frannella

LongArmers and thrifty quilters--how do you store bulk rolls (as in 16-20" diameter x 48" length) of wool batting?
I am concerned about how to protect my wool batting, primarily from bugs but also from dust, once I cut open the plastic shrink wrapped Hobb's wool batting.(80/20) on my bulk roll.. Are there mothproof duffle bags or some other hack out there that does this?

I don't have a frame with a batting bar which would make storage of wool batts easier to store and easier to wrap in some kind of protective covering. I could make a duffle bag that protects against dirt and dust, but not necessarily against bugs because it wouldn't be air tight. Would it need to be air tight? I know that if bugs AREN'T a factor, letting your fabric breathe is desirable but it is a factor for me. TIA and best wishes.

quiltsfor

I don't use wool batting, so don't know how to protect it from bugs. But I do buy my batting by the roll and this is how I store and use it, made from the rolling part of an old chair (picked one up for 5.00 at a garage sale) - Storing Batting on Wheels

This isn't really necessary, but I wanted to protect the bottom of the batting as well from dust etc. so I had my husband cut out a thin circle piece of plywood (can use something like it as well) and I put it on the chair feet pole first then put my batting on it so the bottom of the batting is against the wood and not open to the floor on that end.

Three Dog Night

Thank you for the storage tip quiltsfor. I have been trying to think of a way to store a roll of batting in my tiny space and this is the perfect solution.

frannella

Quiltsfor--THANK YOU! Even if it can't protect your wool batting from bugs, it's a great hack, ;->)

WesternWilson

Cute hack. I prefer hanging batting on the wall so I can roll off what I need, but this is a great hack if you have not got the wall space!

As for bugs...I totally forgot about wool moth until I moved our couch one day and found wool moths had eaten away an entire 1' square area of my very expensive wool carpet, leaving only the sisal part the wool is attached to. Tunnels all over the area. It took months to kill all the moths. We applied insecticide to the carpet and then dusted all our wool carpets top and bottom surfaces with diatomaceous earth.

The diatomaceous earth is a flour-like white powder made of diatoms, and is non toxic. Available in garden stores, bugs that come in contact with it get scratches from the very hard coral-like microscopic diatoms and that kills them.

This reminds me I have a whole roll of wool batting I need to check for carpet/wool moths!! I will unroll it and give it a dusting too.

The moths are very tiny, about 1/3 the size of pantry moths, which they resemble. I think they could crawl into anything that is not contained in a fairly fine net bag, a fabric bag or a sealed plastic bag.

In the old days, folks used mothballs, but they don't smell very nice and are probably not good for us mammals. Cedar was the other way to store woolen goods...hence cedar chests.

WesternWilson

PS I adore wool batting, in particular that it has such a beautiful drape and such a soft, nice loft, but if my wool moth infestation returns, what is the next best batting to use?

frannella

Hobb's silk is awesome with a beautifully soft heft, feel, loft, and drape, but it's very pricey and possibly has less heft and weight as cotton Many quilters love the fact that silk battings are lighter weight but that means they are also less lofty and I love the loft and resilience of a wool batt. Despite my affection for wool batts, I think silk batts are really special.

I have only used Hobbs silk once for a table cloth (loved it) and have a king-sized silk batt which I originally planned to use for a wedding quilt someday, but now maybe not. Maybe I should stick with wool, moths and all?. The silk batts are too expensive to test with, but a primary consideration for me is whether silk battings will work out the fold lines from storing or shipping. It's not an issue for me, but show quilts can sit in boxes for months and those fold lines detract from viewing them. Another consideration is whether silk is attractive to bugs as wool is.

Bottom line, I am finding storage and protection of wool batt rolls a real challenge and there doesn't seem to be a commercial fix out there, affordable or not. Definitely trickier than storing cotton batts rolls. I may have to buy a chest freezer to freeze the moths to death. Grrrr. Thanks for the conversation and your ideas.

quiltsfor

I would have liked to hang a roll of batting on a rod attached to the ceiling, so I could just pull down as much as I needed and cut it off. But alas, there wasn't a good place/set up for it. The roll on wheels is working well for me. I usually just measure and unwrap as much as I need, place a straight edge ruler (I have a 72" one) next to the roll and then with a marker, just draw a line up the straight edge. Then I cut it off on the line. Keeps my edges straight.

Thanks everyone! Glad I could help!

peaceandjoy

frannella, how does the silk compare as far as warmth and breathability?

Interestingly, I find wool to be cooler than cotton, while DH finds it to be warmer. He is ALWAYS cold, where I have found that hot flashes will be part of my life forever.

frannella

Peace and Joy--I have been told (by a quilt teacher) that silk will keep you just as warm as wool. Based off one tablecloth (my only silk batt project to date), it's a little hard for me to give you an answer. IMHO, silk has a lighter heft and/or more fluid drape, if you will, and is probably more breathable. That might make it warmer.

Silk is really lovely stuff, but I also I know more than one quilter who lines her silk batts with a thin 100% cotton batt as well. I think they do it for strength and possibly for warmth as well. To be clear, their quilt sandwiches are composed of : quilt top, cotton batting, silk batting, quilt backing. Because it's so dear, I haven't experimented with silk batt beyond my one tablecloth. Wool batts breathe, too, and I go through an awful lot of wool batting and I think it isn't as warm as cotton because of its breathability.

Although the protection-from-bugs issue is equally relevant to silk, I haven't seen silk sold in rolls, so that issue is moot. Packaged battings are easier to protect, control, and store than rolls are. I am sure there are a lot of quilters on this list who use silk batts, but silk batting vs wool batting is probably another thread. HTH and Happy sewing.