KenmoreGal2

I have always line dried my quilts (hang them outside on the clothesline). I'm finishing one today to gift to someone. It has poly batting, the label says something about shrinkage. If I machine dry it, will it look different than if I line dry it?

Thanks.

ManiacQuilter2

I rarely put a quilt in with heat in a dryer so I would just put the setting on the lowest and let it air fluff. Poly batting seldom shrink as least that is what I thought.

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Maniac. If I had to choose between an air fluff in the dryer and using my outdoor clothesline (with no difference in how my quilt comes out) I'll take the clotheseline any day!

Tartan

I put my quilts in the dryer only until damp dry. I then block them out (on a clean sheet) on my carpet to continue drying.

PenniF

I wish i had a place to hang things outside !!!.....but my back yard just doesn't really work....and i think the front yard would be a little strange.
That aside...i confess that i machine wash and machine dry all the quilts i make....i figure the recipient will do the same - so few people hang laundry any more.... that i want to make sure everything about the quilt is behaving as it ought.
PS...i don't think 100% poly batting shrinks.

charlottequilts

If you add a few fans, they dry pretty fast on the floor. Plus, there's the added bonus of dusting the room for you - LOL!

hugs,
Charlotte

Stitchnripper

This is what I do too. The recipients of my quilts are not going to do anything special with them, regardless of instructions included, so I wash them like they would, with no special care. So far so good. I use cotton batting and they do crinkle up a bit, but I like that look.

bearisgray

if this is a quilt made to be used for everyday -
if I had a large enough dryer, I would dry it in a dryer instead of line drying -
because I feel that line drying causes more stress to some of the fibers.

tessagin

I don't have a lot of choice. I have no clothesline anymore and not enough floor space. No other choice but to use the dryer. My grandmother had 3 lines just close enough she would place them securely on top by pinning them with small c clamps or safety pins. They dried really quickly. Living in the Midwest she planned her laundry days around the weather.

maryb119

I air dry my quilts by either hanging them outside or just simply putting them on top of a bed and then flipping it over once every 12 hours or so to allow even drying. I don't use the dryer for my quilts.