shaverg

Me either and I talked with the Batty Lady at a show this weekend. I buy all my batting from her. She carries top of the line battings, Hobbs, Warm and Natural, Dream cotton, etc. She says the wools she carries wash fine, just don't put them in the dryer. Which I never put my quilts in the dryer anyway. I have just started using Hobbs Tuscany 100% cotton and it says right on the pkg will shrink 3-5% which I have seen on every cotton batting, I have ever looked at. But if you use cold water and not dryer I would think the batting should be fine.

Stummel

I do have the packaging and it says 8", and the widest spaces are 4.5"-5" around the fairy tale squares, the rest is all closer. It also said to wash it on the delicates cycle, which I did, and I didn't dry it.

I wrote to the online shop I got it from advising them of the bearding, which i think makes it unsuitable for crib quilts, but haven't heard back. This is the last time I will even attempt wool batting. I have a few projects lined up for practice and think I'll stick to cotton or old fleece blankets.

I will try damp-squaring, but don't have much hope. If I gave it to the new parents it would probably just go wrong again every time they washed it, and they aren't the most careful people if you know what I mean.

shaverg

I usually use polyester for baby quilts, it will beard, but does not shrink. The bearding can be a little bit of a problem with most quits. But easy to remove.

kkbrand

I just attended a class and the instructor told us Warm and Natural was the worst and you cannot prewash it because you will end up with stuffing in your dryer. She did recommend prewashing both fabric and batting, If you do one you have to do the other otherwise you will get uneven shrinkage in the quilt.

Try pressing the quilt with a hot iron, it might make it spring back and look a little nicer.

DebraK

I am so sorry for your heartbreak.

watterstide

I am so sorry about all your hard work,and it not turning out the way it should of. i would be heartbroken too.
i have never pre-washed batting and never will. i use Warm and natural 98 % of the time. I think alot of people that don't care for it, don't like the "drape" of it.
i happen to like my quilts, come out of the dryer "old looking". They only stay in the dryer for 10 to 15 minutes,then i air dry them the rest of the way.
i only prewash fabric about 5% of the time..Batiks,and solid colors,and flannels. that is all.
I would still give the quilt to the person it was intended for. the only way i can see to make it look less wonky on the ends, is to remove the binding and square it up again,then put the binding back on.

Stummel

Thanks everyone for the support!
Do you think I should dampen it and try to dry it in the dryer? Also, how do I square a quilt, as I have never done it and don't really know what it is... :oops:

Candace

Actually, if you want the puckered antique look Warm and Natural is one of the best to use. That's why most folks don't prewash it. They WANT the antique look. You have to decide beforehand how you want the project to look afterwards. Are your FMQ skills and or SITD skills great? If not, Warm and Natural etc. are good choices. If you want a flatter quilt that doesn't draw up or shrink then an 80/20 or 100% poly choice are the best picks. But they tend to show the quilting stitches more... I don't stick with one batting as my desired end results differ. It all depends on what I want as a final product.

I think wool is one of the trickiest battings to use, since it will shrink so much in the dryer. I always think ahead as to who will use it and unless it were a wallhanging, I'm thinking it would be washed often. Although this was a negative experience for you, chalk it up to a learning experience. We've all had them. And will continue to have them!

watterstide

here is a bunch of links for you to look at, a few are video shorts
http://www.google.com/search?q=squar...=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8

it actually should of been squared up before you put the binding on. it was what i was taught.
i have used:
a
plumb line (chalk/with string, people use on walls to start wallpaper),also my husband has a T bar..aluminum thing they use to square and cut drywall.

adirondackgrl76

How disappointing. I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you. I will be getting the border on my first top and then getting it ready to hand quilt and this has been one of my biggest fears. I did a bit of searching and found this information on batting. Maybe this will help in the future with batting: http://www.quilt.com/FAQS/BattingFAQ.html I hope the suggestions you received on this board to fix your quilt work. Your fabrics and style are so cute. Best of luck.