How should I prewash/preshrink my batting

[Betty J.]

I'm sure you all can help me out. I want to preshrink/prewash some batting for my son's quilt that I have nearly finished the quilt top for. The batting package says it may shrink slightly, and I don't want that look for this particular quilt. I usually make quilts with pre-shrunk batting or I want the shrinking to emphasizes the quilting, so I haven't had to do this before.

What do you do?

[Terry K.]

You might put it in your washer and let the washer fill with the type of water the quilt will be washed in. Let it soak at least until the water is cool. Then spin the water out of the washer. Take care though, don't let the washer agitate or you won't have any batting left! (Hm m m been there, done that! LOL)

Next put the batting in the dryer to dry until just damp. Let the batting air dry the rest of the way.

You also might want to check the size of the batting before and after you do this procedure. You may find that the brand you have really doesn't shrink and you can save yourself some time in the future,

Happy quilting,

Terry

[Betty J.]

Terry,

Thanks for the help. It's Hobb's Heirloom 80/20. They say it can shrink as much as 5%. I do see on the bag instructions almost exactly like yours--I should read. :lol:

[Cheryl K.]

Yes, yes, yes, by all means read the instructions before pretreating batting. The instructions on the bag are pretty clear for Hobbs 80/20 for the look you are wanting. But in any case it is important not to put it through an aggitating cycle because it can just tear apart and you could be left with shreds. Worse yet, you could have bits and pieces of the batting flush through your washer and have a repair bill or new machine shopping in your future.

If there are no pretreating instructions, assume you cannot pretreat the batting.

[Terry K.]

Sew Dreamy,

I use 80/20 Hobbs for most of my quilting projects. I don't preshrink it anymore. After preshrinking the first dozen or so batts, I finally measured it to begin with and measured it after I finished the preshrinking process. . .I found such a small difference that I no longer go through the hassle and use it as is.

Terry

[Betty J.]

Terry,

Thanks. I think I'll just give it a very good steaming, that does some shrinking--and then use it as is and recommend he washes it in cold water and low heat dry if he needs to clean it. It should still be a nice quilt for him even if there is some slight shrinkage. Cheers.