Quilters Dream Batting Wash & Wear Test!
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- We all know you need batting to make a quilt, but the decision on what batting to use can be a challenging one.
There are so many options from cotton, 80/20 blend, polyester, wool, bamboo, even batting made from recycled materials. And with each fiber content comes several different lofts, which is a term for how fluffy the batting is.
So we decided to quilt up a swatch up every single batting option Quilter's Dream offers, and wash it a bunch of times to see how it held up, shrunk and crinkled.
I hope you enjoy this experiment as much as we did!
This is a great video! A lot of people mentioned that the fabric should have been preshrunk. However, I think that this is a very realistic test as most people do not preshrink their fabric. This gives us a view of what really happens with each batting and cotton fabric. Thank you!
Wool is the only required fiber in WWII because body heat pushes moisture away from the body so wet soldiers stay warmer. It also stays dry in socks so feet and shoes don't get the fungus that stinks to high heaven. And, for those reasons it keeps people that sweat in their sleep dryer and more comfortable! A wool quilt would make a great gift for a friend that has hot flashes!
I use the bamboo batting all the time. I don't prewash my fabric. I love how my quilts crinkle up when they are washed. They have that vintage look to them. I have never had them shrink unevenly. But I do quilt them pretty close together.
That's good to know!
The bamboo results surprised me. Good to know
I think this is my new favourite video of yours! I never even considered using the Dream Green, but I probably will now. Bamboo is my go to usually, and I wash mine often. It does get quite crinkly, but I like that. It is good to know all the options and how they wash, and the difference in loft after washing. Thanks again 😊
I have to agree with others who mentioned the fabric shrinking. To have a more accurate test, the fabric should have been washed and dried before cutting into 7 inch squares, then quilted. Your method had two variables-the batting and the fabric. I would expect both would shrink with your methodology. I would love to see the results for batting shrinkage, if the fabric was shrunk before the test was run. You would only have one variable, if the fabric was pre-shrunk,- that variable would be the shrinkage of the batting only. 😊
I agree.
Good point, but I never pre-wash my fabric.
I would say with the polyester batting that was made with 100% cotton fabric that the fabric shrunk making it smaller.
For a true test , the fabric should have been pre shrunk.
This was interesting! Quilter's Dream is my favorite as well. Their info does state that the Puff batting is not supposed to have any heat, air drying only. I wonder if that is why it "deflated" so much. Thank you for sharing your results and process with us.
When you live in a windy coastal town using a dryer is a rare option perhaps in winter. It's often so hot here drying takes less than an hour for a full load of laundry.
I remember making a cot quilt, 1981, with 4” thick (yes) polyester batting, and hand quilting in a hoop. It flattened down to less than a 1/4” eventually. Just washing. I didn’t have a tumble drier for years
Hi Miss,
This is the first time I have visited your channel and I did not regret coming here. Thank you so much for testing the different types of batting. I honestly did not know there were so many. I never did any quilting before, but thanks to those tips I am willing to start, however, with the right type of batting. Thank you very much for posting. 🙂
I just finished reading the rest of the comments and feel somewhat confused as to their thoughts. I've read that most people do not prewash the fabrics. I never have especially jelly rolls. And yet there were several who commented on the shrinkage being due to the fabric. I would agree with that which is why I feel the whole point of your demonstration is to see what happens to the quilt after being washed without prewashing the fabric. Since I'm new to this whole art, am I missing something they know that I don't? I thought this was a fair observation of what happens to quilts after finished and washed!
I think most quilters, especially newer ones, nowadays do not prewash their fabrics, as you say, especially if they are using precuts. You have to be old-school like me, to really go to the trouble of prewashing. Pre-cuts are difficult-to-impossible to prewash, except for fat quarters. However, I have washed 10" squares in lingerie bags (to help with the fraying). You would be surprised how much even expensive quilting fabric in that case will shrink 1/4 to 3/8 inch, and sometimes even shrink unevenly, which is really disappointing. Since I don't like the puckered look, especially if I have elaborately quilted a piece, then I will pre-shrink the fabrics and the batting. It's a confusing subject but Harriet Hargrave wrote a book back in the 80's called "Heirloom Machine Quilting" which really goes into great detail on the subject of battings. She did a lot of ground-breaking research for one of the major batting companies back then, too. That might be a good place to start in understanding the subject. Also, it always helps to make your own test samples before embarking on an important quilt project so you can have a better idea of what your end result might be.
There needs to be a standard definition of prewashing. To me prewashing is warm water, cold rinse and nothing else, No detergent, laundry pods, fabric softener, just color catchers. Also dry on delicate with no fabric softener sheets. I think some think of prewash as laundering the fabric, like their own clothes. To me these two different methods of treating fabric before quilting. I would not launder a finished quilt. Just Woolite, a touch of fabric softener, cold water, and air dry. It's interesting that my prewash method shows the quality of fabric. Some highly thought of brands, fray a lot, and some don't fray at all after my prewash method.@@logcabin3551
Thank you for taking the time to do this experiment! This was very informative!
