patti p

I agree i think that the batting would fall apart if you pre -shrink it. i feel for any future quilts i make that a person wants a certain size i will make sure to make it a little larger to allow for shrinkage. i am sending the quilt to her as is. and dropped my price in hopes she will understand.

Swannie

Ditto! I always pre-wash everything except the batting, and use only cold water. Dryer on a low setting.

NJ Quilter

I totally agree with everything Emma S says. And it's exactly what I do, as well.

QultingaddictUK

I used Wool batting just once, boy did it shrink which is why I only used it once!

cindi

The batting is going to "puff up", even if it's just a little - even if you pre-wash the fabric and batting - when you wash the finished quilt. That, plus the fact that when you quilted it, it probably shrank a bit. The thread is going to draw up with the "puff". The more quilting, the more it will draw up, from what I've experienced. If you're making it to exact dimensions, it's best to make it a few inches than what you want, just to make sure it will still fit after quilting and washing. Better a bit big than too small! I always try to remember that when I would buy a bedspread, the dimensions changed after I washed it, because it wasn't pre-washed when I bought it.

quilttiger

I agree with Auntie V (reply#16) and Cindi in the above reply. The amount of quilting that goes into the top does influence the degree of shrinking. I tried an experiment...prewashed the fabrics and even the batting before making the top. Measured it. Quilted it. Measured it again and it did show shrinkage after the quilting. Then I washed it and found the shrinkage was minimal after that. The bigger the quilt is, the more noticeable the shrinkage will be. I often make the project a bit larger and it works well. Or instead of making a bigger project, I use borders wider than what the pattern calls for.

Edie

Anything under 1 yard I do not wash. Precuts I do not wash. I have never had a problem with shrinkage - (I am including batiks in that also). I wash the backing, the sashing, the border and if I buy fat quarters or precuts, I just re-iron them and sew it altogether. Maybe that's it - I steam them flat and maybe that is when they shrink a little.

And, I do not know what I am doing right!!!!!!!!! I hear so much of the shrinkage and have never had a problem. Could it possibly the company you buy the fabric from? My mom never had a problem either - actually everything I know about quilting I learned from her. She was always worried that if she did wash the smaller pieces they would fray and then she would lose the size she needed.
Edie

purplefiend

I make my quilts a bit bigger than I need to allow for shrinkage. I can't use a polyester batting in my quilts. Dh and I get too hot, only use cotton batting. My quilts get washed and dried, if I put them outside to dry the dogs and the birds would ruin them.
Sharon

purplefiend

PattiP,
This only works with a top loading washer, not the front loader.
You don't actually wash it, you fill up the washer with cold water and don't let the machine agitate.
Push the batting up and down with your hands for about 5 minutes, then let the washer spin the water out and put it in the dryer for about 15 minutes.

Boston1954

I have not had a major issue with shrinkage, but I have not completed a bed sized quilt as yet. I have three tops, but not one of them is finished. I make mostly lap quilts and wall hangings. Five inches is a lot. I hope it still looks okay.