Machine quilting thread & batting
 

I quilt, mainly my own quilts but sometimes others, on my Viking Mega Quilter which is a mid-arm machine. I am currently using Superior Threads So-Fine #50. It is a poly thread. I use Warm & Natural batting. I'm having trouble with the batting coming out in little fuzz balls all over. This is really a hassle on a darker fabric. It doesn't even go away after a washing. I'm wondering if it is the poly thread. Or did The Warm Co. do something different with their product. I use to use whatever cotton thread I had on hand until I started noticing the thread was breaking after usage and washing. What do you use? I always like to "pick" other quilter's minds. Thank you!

The batting has a right and wrong side. Maybe you have it upside down?

I use SoFine #50 and love it--it's a thinner thread than most cotton threads (like King Tut,etc) and you can use a smaller needle (I use a #16 instead of the #18 that I use with the cotton threads on my long arm). You will always get some bearding with quilting--but do make sure you have the batting right side (the one with the little pills, or with some bats, the side that doesn't show a scrim)up and I suggest you use a black bat on the very dark quilts. I always use Hobbs 80/20 & find that it's not a problem. I do find a difference in bats from what customer's sometimes bring, so you might want to do some experimenting.

You might need a new needle, if the needle is dull, the point worn down it can push batting through. I long arm often with polyester threads, haven't had that problem. I seldom use warm & natural but have many customers who do.

The white tufts coming through is called "bearding". Polyester thread would not cause this; it always involves the batting, sometimes in combination with the needle and/or the fabrics sandwiching the batting (especially the backing fabric). Warm and Natural is one of the few battings that has a right side and a wrong side. Bearding is more common when the batting is wrong-side up. However, bearding can occur with almost any batting.

Vintage wool battings bearded terribly; quilters had to encase it in cheesecloth before layering to help prevent bearding. Most modern battings, including wool battings, are treated during manufacture to reduce the chance of bearding. However, there are no guarantees and some weaves of backing fabric will permit bearding more than others. That is why it is a good idea to use black batting if the backing fabric is dark. There is no cure for bearding once it starts, which is why prevention is important.

Warm and Natural has a right side and wrong side because it is needlepunched through scrim. Needlepunching through scrim makes the batting ultra-stable so quilting lines can be quite far apart without risk of the batting tearing apart and balling up. You want the batting positioned so that your needle is punching through the quilt sandwich in the same direction that the batting was needlepunched. Battings that are not needlepunched through scrim do not have a right side and wrong side. It's only with Warm and Natural that you need to pay attention to which way the batting is positioned.

I still don't understand whether the scrim side goes up or down. In reading notes from quiltingshorttimer and Prism99, it seems one says scrim side up, the other says scrim side down. Maybe I'm just not understanding what they say. I have some Warm & Natural and couldn't tell the difference in the sides.

Jeri

The right and wrong size is only when using a LA for quilting. This is from their website:
https://warmcompany.com/content/faq
I prefer using Hobbs.

I always remember by this saying right size bumpup

I didn't see anything about only when LA quilting.

W&N being sandwiched wrong side up rarely effects domestic machine quilters because of the size of the needles. The needle most longarm and many mid arms use is quite large in comparison. That is why this is mostly an issue for longarm and midarm quilters.