Glad it was helpful!
I am a new quilter and learned a lot. I never imagined the amount of shrinkage there is. Something new to consider. I am beginning to understand how complicated quilt making can be. Each step needs to be thought about. Thank you, very informative.
Quilter’s Dream is my favorite batting also! Thank you for such a comprehensive test of the different batting fibers!
Glad it was helpful!
This was so informative. Thank you Stephanie for doing this comparison for us. I want to try the green one!
Do you think you could do the poly battings again with fabric that has been pre-shrunk? That would help to tell if it's the fabric shrinking or the batting. In practice If possible, it's always best to run your own test with the fabrics you are using and your own conditions. That way you can get a good idea what will happen based also on your thread content, quilting density, water temperature, dryer temperature, detergents, and water in your area. Thanks for your time and effort trying to unravel the batting mysteries.
Great video, please do one with Tuscany silk! Currently all my projects are using wool because I live in Texas and it's 104° today.
Thank you so much for all this effort. A friend of mines husband does welding and he says the only shirts he can ware when he works is 100% cotton because it does not catch on fire. On the other hand, when I am backpacking and rain is expected I take along some dryer lint I collect after washing cotton towels because it makes good fire starter when it's damp. It would be interesting to put cigarettes on the different samples and see which ones catch fire the fastest, or not.
You can look for burn tests on RUclips. Some of the historical CosTubers have done them. For myself, I can attest that poly flames and melts, cotton burns thoroughly and you’re left with ash. Wool, on the other hand, was difficult to ignite and really smelled like burning hair 🤢 . I just clipped some fabric and lit it on fire over a Pyrex dish outside (the fibers-especially synthetic ones-can release toxic fumes so be careful)
The concern for welders is that polyester melts so would stick to you & cause worse burn. Cotton will just burn away.
Burn tests on yarn showed me , as a knitter, just how easily cotton burns!
When I was a fitter, working with a welder every day, my cotton shirts def burn. every one of my work shirts showed at least some tiny burn holes from welding, cutting and grinding steel pipe & plate. But, none of my cottons ever melted into me like poly would've. Welders typically wear "leathers" because they won't burn. none of the welders I worked with did much welding for any length of time in just cotton. They all put on at least some of their leather protection - even in the So. FL heat.
I love the feel of dream green! So silky and smooth when quilting!
Thanks for the info. Just curious if the cotton material actually played a part in the shrinkage.
Thank you for doing this labor intensive test. Thank your hubby, too.
I am going to try some 80/20 batt. I have used wool and bamboo in the past and have been happy with the results.
Thanks for all your work and testing. I know quilting cotton does shrink and generally more across the width of fabric than the length of fabric. I pre shrink all of my quilting fabric by starching, air dry, then press with steam before cutting.
Thank you so much, this was a great video. I prefer an all-natural batting and here in Australia, wool performs brilliantly as it is cool in summer, warm in winter, and is fire resistant. It is my batting of choice, however it can be pricey. We have a great Australian brand called Matilda's Own, and they have a variety of batting including 100% cotton which is my second choice if wool is not financially viable.
Because there were so many that ended up 6.5 x 6.5, I think that represents the fabric’s shrinkage. Anything smaller than 6.5 probably came from additional batting shrinkage. I don’t like the way polyester beards. My mother used polyester in her first quilts, and I now spend a lot of time removing white fibers from the surface of a dark quilt. Has polyester batting improved since the 1980s?
My all-time favorite is Dream Bamboo (formerly Dream Orient). I have only natural fibers on my bed and in my quilts. Thanks for the video!
Have you had it shrink unevenly like her sample did?
@@astorybookfinish5055 Not so you’d notice. I was surprised by the shrinkage in the sample.
Totally great discussion about batting. All the tips I need to know. Confirms what I thought, I have access to very little choice in my town but I make quilting happen on items that aren't quilts so I experiment with what I can get. Mostly don't wash items before they get sold. Thinking I need to have a washing instruction sheet made available for my customers. Thanks to your laundry fairy for all the extra effort. 🇦🇺💜💚🧵🪡👍
Quilter's dream cotton is my favorite. I like select loft.
I enjoyed this comparison of battings and appreciate the time you spent doing it. I will save it for future reference. I do have batting on hand … what I could afford now and then to add to my supplies for the day I will need them. They are probably a mixed bag of fiber content, so I might be doing my own comparison by default.
