Question for new type of batt
 

I am working with one of the three major batt manufacturers. I requested a thicker batt that would provide more loft after quilting. I just got a roll of the new "stuff" yesterday--all 90" wide by 38 yards of it for trial.

My reasoning is this: Years ago Mountain Mist manufactured a polyester batt that had a glazene finish on it. It was light- weight, didn't shift, beard and could be quilted 6-8" apart. Lovely stuff. I have a throw-size quilt made in 1976 and it still looks good. When their 1850s machines reached the point they couldn't be repaired, Mt. Mist got new ones that could not produce the same batt. Hence my years of searching for a replacement.

The new 100% bamboo is a dream to work with, soft, needle glides through and I just love it. It's called Simply Bamboo. This company also produces a cotton/bamboo blend, 100% cotton, 100% polyester, etc. The roll I got as a sample is 75% bamboo, 25% cotton.

Here's my question: how many of you quilters would like to work with a slightly thicker batt to get more loft? I can hardly wait to try trapunto. It will still work both on long arms and for hand quilting. There is more weight per yard and would retail for a slightly higher price as there is more product in it.
Let me know--you can influence a new batt product on the market.
SandyQuilter

I refuse to buy bamboo batting because of the way it needs to be processed, adding toxic chemicals to the environment and workers' bodies.

I love Hobbs Polydown batting and would use that for trapunto work (if I ever get around to doing any!). I am thinking of switching to Hobbs Polydown for most of my quilting. The only thing holding me back is that I find the loft a little more difficult to quilt on my midarm frame setup; however, I think that will improve with practice.

Edit: I have read that it is possible to produce bamboo batting mechanically, without the use of chemicals, but that this is not how it is usually made. (Probably because of cost. Most bamboo batting is manufactured in China, which does not have the laws we have against the use of caustic chemicals in manufacture.) How is the Simply Bamboo batting manufactured?

Honestly, I don't understand why they didn't simply reproduce a version of the old Mountain Mist polyester batting with glazing.

I have used a bamboo/cotton blend batting but it was made by Pellon. I liked the way it quilted. I have since discovered more about bamboo though (see Prism's post above) and will not buy it again. I liked it, but not so much to outweigh environmental factors and ... I discovered Wool.

Wool is now my preferred batting.

It's wonderful though that Mt. Mist was willing to work with you!! Well done!!

When I want more loft and quilting definition I will often layer up two different battings. My favorite combo for doing this is Hobbs 80/20 on the bottom and Hobbs Polydown on the top. It gives wonderful definition but the quilting requirements are 4" apart minimum for those batts. This is not an issue for me usually as I am a fairly dense quiltier anyway. Wool also offers definition and loft.

I have used Mountain Mist Fatt Batt in the past for tied quilts. that is a very high loft poly. I haven't used it in a long time though. It appears to still be available in precut sizes. I would not buy a whole roll of a fatt batt. I will double bat for the high loft trapunto look or do traditional trapunto.

SandyQuilter, what is the shrinkage rate on the 75/25 product sample that you got?

I won't use bamboo. The process to make offsets any reason for using it in the first place. Sharon Shamber has a new product that adds loft to quilting, looks like trapunto without the work. You can use any batting you want.

The like Mountain Mist battings and have used a lot of it.

I have wondered whatever happened to Mountain Mist. That was the only batting I used years ago. I think it was all that was available at that time, in my area. I didn't know much about quilting back then.
Now my fav is high loft poly batting, mostly what I use. I do a large stipple/FMQ on a 9" machine. I have no problems with it, warmth without the weight.

I love the feel and drape of bamboo. And would love to use a thicker batt.
Was not aware of the caustic process in the manufacturing. So now I'm very cautious.
If Mt. Mist would manufacture it without the caustic process, and from the responses above, I think that would be a selling point.
There are several brands of bamboo batting. Have you checked with all of them to discern their manufacturing process?

I am interested and am looking into Hobbs Poly down also. I am not that interested in bamboo.

I was advised against using bamboo batting due to the fact that it "wiggles" its way out in time through where it is stitched.

I have not put this to the test but took on the warning.

Wow!! I had never even heard of bamboo batting. I guess I just learned something new. But I think I will continue with my Warm and Natural. I have been very happy with it.

As to higher loft, I wonder if a person could just use two layers of the regular stuff.....

I haven't tried the bamboo batting - didn't know the processing was so environmentally bad. - figured bamboo would be good because it is such a renewable resource. Learn something new every day!

That's very interesting. I never gave the process of making batting a thought. What would be the safest kind to get?

