I'm about to embark on my biggest project yet...a queen sized quilt for my daughter's wedding next year. I don't plan to quilt this myself and will look for a LAQ in the area. I have already washed and pressed all of my fabric, but am left wondering if I should think about pre-shrinking the batting as well. I've never had anything quilted by anyone else, and tend to like the wrinkled / shrunken look once I've washed any of the twin quilts I've done myself...but this is a quite another venture. What are your experiences with using professional quilters? Do I provide the batting? I'm just starting to cut the pieces, but all of these questions are spinning around in my head!! :shock:

NO!!! do not even mess with your batting, if your long-arm quilter does not provide the batting she will want it in it's original packagine in it's original state! not all batt's are created equal and have very different properties, some have to be quilted heavily (every 2") others can be quilted up to 10-12" apart. the quilter needs to know what she is working with. and when you read the batting packaging you will see that pre-washing is not necessary or recommended but they do give some instructions for those people who feel the need to go through the process...just because that's what they do...if you love the look after washing that is a plus, your quilter will love you for it ;)

Thank you!! Like I said, I've never used a LAQ before. I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to things like this!!

Enjoy the day.

No. Even if you were not using a long arm quilter you would not want to prewash the batting. It would destroy the batting and might really mess your washing machine up.

Yes I always do and all mine go to a long arm quilter. I do not want it to shrink 3-5"

Yes I always do and all mine go to a long arm quilter. I do not want it to shrink 3-5" I soak in cool water for 20 min. spin it out and put it in the dryer. Hobbs , Warm and Natural 80-20 works the best

no

I soak my batts in very warm water, NEVER agitate, then spin and dry in the dryer, I take it out and fold neatly before it has time to get wrinkled. I quilt my on a midarm machine and it will still shrink up some when the quilt is washed. Save the package for the longarmer but almost anything they would do would cover even the every three inches batts.

Let your longarm quilter provide the batting. She buys it in large rolls, no folds. And can sell it to you cheaper than you can buy it. Never wash batting. If it is wrinkled from being folded you can put it in the dryer on air and tumble it for a few minutes.

It depends on the batting and the look you want after it is washed. if you a using a polyester batting , nope donot prewash as it will not shrink. If you are using a cotton or cotton blend , it will depend on wether or not you want it to have the "puckered' look after washing. I have pre- shrunk for particular quilts. If you do this all of the fabrics should have been preshrunk including the backing.
If you choose to preshrink , soak the batting for at least two hours so all the fibers are completely saturated. I do spin mine ( never had any issues with washing machine problems) , then put in the dryer. Do reposition the batting a few times in the drying process. It is the heat removing the moisture that will shrink the batting.
If you are going to have it long-armed , save the package from the batting. Press the backing. ( long arm professionals hate when there are wrinkles, some will tell you if there are wrinkles , they do not gaurentee they will not still be there once quilted). Make sure your top is free from stray threads on the backside as well as the front.. They will not clip your loose threads. Its a shame to have a beautiful quilt with dark threads showing through a light fabric.
Consult your longarm person as to exactly what they require.
I typically choose to provide my own batting , as I can typically purchase cheaper, but they ( long arm person) can offer great guidance , as to the getting the right batting for the look and use you want.