Warm and Natural Batting Question
 

Hi..I went to my quilt store as I was looking for batting and they suggested all cotton Warm and Natural. It looked great but when I asked if I should use it in some table runners I am making (wondering if it will shrink a lot) they said it was pre-shrunk and that would not happen. I will definitely try for it for a baby quilt because if it did shrink somewhat I do like the crinkly look for a quilt but not a table runner. Thought I would ask the experts...you!

Thank you so much!

Warm and Natural is not 100% cotton. It has a poly scrim. The scrim allows you to quilt it up to 10 inches apart. It also makes for a fairly stiff quilt if you quilt it very close. As far as I know W&N is not "pre-shrunk." They really should read the labels on the products they sell.

Warm & natural does shrink, I was unhappy with the way a table runner turned out using it, no matter how much ironing/starching the runner never laid flat again. It is OK for quilts- it is a very dense, heavy batting. I have found low loft polyester batts to be better choices for table runners, placemats. Dream poly is my favorite. Or, I just use a medium or heavy weight sew in stabilizer instead of batting.

On table runners I would only use it with non washed fabric (so it all somewhat shrinks together evenly) or pre shrink both. I've heard it shrinks about 3% (I think it's actually on the Warm & Natural website) but have seen reports of more or less shrinking of it.

You can wash Warm and Natural to preshrink it (this is not the case with all battings). They have directions on the package. You're not supposed to spin it, but you can dry it on normal heat. What I do is soak it in a wash tub, squeeze it out, then squeeze again between two large towels, and machine dry. That said, my last quilt still seemed to shrink a bit after washing, even with the pre-washed Warm and Natural. Still, I don't know of any batting that doesn't shrink somewhat. The wools seem to claim the least shrinkage, when washed in cold and air dried.

Okay, here is what I do since I do wash all my fabrics before I use them. I take the Warm and Natural out of the bag and "unfurl" it. Then, I get 5 wash cloths and run them in cold water and wring them out slightly still "dampish". Fling two of them into the empty dryer, put the "unfurled" Warm and Natural batting 1/2 of it in the dryer on top of the first two wash clothes, throw in two more wash clothes on top of that 1/2 and then fold the rest of the Warm and Natural in the dryer, put the final cold wet wash cloth. Set the dryer on low and run the dryer for 20 minutes. Take the batting out and unfurl it on the spare bed or on the clean floor to get the wrinkles out while it is still a tad damp. The wash clothes will also be damp but will have put moisture in the dryer. I consider that probably the batting may have shrunk some and the wrinkles are out of it and it is nice and warm. Hope this helps.

I used to use Warm and Natural, but don't any more. Compared to other battings, it is stiff with a stiff drape. I prefer Hobbs 80/20, Mountain Mist 100% cotton blue ribbon batting (thin vintage look), Hobbs PolyDown, or Hobbs wool. All are softer and cozier to wrap around oneself (or a baby).

I do like the stability of Warm and Natural for wall hangings and tied quilts.

Plus, as others have said, the scrim in it is poly and it will shrink up to 3% the first time it is washed.

I tried Hobbs 80/20 and hated it. :( When I was smoothing it out it stretched and got all bowed. I had to let it relax for a few days before I used it.

It does shrink. I have used it a lot.

I bought W&N when they first started making it and it had bits of tree bark still in it so I switched to Hobbs 80/20. I have always bought Hobbs from a roll so I don't have any problems with ripples when I get is packaged. They both have scrim in it but W&N has a flat look while Hobbs had a bit of puff. The Cadillac of batting is Dream Cotton but it is outside of my price range.

I use Thermore, We make a reversible table runner that uses strips. Like this the best light weight & doesn't shrink Pellon has one but was a little thin for my taste. Ok for placemats tho. thermore doesn't stretch as much either.

What type of batting would you recommend using for a quilt that will end up in Arizona? I'd like to find one that is thin and light. Would you recommend a layer of flannel instead of batting?

Thank you! I needed this information. I've always noticed W&N didn't soften when I washed quilts with this batting. I thought it was the machine quilting that caused this.

I don't know for certain about Arizona but my daughter used to live there. She now lives in San Jose CA. I made them a Quilt using Quilter's Dream "Dream Orient" batting. They say it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer and so they use it year round.

I have always used W & N as has my mother and have never had a problem. After I finish a quilt, I head down to the local laundromat and wash it in the gentle cycle with cold water. I also have used it on runners and have never had a problem with that either. I love Warm and Natural for mainly that reason.......my Mom said it didn't shrink and it didn't and really, who would know better than one's mother, God rest her quilted soul. Edie

PS - It also could be that I wash them gentle cycle/cold water, too!!!!!!

For tablerunners, I almost always use 'quilters felt", or sometimes called "quilter's fleece. Comes on a bolt, buy by the yard. Makes a stable and flat runner that stays flat.

