Preshrink and sewing batting
 

Would you sew the batting together before or after preshinking?

I wouldn't think it would make a great deal of difference, but I would sew it together afterwards, mostly because the batting is easier to work with in smaller pieces.

I sew it together after preshrinking.

I never preshrink batting, so when I've pieced it, it's been before any washing. For me, the batting is first washed after the quilt is completed.

Read what the batting package says.

Some say "do not wash" before quilting.

Same here - never prewash batting. Only washing it gets is after the quilt is completed. Your batting may suggest preshrinking, however, so check your instructions. I use W&N 100%.

I think ... you are asking about pre-shrinking the batting only ... and not fabrics with batting?

I only pre-shrunk battings (baby quilt size) a couple of times, and found them to be such a gooey mess to flatten out and dry, that I have never done it. The frustrations never outweighed the rewards of doing so.

That being said, if I were to think of pre-shrinking, it would definitely be the smaller pieces,
as there would be less of a gooey mess to fight with! :)

I've only done it a couple of times. My hope is that the quilt will not be as "crinkly". I've used warm and natural both times I've preshrunk batting. I just wet it with warm/hot water in the sink, squeeze it out and dry it in the drier. It worked fine.

(I do not wash before gifting.) Sometimes, I prewash the fabric, sometimes, I don't.

It was easy. I encountered no problems with doing it. However, I'm not sure how it turned out after washing.

bkay

Thanks everyone.
QuiltE, I'm not really planning to wash the batting. Just spray with water
until damp then dry. Hope it will shrink some. If I don't forget, I plan to
measure before and after to see how much it shrinks. Just an experiment. :)

Okay, I have been doing since I started batting like this since I started 9 years ago. I get 5 white washing hand squares wet with cold water. I put the batting ready with sprayer water lightly gently in the dryer. And then I throw in the squares every time 5 minutes to fluff it up and it does gets most of the batting the wrinkles out. They lose lots of gentle creases when it is done. When I started drying it and when they are done - love them with the top of the backing and then the top of the batting and then the quilt. They get it done.