warm Tater' had been discontinued as a liability issue. I am sure the company doesn't want to get sued, if someone house burns down, because they were microwaving potatoes in a bag made with their product.

ArchaicArcane

crocee, I think you're right. Alone, I think there's a good chance the bowl itself would be fine for years. It's the spills, and the crud in the microwave already that would make a bad situation worse. I wonder too if the one that lit long after it was out of the microwave was already smoldering when it left the microwave, but it wasn't noticed. I often wondered what the rice would look like inside the bag. I wonder if a tiny bit of moisture left over after cooking something, like a potato, did that?

CQ, how many times had you used the bag before that? Was it washed recently? Damp? Do you know what the wattage of your microwave is? I'm curious about what makes this happen.

Our upstairs one is 1200W and it's misbehaving lately. The downstairs one (in my studio) is 900w, and working fine. I suspect that I'd be most likely to use the bowls in the upstairs one (once it's replaced), but the downstairs one sounds safer....

I don't think it's liability issues, they tell people on their site that the Warm and Plush is its replacement. They claim a better manufacturing process...