Ummm... isn't bamboo a tropical plant? I've never heard of bamboo fields here in the USA. Can it even be grown here? 'Cause, never mind if the batting is manufactured here, it still matters where and how the bamboo itself was grown. ??

I just wanted to answer your question about can it be grown here. I live on cumberland Island, GA and it grows wild here. It's off the coast on the GA/FL border. it will take over an area.

Thanks for the info.

i live in central new jersey and it grows as a weed. talk about harvest-friendly, this stuff regrows faster than you can quilt it. a true renewable source.

It grows here in France too and believe me, it gets cooold. The locals grow it on rough patches of spare ground and cut the stems to use in the garden and so forth. They also use really tall ones to string the wire for their electric fences over the roads. :-D

I don't fall for the "green" anything, I only use polyester batting and I plan to continue. It turns out very well. I used the warm & natural in a few quilts - not any better than the polyester. I used it to make a bird cage cover and it shrank after I washed it and didn't fit any more. I think a lot of that "green" stuff is going to make fools out of lots of people.

the tall ones here are used as living fences instead of buying fences. also the towns round here have 6' fence restrictions, and the bamboo can grow much taller. as k3n said, they are evergreen.

Bamboo, and similar species, grow by their roots spreading out and they will grow anywhere and take over. The only way to prevent the spreading is to contain the root system. It is a very fast growing plant which is why it is considered green.

I am a progreen/organic consumer, but obviously am very naive as I didn't even think what had to be done to the bamboo in order for it to become a fiber!

I bought a package of it and have being wanting to use it. Now I will have to research it. I DO NOT want more chemicals in us or our environment.

BTW-any time you use a natural batting (cotton, wool, etc) wet and dry it first or it will shrink when you wash and dry your project. I personal love the puckering effect it give to quilts but that's just me.

Thanks for the heads up.

Me too - especially in more traditional projects, though I use poly for wall hangings and stuff I don't want to shrink. I have a little chart on the wall I made with a square of each type of batting, the shrinkage, how close or far you can quilt it etc. Bit obsessive, I know! :mrgreen:

when you get a 50% coupon the price obviously goes WAY down. that's the time to test it out. see what you think.

btw, does anyone know if cotton batting is chemical free, including w & n?