margaret53

I am hand quilting an applique quilt, and I am using wool batting. This quilt is going to need to be washed when I finish it, and I don't know anything about washing a quilt with wool batting. I didn't save the bag the batting came in (of course:(. Any suggestions?

117becca

i think of wool sweaters - and you wouldn't wash it because of shrinking...Don't know if wool batting would do the same...

thequiltmama

I honestly have no idea, I never use wool. I am allergic. :-)

ckcowl

i have used wool batting many many times...my favorite batt...i've only used Dream Wool...
the package instructions state about a 2-3% shrinkage...same as WARM & NATURAL...
when i finish a binding on a quilt my next step is to toss it into the wash and then the dryer...i wash my quilts with warm water, detergent...and put into a warm dryer...i've never had one not come out great!

JAGSD

I believe there is a difference in Dream Wool and other Wool battings. Do you know if you had gotten the Dream Wool?

ckcowl

i've used the hobbs wool blend batt too...it is just as nice as the dream wool. they are washable, and behave just like warm & natural

Laura3

I made a lap quilt and used wool batt, and washed it after. It shrunk so bad it ruined the quilt. It also had a serious shedding problem. I am glad it was not a quilt I had put alot of work into. I wish I had the answer, my answer was just never use wool again. Hopefully someone here has good advice and I will make the attempt again....

Good Luck.

Prism99

If you really have no idea of the brand of wool batting, you need to be very conservative in your treatment of the quilt. What causes wool to "felt" is agitation in the presence of soap and heat. You can use a top loader to wash, filling it with soapy water and stopping before the agitation cycle, hand agitate by pushing down on the quilt, spin out, fill with rinse water, hand agitate again, and spin out. The quilt cannot be machine dried. Needs to be laid out flat -- outside with a sheet underneath and a sheet on top, if inside with a fan blowing over it.

How close are your quilting lines? Wool batting usually requires fairly close quilting to avoid distortion and shrinkage when you wash.

If you used Hobbs wool batting or Quilter's Dream wool batting, you have much less to worry about. It is the "off" brands that are likely to become problematic. Do you remember where you bought the batting? Perhaps you could go back to that store and see what brand they sell. Most places will carry only one brand of wool batting; it's not a heavy seller. If you have Hobbs or Quilter's Dream, you can safely machine dry the quilt provided you have quilted sufficiently close together.

margaret53

Thank you. My quilting is echo for the most part and 1/2" apart. I bought the batting from a LQS that has since closed, but I am pretty sure it was Quilter's Dream.

Prism99

I wouldn't worry about it, then. That is very close quilting!

Do you have any scraps of the batting? You could hand quilt a sandwich, measure it, wash it and machine dry it, then measure it again to see how much it shrinks and whether or not you get any distortion or bearding.