How do you remove bearding?

Since

it is a gift
it is not a large quilt
it isnt heavily quilted

Maybe consider taking it apart and putting new batting in. I know it is a lot of work, but you have a lot of time and love invested now and you want it to be right.

Margie

I only use warm and natural and have never had a problem.
If I pre-wash the fabric, then I pre-wash the warm and
natural too, unless I want the old look. (which I usually
do). If I don't prewash the fabric, then I don't prewash
the warm and natural.

So sorry! I prewash my fabrics always. I have developed an allergy to the chemicals in the fabrics. I do not usually prewash batting, but I have never used a wool blend. You can always steam the batting in the dryer before using it. Sadly, this will only help with future quilts. It is still beautiful. Do you think adding any quilting will help it lay better?

I have never had good luck with warm and natural batting. Always a disappointment. I am currently using Quilters Dream 100% cotton. I love it. I prewash my fabrics. The whole quilt goes into the machine for wash and into the dryer and I get a wonderful puckering from a little shrinkage of the batting. It has always been good end result. I have never worked with wool batting.

I don't use wool batting and never realized it would do that. I do like the wrinkled crinkly look of the quilt. It's just me.

I followed the advice I got here and squared the quilt while it was wet and it is currently drying, but already looks much better.

Great!

I have always preshrunk warm and natural. Soaked it in warm water, squeezed it out and then dried it the dryer and ironed it. It seemed to work fine.

I ALWAYS prewash my batting if it's a shrinkable like cotton. I've never used wool, so I can't speak for how it would work for wool. But if you're going to wash the quilt after it's quilted, you should probably prewash the batting, or it's going to shrink.

I fill the washing machine with warm water, soak the batting, spin the water out. Then I dry the batting in the dryer. Cotton batting definitely shrinks, and I want it to shrink before I quilt it, unless I'm going for the 'antiquie' shrinky look.