wrinkled wool batting

[Charae H.]

I opened a package of Hobbs wool batting last night, and it is severely wrinkled.....any ideas what to do so it doesn't show up in the quilt? :sick:
Thanks,
Dorothy

[Dawn S.]

Dorothy, I've never used wool batting, but when I get a batting that is severely wrinkled, I hover a steam iron over the wrinkles and they ease out a bit. Do you have enough extra to try the "spritz and place in the dryer for a while" technique? This way you can see how the batting will react before possibly ruining the whole lot. Good luck!

Dawn

[Dawn S.]

I bet it is better today, after being opened for 24 hrs. However I would also recommend Dawn's advice with shooting some steam through the wrinkles to relax the fibres.

[Judith A.]

Whatever you do, don't put the wool batting in a hot dryer to get the wrinkles out. I did that once and it was a disaster. My dryer runs hot. When I took it out of the dryer, some areas were hard and yellowed.

Most wool batting today is superwashed and either resin bonded or thermally bonded.
Per the Quilter's Dream website,
-Thermal Bonding is a process that interlocks the fibers through the use of heat energy. For Dream Wool and Dream Puff, we use a special fine denier low melt polyester for the thermal bonding. Thermal bonding is an environmentally (absent of chemical resin binders) favorable technology.
The heat in the thermal bonding process softens the surface of the fiber. At the melting point, fibers in contact with each other will form strong bonds, which secure the wool fibers, preventing shrinking, bunching, and shifting. When this is cooled the bonding points solidify and ensure the strength and performance of the batting. Should not be ironed or used in a hot dryer.-

In my case, I think it was the bonding that melted against the hot dryer walls after the dryer quit tumbling.

I love using wool batting for lap quilts and bed quilts. It is much more lightweight than cotton. It is warm in winter and cooler in summer, without getting hot and damp.
It breathes. It is flexible and drapes well. Some people use a layer of wool on top of 80/20 or polyester to make their quilting show up more, but I am not that good yet. I just use it for comfortable quilts. I made this flannel quilt of scraps leftover from another quilt project. It has wool batting. It is definitely a utility quilt. It gets constant use and has been machine washed several times.

[Judith A.]

Thanks Judith! Love the quilt!
I don't have time to fuss with it, so bought new batting that came off the roll...expensive lesson learned won't buy packaged batting again.
Dorothy

[Judith A.]

Thanks Dorothy and Judith! I've not used wool batting but have considered for the same reasons Judith mentioned, warmth without weight, warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Dorothy - has the packaged batting relaxed yet?
Barb

[Judith A.]

Barb...no the wrinkles are still there :sick: I bought quilters dream wool batting on the roll, and absolutely LOVE it :silly: I've used Hobbs wool (on a roll) in several quilts, and love it too, so thought the package would be good as that was all the LQS had :dry: Should have waited until I could get to a larger shop ops: or bought what they had on a roll....I just really like wool :whistle:
Dawn and Rosemary, haven't tried steaming, but will to see if I can use it in another project :unsure:

Dorothy

[Lois B.]

Thanks Judith! Love the quilt!
I don't have time to fuss with it, so bought new batting that came off the roll...expensive lesson learned won't buy packaged batting again.
Dorothy

I love, love, love wool batting for all the reasons, Judith gave. Light, warm in winter, cool in summer. Don't let that packaged batting go to waste. Lay it out on a bed and let it rest. Like Rosemary said it will relax on its own. Hovering a steam iron over it is really a rather quick process. You could do that right on the bed. The wrinkles disappear so easily. If you are pushing the quilt through a domestic machine its lightness makes the job so much easier. Don't let that batting go to waste.

[Lois B.]

Thanks Lois....I love wool batting too, and will keep it for another project....just didn't have time to fuss with it cuz the quilt I'm doing needs to be finished for Christmas (hopefully)

Dorothy

[Lois B.]

Thanks Lois....I love wool batting too, and will keep it for another project....just didn't have time to fuss with it cuz the quilt I'm doing needs to be finished for Christmas (hopefully)

Dorothy

I feel much better now. I would have done the same in a rush.

[Jules M.]

I never use steam in my irons so haven't tried that method.

I open up the batting and spritz it with water (in an empty starch bottle). I drape it over my long-arm if empty or a chair in my studio. It settles soon.... by the next day. I also now use a wrinkle remover homemade spray for clothes too late out of the dryer and have used that on backings and batting that come to me crumpled.

I found it on pinterest. a touch of vinegar, hair conditioner, and the rest water, I think.

I know I'm late to your thread. :silly: Just here in case someone else has this question.