Same with organic grown foods. The approved list the farmers can add to the plants are worse then the stuff that everyone hollers about. People need to research before jumping on the mainstream bandwagon. For instance the swirly save the resources light bulbs. They were made for business, museums, industries that have lights left on 24/7 to save money., Switching them off and on shortens the life by half. They last for years if never turned off and on. They were never meant for the average home use. Discarded energy saving bulbs pollute the earth with hazardous chemicals. Regular old glass light bulbs won't poison anyone.

I have always used Dream cotton because I can't stand the feel of the poly blend when I'm working with it. Once it is in a quilt it is okay but it is getting a quilt layered with it that I have a problem. I was at Joannes and got a killer deal on the new Pellon Nature's touch 100% cotton batting. I absolutely love this batting. It is thicker than the Dream cotton and, to me, gives a better 'feel' to the quilts. It also makes them nice and crinkly for the old fashioned look. It does have a scrim. It is very forgiving too, it makes my quilting look good!

I like a higher than average loft and would use the batting you described if the price was good. I understand wanting to be careful with the environment, put think sometimes it is easier to follow the crowd than to do your own thinking. When using only cotton to "save the earth" remember that growing cotton depletes the soil, and most times the nutrients are replaced with chemicals.

Yes, I would be interested in that product. Easier than two layers of batting.

I just finished a quilt with bamboo and it was a mess. Came through the fabric which unfortunately was dark colors. I hope it doesn't keep doing that after being washed. I won't buy it again.

If I want loft I use 2 layers. It can be hard to work with but I manage some how. What your talking about sounds great!

I enjoyed reading through this thread! I'm a pretty new long arm quilter so can't respond with a lot of experience behind me. I do think there are going to be times when I'd like to use a batting with a higher loft - not necessarily as much as I guess the high lofts currently available would give however. That being said, I've seen lots of high end, really proficient quilters mentioning using two layers of batting to get the look they want.

Just out of curiosity, how does this compare with the process for producing other types of batting. I've never given it much thought but now I'm beginning to wonder.

Yes, I would use the type of batt you describe to get some more loft providing it has minimal shrinkage. I've always like loftier batting in my quilts.

I would love a batting with more loft, but I'm not interested in bamboo for the same reasons others have. However, as a hand quilter I LOVED Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon Cotton with the glazene finish. The batting they call Blue Ribbon now is not the same.

Right now I use either the Hobbs Polydown or the Hobbs wool.

Curious about bamboo fiber production, I Googled that for info. Here are a couple of excerpts from just one site: "Bamboo cultivation requires zero pesticides or chemical fertilizers to achieve its amazing growth rate and renewability. Hence, it is inherently organic. In addition, bamboo requires much less land and water (as a ratio to usable fiber produced per acre), than cotton, organic cotton, and other alternative fibers." "Chemicals are used to get cellulose (viscose) from bamboo, but by far the principle chemical used is sodium hydroxide (i.e., lye). Sodium hydroxide is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world and has no negative effect on the environment or the health of humans. Sodium hydroxide is routinely used in the processing of cotton into fiber, including transitional and organic cottons, and is approved for use on textiles by the Global Organic Textile Standards (www.global-standard.org) and the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org). Sodium hydroxide does not remain as a residue on clothing as it easily washes away." http://www.ecouterre.com/how-eco-fri...fabric-really/

Bamboo batting is a form of rayon. The topic is complex because there are different methods of producing rayon.

Cuprammonium rayon is no longer permitted to be produced in the U.S. because of the very toxic chemicals used in the production process; however, this method of production is still allowed and used in developing countries including China. I was unable to determine online whether this production method is actually used to produce bamboo batting. If it is the cheapest method to produce the batting and the batting is produced in a third world country, then the probability rises that this method is being used.

Even if the cuprammonium process is not used in the production of batting made from bamboo, the process for producing rayon from bamboo involves the use of not only lye (sodium hydroxide), but also bleach, carbon disulfide, and sulfuric acid. Exposure to even small amounts of carbon disulfide can be hazardous to workers and cause neurological damage. Amounts of chemicals used are not the only important factor; toxicity of the chemicals used is also extremely important to take into consideration.

For those who are interested, the following websites offer additional information:
http://www.seamstobeyouandme.com/2010/01/18/bamboo-batting/
http://awakenedaesthetic.com/2010/01/how-green-is-your-bamboo/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon#Production_method

It is the soft fibers produced from bamboo that require the most toxic processing -- e.g., fabric and batting. Bamboo flooring is hard and does not require the toxic processing. Of course, the soft fibers can also be produced by mechanical means; however, manufacturers must find this method of production much more expensive since it is much less common than chemical processing.

