The quilt shop owner talked me to using bamboo filling for my wall hanging. I am finished it but there are little white 'beards' where my needle didn't bring the thread through properly.

I was not going to wash the quilt but perhaps you ladies know that this is the only way possible to loosen the beards. I tried it on air fluff in the dryer but to no avail. :roll: This is my first posting ....hope to get to know you all. PS: am so desperate I might have to twease each stitch of the quilt!!!!

Hi Kascie!!! Sorry for your problem. I have never had that problem with needled cotton batting (Warm & Natural or W&White). I don't know a fix for it!! Sorry. Someone will, though, so hang in. Happy to see you post.

Maybe try spraying the top and backing enough to saturate the fabric and toss it back into the dryer....

The only solution I know of for bearding is to cut off the beards, usually with an embroidery cutter or those little battery-operated cutters that are sold for cutting "pills" off sweaters.

I would go back to her and ask her how to fix it, it is a known problem with the bamboo batting, though it tends to be less with the long arms, they do a blend of cotton/bamboo that is said to not have the same problem,

Great info, thanks.

I had a 'bearding' problem when a white batting came thru a dark panel. I had to cut all those little beards off! Thats' when I found out there were black battings! Sorry I can't help you ~

This may not be what caused your problem, but did you happen to press your seam allowances open? On one of my first quilt I so carefully pressed all my seam allowances very neatly open, which allowed lots of white polyester beards to sneak through on my nice dark "Roman Stripe, Amish Quilt in a Day". It turns out keeping the batting inside is one of the reasons we press seam allowances to one side.

This is not a solution for your current beard issues, of course, but for the future (I'm assuming you are a new quilter and apologize if I'm telling you something you already know!) I sought advice when I saw what was happening to my baby and all my guru could tell me at the time was that if I used my quilt and washed it that eventually it would stop happening, and it has. I took this picture recently ago and the colors are somewhat faded from sunlight and from washing, but no more beards! :-)

Found out this weekend that Joann's Fabrics is going to discontinue the warm and natural (boo) and start carrying the cotton bamboo blend. Now that I've seen this, that doesn't sound good for us!

Maybe the cotton in the blend will be the key. I have bought one of the blended Nature-Fil from Fairfield, but haven't used it yet. I'm a big fan of cotton these days.

Hey, Kascie! you could try poking the fibers back inside with a toothpick or a blunt sort of tapestry needle.If you're not going to wash it they should stay where you put 'em, eh? Good luck!