yayaquilts

I love Bamboo Batting. It is so much softer than Warm and Natural 100% Cotton or Hobbs 80-20. It quilts beautifully too. I buy it at JoAnn's when it's on sale or with a coupon. It's made by Fairfield and is 50% naturally antibacterial bamboo and 50% organic cotton. Quilting distance up to 8". I don't use any other batting anymore. Since bamboo is one of the fe fibers that are naturally antibacterial, it eliminates the need for harsh chemicals.

brushandthimble

It is cheaper at the studio I work at. I am trying to make room to order a roll of the 50/50 cotton/bamboo.

grayladym

Our guild enjoyed a wonderful presentation on flammability of various battings. Using a 10-second test, samples of various batting fibers were tested. 4X4" batts were placed on corelle-type saucers. Demonstration was performed by a long-arm quilter using a BIC pistol lighter, and she touched the flame to the batting as an assistant started the timer countdown.

Polyesters flame up quickly and melt potentially creating terrible burns. Cotton is a much slower burn. Many flame-retardant cotton bats lose that feature after repeated launderings. 80/20 Hobbs burned faster than 100% cotton. Wool put itself out. Some of the new flame retardant batting did well in the test.

The quickest burn was the bamboo. Flash fire is how I would describe it. The lapsed time was less than 3 seconds, as I recall. Even the polyesters took longer than that. I would caution anyone to avoid bamboo use in a child's quilt, or lap throws for the elderly.

After reading earlier responses about the manufacturing process, I can see why the bamboo burn test had that result.

I love the drape and feel of bamboo, but the test I witnessed was so shocking, I felt I needed to pass the information on. I will still occasionally bamboo, but likely use it in wall hangings and table toppers.

I love wool, and since I remove bed quilts from the bed entirely before getting under the covers, I don't experience sensitivity to wool than I might if I slept under it. It's very expensive, however, so I don't use it often, but I do prefer it.

The demo was eye-opening. The long-armer has refused to use poly in a baby quilt, and said she will not use bamboo either after seeing the results of her test. Before that, she had believed bamboo was like cotton. The audiences she'd shared this information with were all as surprised as she had been.

Kas

Ugh! It's rayon! It has been chemically changed from a grass to rayon. It is incorrect to call it bamboo. Sorry. It just irritates me, so. I will just keep quiet from now on as far as this topic is concerned. Sorry, again.

suern3

I used bamboo in one of my first quilts that I made for my husband and it bearded terribly while I was quilting it. The quilt had a lot of black in it so the bearding really showed. Since that bad experience, I won't use it again. It is a decorative quilt for his old car so don't know if it is warm or not and the quilt has not been washed. I love Quilter's Dream cotton batting.

Mattee

I understand your frustration. I agree completely.

DogHouseMom

I had purchased a 50/50 cotton/"bamboo" blend King size bat for $20 in Paducah (as well as several other King bats, including a Soy blend - anything on Soy ladies?? <g>) - so I read this thread with great interest (have not used said batting yet). I'll probably still use it, heck I have it and I don't like to throw things away. But at least I know what I have now. 50/50 cotton/rayon bamboo!!

I guess I'm glad I didn't buy into the "bamboo" bed sheets that did feel incredibly soft.

From Wikipedia

Because the fibers of bamboo are very short (less than 3mm), they are impossible to transform into yarn in a natural process.[27] The usual process by which textiles labeled as being made of bamboo are produced uses only the rayon, that is being made out of the fibers with heavy employment of chemicals. To accomplish this, the fibers are broken down with chemicals and extruded through mechanical spinnerets; the chemicals include lye, carbon disulfide and strong acids.[22] Retailers have sold both end products as "bamboo fabric" to cash in on bamboo's current eco-friendly cachet, however the Canadian Competition Bureau[28] and the US Federal Trade Commission,[29] as of mid-2009, are cracking down on the practice of labeling bamboo rayon as natural bamboo fabric. Under the guidelines of both agencies these products must be labeled as rayon with the optional qualifier "from bamboo". Bamboo fabric is known for its softness and boasts strong absorbency and anti-microbial properties, though there is controversy as to whether or not the chemical process in bamboo rayon destroys anti-microbial quality.[29]

A new bamboo fabric has been developed at Beijing University and has created an interest in bamboo clothing, particularly those interested in using organic material. Clothing from bamboo is soft and comparable to cashmere.

butterflywing

i've used it and i love it. i only used to buy with a 50% coupon, but now i just buy it as needed. it's great to work with, it's no more flammable than anything else (poly melts and sticks to your skin) and even though it has been treated with an equal amount of chemicals as anything else, it is a renewable resource. my daughter has a lot of allergies and this is comfortable for her. it washes very well. it's a little thinner than cotton, but just as warm. it's an effort now to use up the cotton batting that i have, and i can't always find the bamboo in king size.

it's lightweight and still warm, it's silky to use and any fluff cleans right up. i do not prewash my fabric or my batting - i let everything shrink together at the end. yes, it is 50 - 50 (bamboo) rayon and cotton.

http://isewblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/oh-bamboo.html

some info that may give you some more insight.

kathyd

I hand-quilted a wall hanging using Nature-Fil by Fairfield bamboo batting. The package says it is 50% naturally antibacterial bamboo fiber and 50% organic cotton. I was not impressed with it. My needle seemed to "stick". Hand-quilting is not my favorite anyway and this just made it more so.
kathyd

jpwagner

Sorry for the delayed response but I was out of town for a few days. I had one quilt machine quilted with the bamboo--100% version, I think. I like it, drapes well, soft, but I found that the quilt is way too warm for me. Back to poly and two layers if I need more warmth. Put the bamboo on the guest bed.