I'm assuming that people who say bamboo requires toxic manufacturing process, are right. I don't know that for a fact. That is a concern for me if it is true. Unfortunately, cotton may not require nasty chemicals during processing but it definitely requires nasty chemicals in growing it. The defoliants they spray when getting ready to harvest it are not something most of us want to be around. If it is organic, I assume that is not true, they must have another way to harvest it. Polyester is a petroleum product and its processing can not be all that "clean" either. I would think wool is probably the least offensive to our eco-system. It is easy to get on the bandwagon about the earth-unfriendliness of bamboo, but the other choices aren't all that earth friendly either. Because bamboo grows like a weed, it probably doesn't require the toxic fertilizer's that cotton does. Because of all these things, and because I love the feel of it, wool would be my choice, but it is expensive and I can't afford to use it all the time. We should let the batting company's know that we want them to find "kinder" ways to produce our battings. Cindy Needham, a well known quilting teacher, suggests using a layer of thin cotton (like Quilters Dream request) and top it with a half layer of wool. She says wool will naturally pull apart into two thin layers. She calls it "gourmet batting" As far as the original question goes, I would answer "it depends". I wouldn't want it to be much heavier, just slightly loftier. I would think a wool, cotton blend or wool, bamboo blend would be great.

I ordered Hobbs poly down and was very disAppointed in it. It seemed thin and the loft was uneven . I has seen a lot of quilters on his board saying that. Was what they used, so I thought it was going to be really good , and unless they just carried a poor quality, I ordered it from connecting threads, I assumed all Hobbs were the same. Can anyone clarify this for me?

Although I generally prefer a cotton batting, I've used Dream Puff in both a baby quilt which I quilted on my DSM and for trapunto.
Just last week I used it in a quilt for DMIL who is in a care home with good result. I picked it for it's lightness and I quilted it on a Gammill I hired at my LQS.
If you're looking for a polyester with a high loft, then I thoroughly recommend this :)

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So much depends on an individual quilter's expectations!

I have used Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon cotton batting for years and, compared to MM, Hobbs PolyDown is not thin (MM is much thinner) and is not uneven in loft (MM gets a lot more complaints about uneveness). MM is a very traditional batting of the type used for decades in what we now call vintage quilts, so it is relatively flat. I like it because it is thin and gets softer with every washing. When I want a puffier quilt that still remains light in weight and soft, I turn to Hobbs PolyDown.

People who are accustomed to the puffiness of commercial comforters often expect a quilt batting to be similar in loft and are disappointed in what are considered mid-loft quilt battings. I am thinking that perhaps you fall into this category. Many quilters shy away from high-loft battings because they tend to be difficult to quilt on a domestic sewing machine.

Hobbs PolyDown has a loft of 1/4", is resin bonded, and requires quilting lines 6" apart. Quilter's Dream Puff has a loft of 1/3", is thermal bonded, and can be quilted up to 10" apart. Since you were disappointed with Hobbs, you might want to try QD.

I don't think it's a question of poor quality, as Hobbs has an excellent reputation. I have not noticed any uneveness in the PolyDown battings I have used, but then I am used to a batting that is notorious for uneveness. One question I have is this: Was there noticeable uneveness in the finished quilt? I have not been able to discern any uneveness in quilts I have made with MM even when I thought there were thin spots in the batting.

I recommend sending a sample of the Hobbs batting that you have found to be uneven to the manufacturer. They are quite customer oriented, and I think you will get a good response from them.

As for bamboo batting, I get so irritated that they call it bamboo! It is rayon. Rayon, rayon, rayon. Whew. I feel better.

But rayon made from bamboo. This from wikipedia: Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. It is made from purified cellulose, primarily from wood pulp, which is chemically converted into a soluble compound. It is then dissolved and forced through a spinneret to produce filaments which are chemically solidified, resulting in fibers of nearly pure cellulose. Cellulose from bamboo is suitable for processing into viscose rayon. Bamboo leaves and the soft, inner pith from the hard bamboo trunk are extracted using a steaming process and then mechanically crushed.

What happens when a quilt made with wool batting is washed? Does it wrinkle heavily?

Off-brand wool battings can shrink and distort, especially if not quilted sufficiently. However, Hobbs brand wool and Quilter's Dream brand wool batting have been manufactured to shrink about the same as cotton battings -- about 3%.

I have wondered about bamboo batting. After reading all the posts I think I will not buy or try it now.

I would love for my quilts to have a higher loft. They just look so sad and flat compared to those made by my Granny and my Mom.

Thanks, Prism99!