Quiltingboard Forums - Source for diaper cloth batting

There seems to be a lot of interest in possibly using one of the forms of diaper cloth as summer-weight batting. I mentioned it yesterday and said to PM me if interested in a source, and I've spent all morning answering PM's! Which is fine. I love chatting with people! But if there's that much interest, let me share with the rest of you as well.

If you go to this link, you will go directly to my source for various diaper cloths: http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/hou...FQdzgwodaCdHtQ

You will find 3 basic kinds of diaper material there. The one I've used the most often is the "Birds Eye Cotton", which is cheap but sturdy. Please understand that I use this for batting for light-weight quilts, and not for backing. I don't think that it would stand up as a backing over time. I live in Southern Nevada, and for me, it's just the ticket when I want a light-weight quilt but don't want to just stitch the front to the back, especially if I've pieced the back. For just $1, they will send you a sample of the fabric if you like. It adds virtually no heft and being cotton, is very breathable. Of course, being cotton, you'll have to pre-wash it because it will shrink some. I've made a lot of "nappies" out of this fabric!

Another option I've used is the White Terry Cloth diaper cloth. A bit more expensive, not much, but very nice if you're looking for something to add an "opaque" layer between your top and backing. Also adds a tiny bit of heft and warmth -- just a bit. It drapes very nicely too. Great for a lap quilt, baby quilt, or a summer-weight quilt. Helps your quilting stand out a bit more if that's important. It's also 100% cotton, so very breathable and light, and of course you will also have to pre-wash this one due to shrinkage. All cottons shrink. Wash them gently, tepid water, half-strength soap, gentlest cycle, short time. Tumble try only until it's no longer sopping wet, then hang to dry; or lay it down on a clean sheet to finish drying. You don't need to do a lot to shrink this stuff. This does not mean you have to continue to treat this fabric this way. We used to throw the nappies in hot water and bleach, over and over, and they held up beautifully for a long time! That goes for both of the above fabrics. I was just telling you how to shrink them. By the way, you can also get a sample of the terry cloth for $1.

I have not used the Velour White Terry Cloth Diaper Cloth, although I see no reason why you couldn't. It's the same thing, only thicker. I just assumed that if I wanted to go that thick, I may as well use the thinnest cotton batting, such as is used for placemats. That's the only reason I haven't used it.

There is a third option, and I have used it for special quilts. For instance, the summer quilt in our Master Bedroom was done this way. That was with using the pre-folded diapers made mostly of gauze. The gauze is very sturdy, so no worries there. They come in 20" X 40" squares, you'd have to sew them together to make a batting. If you bought the package of 12, sewed them together (I zig-zagged the edges together, no overlapping) and did 4 across and 3 down, you'd end up with a batting that measured 54" X 60". Obviously I had to do more than that when I did my King sized quilt! As I recall, they were cheaper back then. But still, the gauze is very light weight, makes a lovely summer quilt, and really works from Spring until Fall, and since it's cotton, it breathes well (and needs to be pre-washed). But the reason I chose these diapers for this particular quilt is that it gave me more "bulk" between the top and backing, and really made my quilting stand out, which is what I wanted. Otherwise, I would have used one of the others. Unfortunately there is no sample available for this.

When I was searching, I went through a few sites, but this seemed to be the best. There aren't a lot of sites in the U.S. that carry diaper material, at least that I found, and I really searched. I sent for the samples, and they were nice, so I started using the material, and have been pleased with everything I've received to date. Service has been great as well.

Cheers!