Pros and Cons of Washing Batting
 

I've never washed my batting prior to quilting but I'm wondering if in the future I want to try it that way. What are the pros and cons to washing batting? If you wash your batting are there only some types you wash or do you wash all of them (thick and thin)<br>Thanks,<br>Yael

It's really not the thick/thin issue, it's the natural material will shrink issue.
There's no reason to wash 100% poly batting, as it will not shrink.
Natural fibers, cotton, wool, silk will shrink when washed. If you pre wash the batting, then you don't get an old fashioned crinkly look to your quilt because it won't shrink. If you pre shrink your batting, you also want to pre shrink your fabric. If you pre shrink everything, the quilt will remain closer to what it looks like after you're done quilting, but before you wash it.
So it's all about the final look of the quilt.

I have washed some batting in the bathtub and then dried in the dryer on low heat. I wanted it to shrink before I quilted. If you do this make sure you prewash your fabrics in case they shrink a little.

so if you pre shrink it, how much more batting do you need to buy than if you do not. I'm assuming that if you buy a twin size for example and wash it, it will be too small to quilt for a twin size top...

It is all about the look you want if you use the cotton ones. I made one with warm and natural and didn't prewash and I love the crinkly quiltly looking result. It only shrinks 1%. It is my favorite way to do things.

Pros:
1. Gets all those darn tight wrinkles out!
2. Removes a bit of the 'finish' applied by the manufacturer, making the batting more comfortable to handle.
3. Slightly shrinks cotton batting. (Although I have not found that it leaves my previously unwashed fabric quilts with less than the traditional look I prefer after quilting and washing, as PaperPrincess mentioned. I like the 'traditional' way my quilts look after they 'pull up' abit, when the batting is washed first, but the fabrics aren't.)

Cons: Hmmmmm,
1. Because I shake the damp-dried batting out over the furniture over night, just before going to bed, it does sort of make the house look like it's all under dust covers!
2. You need to be alert when "washing" batting because you are actually just soaking it. If you agitate a batting just once, you will never make that mistake again! Load the batting into your washer; fill with cold or lukewarm water; turn off the machine; massage the batting a bit by hand, pushing it up and down gently to be sure all is wet; let sit several minutes; drain and gently spin the water out; turn off the machine; remove batting.
3. The same goes for "drying" batting; you must remember to use the "air dry" setting and remove the batting from the machine immediately afterward.......takes being on your toes (in my world!) and not getting distracted.:o

I no longer use polyester batting, only cotton or wool, but if the batting was plyester and in a package rather than on a roll, I use this same process for wrinkle removal.

Jan in VA

I never prewash batting and rarely prewash fabric (only when I'm concerned it may bleed). I like the crinkly look my quilt has when it's washed when finished. I always use color catchers then.

I wash my fabrics first, but have never washed my batting. Always kind of scared to try it!!!

You would have to calculate this based on the shrinkage rate of the batting. Most cotton battings shrink around 3% (although they usually say 3-5%). To be safe, you would calculate what your batting length and width would be minus 5% of their pre-wash length and width. Compare the result with your quilt top measurements to see if it will be adequate.

I have never prewashed my batting and don't think I ever will. I do normally throw my batting in the dryer (fluff I think cycle) to get the wrinkles out of packaged batting before I use it to quilt.