I do the same thing, except I use the wash and wear cycle, which is warmer than the lower cycle, and only do for about 10 minutes. I have a large table (60X80) that I lay it on loosely folded so there is no over hang. It seems to have shrunk up slightly, and lays nice and flat.

I love W&N for table runners. You have to watch using the poly battings if there is a chance someone may use the runner for a hot pad. I have also used the insulbright for table runners for my DD. She loves using them on the dinner table.

I'm already exhausted just reading about it.

I pre-shrink my W&N if I want to avoid the crinkle.

I'm brave, I stuff it in to the washer on the rinse cycle. In my machine, it has a part of the cycle where it spins as it's spraying water over the batting; I run it through that part of the cycle a couple times so the whole batting is wet but not soaking wet.

Then I shove it in the dryer on HOT. (Told you, brave!)

It comes out fluffy and soft and all the creases are gone. I've never had trouble with it; no holes, no thin spots, no bearding. Today's battings are pretty rugged things!

I've done this with W&N & with the Pellon "Nature's Touch" Joann's cotton batt and both have held up perfectly fine.

I wouldn't do that process with a cotton batt that didn't have scrim, though. And never tried it with wool or bamboo.

Ok - from what I have seen W&N has 2 types one is 100% cotton and the other is 80/20 however they both feel the same and everything I have seen on them and from my own experiences this is NOT preshrunk

For a table runner or topper I would use Thermore. I have used it a lot on table runners/toppers and even though it is polyester have never had an issue with something hot being placed on it causing a problem.

You will want to preshrink your fabrics also.

I preshrink Warm and Natural. I put it in the washer with hot water and just let it soak until its wet. Do not agitate it. Then I put the washer on spin cycle and then put it in the dryer. Its nice and soft and it shrinks before I quilt it.

This info has been very helpful to me. I was going to ask a question about the preferred batting to use. The few quilts that I have made I used batting that was given to me, not knowing what kind it was. My first purchase was a Warm & Natural. Not knowing any better, I just used it right out the bag without doing anything to it. I think I'll Keep that quilt for muself.

I live in Arizona and I use 100% cotton for batting. My favorite batting is Mountain Mist. Recently it has been a bit hard to find so I have been using Hobbs Tuscany cotton batting and I have also tried their silk batting.

I only use warm & natural now and so far no one has complained about my quilts. I have a few that I use and wash often with hot water and put in a hot dryer. No problems and they are cuddly quilts like any other. There's no reason you have to keep quilts made with W&N for yourself. Many many people use it with no problems. I've never preshrunk it and I've used it with both preshrunk and never-washed fabrics. It's just for table runners where I would use it with non washed fabric so they shrink together but it's not an issue with lap or larger quilts. It's probably one of the most popular battings since it's reasonably priced and is easy to find.

eta: I just read through the thread again to see what would make someone decide warm & natural is no good for quilts to give and I cannot find anything other than one post about when they first started making it. Confused here.

Warning on low-loft iron-on: I tried a very low-loft iron-in batting I got at Joann's on placements. It was sure flat! Stuck out straight up! Stiff as a board. Too flat, but once I washed it, it puffed right up again and now I think it is all too puffy even through I prewashed everything and the quilting was 1-3" apart. it will take a beer mug but a wine glass gets tipsy :)

I was under the impression you would have to do something to keep it from shrinking.

I don't do anything but you can preshrink it if you want to. I happen to like the crinkly look of washed quilts but I can't really tell the difference when it's all done and washed. Here is one made with prewashed fabric (and washed after it's been pieced and quilted)
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495285&stc=1
and a close-up:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495286&stc=1

and one made with unwashed fabric (precuts) which was washed after it was pieced and quilted:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495287&stc=1

and a closeup (the label but you can see the quilt behind it)
http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=495288&stc=1

I honestly don't see that much of a difference. I wash in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. I figure that way whoever washes it later will be able to wash it whichever way they need to.

Thank you Sync! I have family living in Tuscon, as you know, it bakes in summer. I see you live just north of Tuscon, in the foothills. Do you use your quilts year round?

Christine, I do use my quilts year round. Hubby likes to keep the house "cool" in the summer. There's always a quilt on the bed and a quilt or two out by the sofa in the living room.

I pre-soak mine according to package instructions, with 1 Tbsp of Tide Free. They don't shrink much. If I quilt well under 2" apart, the quilt top will seize up a bit, giving it that crinkly look, but that also softens it quite a bit. When I quilt way far apart -- 6-8" apart in most places, it tends to stay quite flat & smooth.

I wasn't aware of the poly scrim. Seems like they shouldn't be able to advertise it as 100% cotton with something like that in it. I'm looking to see if there are any other options, but I suppose it would either need to have a scrim or glue to get the cotton to lie flat & form a good bat. I don't know. What did they use to do in the "olden days" before all these chemicals & synthetic fibers came into existence?

