According to the pictures, the "bumpy" side or the "right" side is the side with all the debris. According to the FAQ on APQS the "dirty" side of W&N is the "right" side so that is the same as "bump is up".

Here is information I just found on the Warm Company website on Warm and Natural Batting:

• Is there a top and bottom side to Warm & Natural?
• If you hold your Warm & Natural batting up to the light, you’ll notice that one side has flecks in it, natural leaf and stem remnants from the cotton plant. The other side does not. The side with the flecks should face your quilt top. The reverse side (without flecks) will go towards your quilt backing. (If you do not like the look of the cotton remnants showing through your quilt, I suggest our product Warm & White which uses bleached cotton.) This is not required, however it does make it easier to sew through scrim.

Ah, but wait; this is exactly OPPOSITE of what the Warm company says to do! The quilting needle should be entering the batting the same direction it was tufted to the scrim. The smooth side is the needle-in side; the bumpy side is the needle-out side. (I researched this when I had the same problem on some dark fabrics, and making sure the correct side of batting is next to the quilt top is what solves that problem for me.) This same method works for Warm and White.

Looking at it, the one they say is the top has DENTS in it. The bottom one has tiny bumps out. If you define the dents as bumps, then "bump is up." But I think that for the average person, that's misleading and will result in the wrong side up.

Someone posted awhile back that they learned "dimples up, pimples down." Not a particularly attractive phrase, but more accurate.

I just imagine which way the needles go in and go from there.

hugs,
Charlotte

As far as I can understand, the lumpier/ bumpier side should be the side that the needle hits first.

WOW, they still have pieces of the bark in the batting!! When this batting was first produced. I use to pick out all the tree stuff embedded in the batting so when Hobbs 80/20 came out, I made the switch. I don't think that there is a right size with Hobbs is there even tho it has scrim in it??

I read the APQS link - thanks for posting - That was so well written and informative and SPECIFIC! It explained to me why puncturing a needle-punched batting is different than pulling the thread back up. Wow. I copied it to my Batting folder.

would this apply to ALL battings that have a scrim?

Apparently I have been putting my batting in all wrong! I always layered my quilts with the smoother side up, then placed the quilt top over that. That said, I have never had trouble with pokies or bearding.

Me, either. Live and learn.