Do not throw your alpaca wool batting in the drier
05-21-2014, 05:04 PM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: East Central Wisconsin
Posts: 679
Don't know if it would work for a quilt, but there is one thing they used to use on shrunken sweaters. They would use baby shampoo to wet it and then gently pull it into shape. I think it may have been a heavy solution of shampoo and water, but I just don't completely remember. Sure would be worth a try!
05-21-2014, 08:20 PM
#19
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Definitely try blocking it! That may be enough.
The reason it shrank so much is because wool fibers have little hooks on them. When agitated in the presence of water, heat and soap, these hooks become entangled with each other. Modern wool battings such as those from Hobbs and Quilter's Dream have been treated during manufacturing to resist this problem. They would have probably survived your husband's treatment in much better condition, with a maximum of 3% shrinkage or so. (I say probably because the QD batting is treated with heat bonding -- which can melt in high temperatures.)
The reason it shrank so much is because wool fibers have little hooks on them. When agitated in the presence of water, heat and soap, these hooks become entangled with each other. Modern wool battings such as those from Hobbs and Quilter's Dream have been treated during manufacturing to resist this problem. They would have probably survived your husband's treatment in much better condition, with a maximum of 3% shrinkage or so. (I say probably because the QD batting is treated with heat bonding -- which can melt in high temperatures.)
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