A friend who is a long arm quilter loves Warm and Natural batting because she says it's very stable and behaves well when it is being quilted. My conclusion regarding her statement is that it must be a pretty stiff, firm, inflexible batting if she's in love with long arming it. I avoid it for that reason. I don't know about the shrinkage factor of Warm and Natural, but there are some cotton battings you can pre-shrink, like Hobbs 100 percent cotton. Just follow the directions on the package.

I can assure you that my quilts made with warm and natural are plenty soft and squishy. Exactly the same as the one I made with Hobbs batting.

In the "olden days", the typical batting in this country was 100% cotton without scrim and without bonding. Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton batting is this type of traditional batting. It is quite flat (especially compared to the fluffy comforters we are used to these days!). Because of the way it is made, it needs to be quilted no more than 2" apart. Many of the old, soft, vintage quilts you see on display were hand quilted with this kind of batting. Because it has no scrim or bonding agents, it is impossible to "pre-shrink" this batting before quilting; it would fall apart when wet!

One thing about 100% cotton batting is that it becomes softer and softer with each washing. This applies to Warm and Natural as well as MM Blue Ribbon. However, Warm and Natural is made in a completely different way. It is needlepunched through scrim. This gives it tremendous stability and allows quilting lines to be up to 10" apart. When I have compared quilts I have longarmed, I have found the ones made with Warm and Natural to have the stiffest drape; Hobbs 80/20 is next; Hobbs PolyDown and Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon have both given me the softest drapes.

One advantage of polyester batting such as Hobbs PolyDown is that it dries a ***lot*** faster than cotton. Some charities that send toddler quilts abroad request poly batting for this reason, as the recipients need the quilts to dry quickly when hung out on a line.

I bought W&N batting on the roll - I have soaked lengths of it in HOT water in the washer (with no agitation) until the water cools to tepid and then washed it on a gentle cycle with a very little amount of detergent on gentle for only a couple of minutes. (My washed is older - and I can "fake it out" when I pay attention to what I am doing). Then I let the washer spin it out and dry it in the dryer. I think the setting was "until dry."

It survived nicely.

I have turned some - what looked like battings - to shreds by trying to wash them, too. So now I DO read the instructions that come with the batting.

I actively dislike "the puckered look" - and even with all the precautions I take - there is still a bit of puffiness in a washed quilt.

In my experience, fabrics do NOT shrink evenly. I have measured hundreds of pieces before and after washing - so I do know what I'm talking about on that statement.

Bearisgray - I do so agree with you. I don't care for the puckered look -- especially for table runners -- and do shrink my W&N washing it in hot water and drying in a hot dryer (just got a new steam dryer and I wonder if I use that option could I avoid the washing step --- hmmmm). I use a lot of W&N, but also Hobbs 80/20.

I also agree about the randomness of fabric shrinking. I have washed fabrics from the same line and some shrank and some did not. When I started quilting again in 2000 or so, I did not wash any of the modern fabrics, figuring that the companies had solved the problem of shrinkage and after making a few quilts that shrank really funny I started pre-washing. One reason I don't like precuts is that they don't lend themselves to pre-washing.

I wish I had the funds to make small, near identical quilts to do independent testing on each brand/type of batting to see which I truly preferred.I would have friends rate their preferences. Last I would send to family to see what they liked. Nothing scientific, just a curiosity thing. I would then share with the board. I would do this in my dream world.
I have only used Warm and Natural. No complaints. Just never 100% pleased with softness and drape.

My grandmother & mother quilted VERY close together and still ended up with lumpy cotton batting that they hand carded themselves. And yes sometimes they had bits of cotton bolls in their bats. Of course they didn't wash quilts often like we do now. It's kind of hard to wash a quilt in a wash pot or a wringer washing machine.

Wait now, there's NOTHING wrong with using W&N right out of the bag! It will shrink up a bit and give the quilt a little bit of a "crinkle" but LOTS of people really like that look and use cotton batting exclusively just so they can always get that vintage crinkled look. For me it depends on the quilt, sometimes I pre-shrink, sometimes I don't. Just depends on how I want the quilt to look at the end and what style I'm going for. On quilts I make for my MIL & GMIL; they like the vintage look so I make sure NOT to pre-shrink so I will get maximum crinkling. :)

I think it's a matter of preference/opinion. I also find the W&N to be stiffer, flatter and heavier than I would like in a finished quilt. I'm currently experimenting to find the perfect batting. I was going to try the QD Oriental Blend next, but then I read up on the chemical processing required for bamboo, and decided to skip that. I'm going to try Hobbs Silk, and Hobbs wool/cotton blend in my next two quilts.

I've heard people mention Dream Cotton and Dream Wool -- is this the same as Quilter's Dream, or a separate company?