Bamboo batting
 

What is peoples feeling on the bamboo batts? I am making a baby quilt with flannel on the back and do not want anything heavy inside. Does this batt hold up through many washes? And any other info you may have on this batt. Thank you Penny

I've never used it yet ... though I fell in love with it when I saw and felt a roll of it in one of the shops!

Other questions which I'm interested in and that you may like answered ...
* drape-ability of a quilt with bamboo?
* shrinkage?
* quilting distance?

Bookmarking this. I'm probably going to buy bamboo next time I buy batting, once I use up all of the random stuff we have stored. Thanks for starting this topic.

Second hand from a talented and prolific quilter: bamboo pills and beards something awful.

I have only used bamboo batting once. I made a quilt for my MIL as a housewarming gift. She has it draped across the back of her couch. She has never used it, no one else has ever used it and it hasn't been washed. I have no idea how bamboo batting works holds up!

love bamboo batting, hypo allergenic, not as heavy as 100% cotton, and sustainable- so i guess its green- only thing is one of us needs to get smart and make some money and figure out how to use our unused batting, it drapes well, it may be a bit more expensive in the long run, but sew worth it. Do try it, I love it, i made a quilt with it, it looks just like cotton,even tho its only 1/2 cotton. best of luck
katz

I used it for the first quilt I ever made. It was more expensive than other batting, but I really liked it other than that. I wasn't aware of any bearding, and the quilt washes well. I simply haven't used it again because of the cost. I have become a "serial quilter" and it just gets expensive. :)

Dina

At a quilt show last year, I found a display for Bamboo batting. The lady with the display had a baby-size quilt that she takes with her to all the shows. It had quite a lot of quilting, but was still very soft and drapeable. She told me it had been washed many time, yet it still felt wonderful. I was sold on it.

I just recently LA a quilt with it and it was so nice. Soft, silky and beautiful drape, even when very heavily quilted it did not become stiff. But that is all I can vouch for as this was not my quilt so I don't know how it holds up to use and can't say anything about it bearding.

As far as it being "green". While bamboo grows quite quickly and is considered a sustainable source, it is my understanding that the process of turning it from plant to fiber (batting or cloth) involves a lot of nasty chemicals so the processing negates any "greeness" of sustainability and renewable source.

I do plan on using it again as the drape was just wonderful on it.

Agree about the "greeness" -- the chemicals used in processing more than counteract the sustainability of bamboo.

today on "The Talk" (4-18-2012) they had some one showing new items. One was bamboo sheets and they said not only were they priced O.K. but she used them for 4 years and they looked great. I was thinking of using bamboo in a smaller project (baby Blanket) to see how it sawed. Maybe bamboo in sheets is better than from a bolt.

I am hand quilting a baby quilt, and I love the way the bamboo batting quilts! I have not had and bearding, and I wax my thread.

What brand maybe some is better than others.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts. I to have heard of beading and pileing also. It is always nice to hear from quilting friends. I do not know of any quilters that are not helpful. Thanks you are all so kind

YOu can take this with a grain of salt, as I have no "official" knowledge ...
Perhaps would the bamboo the pills, be a blend?

If you want Bamboo I would HIGHLY recommend Quilter's Dream Orient. My client's really like it. I used it in quilt for my daughter. No quilting problems &no bearding. She has washed it in the washing machine a lot of times and it still looks like new. BUT if you are quilting for babies I suggest you use their Dream Angel. It is the only FIRE RETARDANT batting on the market and perfect weight & softness for baby blankets.

I have used bamboo only once and it bearded something terrible. Some of the quilt was navy blue fabric but it was so bad in parts I have never used the quilt. It was hand quilted too :( I also found that it flattened a lot and by the time I had finished my quilt, it didn't appear to have any batting in it at all - only way you could tell was the bearding on the front.

Would never use it again, prefer wool batting or wool/poly blend.

I do LA quilting and have used the bamboo quite a number of times and not had any trouble with bearding. My cousin who makes tops (sends them to me to quilt) and uses only bamboo has had no trouble with the batting. All of her quilts are used by grandchildren and as lap throws so they get used and washed quite often.

DO NOT USE IT...it will ruin your quilt. Our local fabric shop got a free sampler and the longarmer used it. The quilt pills and beards right thru the fabric.

Caution on the DO NOT's and absolutes!!! .... what does not work for one, does not necessarily not work for the next person!

Does anyone have any suggestion on how to get the "fluff" from the bamboo batting off the black fabric of my quilt? I've tried the lint brush and it doesn't even touch it - looks like a bunch of cat hair (I don't have pets) all over it.

there are many types of bamboo, but even walmart quit carrying a certain brand when they found out the chemical process used to make was actually leaving too many chemicals in the batting!
also there is this:
As far as it being "green". While bamboo grows quite quickly and is considered a sustainable source, it is my understanding that the process of turning it from plant to fiber (batting or cloth) involves a lot of nasty chemicals so the processing negates any "greeness" of sustainability and renewable source.

Please be aware it is very flammable. The chemical processes for turning bamboo fiber or any plant fiber into a batting is the creation of rayon from the cellulose. Calling it ecofriendly is a deliberate misnomer by the batting companies, and does sound better than calling it rayon batting. The rayon is blended with other fibers for durability. It can be very soft and drapes beautifully, but some quilters in my Guild say it beards through the fabric horribly. HMK- I wonder if it is coming through your fabric?

Monroe... no, it's not coming through the fabric - just long fibers, like cat hair, on the top of the fabric.