Wash Batting?
 

If I pre-wash my fabric should I pre-wash my cotton batting?

Depends on the batting. You could end up with a giant cotton ball or handfuls of shreds.

Read the package directions and decide then.

Warm and natural washes up well. I've also destroyed some battings that I thought would wash up okay.

Don't prewash Quilters Dream - it says not to, and it doesn't need it, only 1% shrinkage...

It also depends upon the final look, you want your quilt to have. I like the old-fashioned look of a quilt, after the batting shrinks a bit, kinda puckering the quilt.

Personally I don't. I usually use warm and natural, cause I like the slight puckering. I have a friend who always washes and irons her warm and natural because she says her quilts then lay perfectly flat. It is just a personal preference.

I agree completely!! Maybe because I make a lot of Civil War era quilts.

My personal rule: do not add any extra steps to quilting. I have never washed batting. Sounds like more work to me!

Hopetoquilt is my kinda of quilter - I do nothing that adds to the "work" side of quilting - I never wash my fabric either but always wash my quilts when done. I guess it just depends on what you like you finished product to look like after a wash.

No, I wouldn't. I have had batting shred that I tried to wash. It was my fault, though. I shouldn't have agitated it but I forgot to go back and stop the washer (twice) prior to that cycle. Learned my lesson.

I wash my cotton batting. I'm not much into the antique, crinkly look. However, it does depend on what type of batting. I'm going to use wool in my next quilt and according to the instructions I don't need to wash it.

Again - read the instructions.

The package of Quilter's Dream (purchased maybe 6 or 7 years ago) had the instructions to NOT WASH in small print on the back of the label.


I don't quite know how to interpret a statement like "5% shrinkage", but I think

I suppose one interpretation would be - if I had something that measured 40 x 60 inches = 2400 square inches
it could shrink to 2280 square inches - a loss of 120 square inches - and usually the package doesn't indicate if that's overall, lengthwise, or crosswise

So if the shrinkage was only one way - you could lose three inches off the length, or two inches off the width, or a less noticeable overall loss if the shrinkage was both lengthwise and crosswise.

So if it went to maximum shrinkage, and the shrinkage was only one way, I could now have an item that measured

40 x 57 or 38 x 60.

That is the extreme case scenario.

Guess that could explain the crinkles - - - - - but if it crinkled, the overall quilt is now smaller.

I don't prewash my fabric and don't pre wash my batting (warm and natural) figure they will shrink together....the only time I would consider prewashing fabric would be red and/or inexpensive flannel......but if the whole quilt is flannel, such as a rag baby quilt....will not prewash at all....so everything shrinks together.......

Not everything shrinks at the same rate.