Which wadding?
10-08-2011, 07:16 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2011
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My wife has just taken up quilting, making lap quilts, but she has yet to find a wadding available in the UK which she likes. Can anyone advise her on what's best for machine quilting, that doesn't require pre-washing and that doesn't produce tiny balls of wadding on the reverse side of the quilt. Thanks.
10-08-2011, 07:59 AM
#3
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Location: Colorado
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I'm not in the UK, but I thought I'd share my thought about batting--
My all time favorite is Hobbs wool. It's on the pricey side, but it quilts beautifully. I have a flannel quilt with wool batting on my bed that gets laundered regularly and have not had any problems. There was a tiny bit of shrinkage when it was laundered the first time, but not much. I also like Hobbs 80/20 and I use it often. I don't pre-wash or pre-soak any of the batting I use. The little bit of shrinkage isn't a bother to me. I kind of like the old fashioned look. I launder my quilts in a washing machine with cold water and I dry them in the dryer on a regular setting.
My all time favorite is Hobbs wool. It's on the pricey side, but it quilts beautifully. I have a flannel quilt with wool batting on my bed that gets laundered regularly and have not had any problems. There was a tiny bit of shrinkage when it was laundered the first time, but not much. I also like Hobbs 80/20 and I use it often. I don't pre-wash or pre-soak any of the batting I use. The little bit of shrinkage isn't a bother to me. I kind of like the old fashioned look. I launder my quilts in a washing machine with cold water and I dry them in the dryer on a regular setting.
10-08-2011, 09:12 AM
#8
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Hobbs and Quilter's Dream are among the best brands. Hobbs 80/20 is one of my favorites. When I Googled, it looks as if both these brands are available in the UK.
Quilter's Dream cotton (needlepunched, but not through scrim) is a very stable cotton batting that will not "beard". Hobbs 80/20 has more loft, whereas the QD gives a flatter, more traditional look. Both shrink up to 3%, which is what is typical for a traditional "crinkled" look. Neither of these battings requires pre-washing.
If your wife does not want the batting to shrink at all, and does not want to pre-wash batting, then she would need to stick with polyester. A disadvantage of polyester battings is that they slip and slide more in the quilt sandwich. I personally prefer 80 to 100% cotton in my battings, without scrim, because cotton gets softer and softer with every washing. If your wife wants a polyester batting, I've heard that both Hobbs polydown and Quilter's Dream poly get good ratings.
Quilter's Dream cotton (needlepunched, but not through scrim) is a very stable cotton batting that will not "beard". Hobbs 80/20 has more loft, whereas the QD gives a flatter, more traditional look. Both shrink up to 3%, which is what is typical for a traditional "crinkled" look. Neither of these battings requires pre-washing.
If your wife does not want the batting to shrink at all, and does not want to pre-wash batting, then she would need to stick with polyester. A disadvantage of polyester battings is that they slip and slide more in the quilt sandwich. I personally prefer 80 to 100% cotton in my battings, without scrim, because cotton gets softer and softer with every washing. If your wife wants a polyester batting, I've heard that both Hobbs polydown and Quilter's Dream poly get good ratings.
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