So much good information in this--almost too much to take in at one time. It would be wonderful to have this information in a written form so it could be easily referenced
I have to agree with you. It would be nice to have a chart to consult when making a quilt so a person could compensate. I may search and see if there is something like that online. I did a search and there are some PDF charts online!!
LOVE. THIS. VIDEO!! Thank you so much for doing this!!!
Great info! I wonder what happens with Tuscany Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Wool. I’ve used it and like the drape. Haven’t washed, though.
Thanks for making this video, I'm on the fence between QD and Hobbs; could you do a comparison between Quilters Dream and Hobbs please?
Thanks for doing this, it was very interesting!! I really like wool batting, happy that it performed well in your tests! 😊
Very informative video. I think I will look into the Green. I usually use 80/20 BUT I like the idea of using all those plastic bottles that only end up in the landfill.
I am happy to see you perform this batting test. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Great video. I'm a beginner quilter so wasn't sure what batting to use.
I wonder if the recycle would be warm. Like poly is. I prefer not to be hot. Wool, cotton cotton/poly. Is there any real difference after it’s washed numerous times. I like crinkle old look, ok with me. I think I would stay with select level.
This has been fun to watch.
I use a lot of poly here in Poland and most of it starts out looking like the puffy one - even though it is what we call 100 gram poly here which really isn't nearly as thick as 125, 150 and 200 gr. But some types definitely shrink more than others. The place where I bought it (by the bolt - 50 meters), said that a certain type had more glue in it. I found it to shrink a lot more when washing than the type they normally carried. I don't dry my quilts in the dryer, so shrinkage for me happens in the quilting stage and the stage. A hot dryer will definitely add to shrinkage, I suspect.
Thank you for doing this video. Very very helpful!
Great informative video on batting.
Wow. Tremendous. What a lot of work. What a lot of information. Thank you.
Our pleasure!
Great info - tanks Stephanie
Thank you for doing this, very helpful to see the different lofts.
Love this video. It was very informative
Thank you for this video. The info is so useful.
Thank you so much for the great info on batting!
Thank you for this video! Priceless. Do you have instructions for that beautiful bowl behind you?
This was so fascinating and I learned a lot. That was a lot of work for you to do - thanks.
I am a Warm and Natural girl. I really love it. But I do want to experiment with a wool batting. But I live in Miami.😁
Wool is actually cooler in the summer. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true.
@@quiltingatthelake
Really? I'll try it. Thanks.
We live in South Florida and we rarely get “frisky” weather as we call it. Looking to make a quilt but don’t want something that will make us uncomfortable because of it being too hot. It would bave to be extra light. I have bamboo sheets and hate them, they are too warm and always look like rags……
Great comparisons! Now Im trying to remember who I made a quilt for with 100% bamboo. Hope i had it quilted instead of doing myself. I do like to use cotton/bamboo blends but mostly use 100% cotton or a cotton/poly blend.
Poly doesn’t “breath” either. I’m wondering if the Dream Green breaths? For those of us with hot flashes, breathing is a concern.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Extremely useful info.
Thank you for your video, you mentioned that one of the samples came from a dryer. Did you tumble dry all the samples? I find that this can also affect the shrinkage. I like the idea of the green batting, I will have to give it a try.
How much of your final shrinkage is due to the shrinkage of the binding around your test pads? On a full size quilt you likely wouldn’t notice, but on those small pads, I bet it is a factor.
Was the cotton fabric pre-shrunk? I would guess not...
One thing I would like to know is the warmth of the "green" kind. Can anyone weigh in on that part of the test? Great information.
Stephanie you look stunning in the denim blue
great information.... got a few gifts there???? did someone say pot trivets??? lol just not the poly ones. thanks Stephanie.
I really appreciate this video. I'm new to quilting and haven't figured out the whole batting thing. I usually use 80/20 blend of whatever is on sale somewhere. This really is an eye opener to selecting one company with a style I want to achieve. Thank you so much for this awesome information!
How informative. Thank you.
I appreciate the time, energy, materials, & resources you used to create this awesome video! I had been wondering about wool batting & finding this video was a blessing.
Question... In regards to the wool & polyester batting together,
do you place the polyester next to the backing or the quilt top?
It really doesn't make a difference and ultimately comes down to personal preference.
I love the wool and want to try the bamboo and dream angel
Stephanie, perhaps I didn't fully understand your test samples. Before washing you said the samples were 7 inches square. Then binding was added, so that would make the 7 inch squares into 6 1/2-inch squares because of the seam allowance attaching the binding. If that is so, then most of the samples had no or very minute shrinking, whether the cotton fabric was prewashed or not. Did I misunderstand your test?
Super interesting and helpful video.
Seconding @louiseah7662. I only have done one quilt with the bamboo (queen size) but have not found it to be problematically crinkly even after several washes. It is also delightfully drapery.
That being it is not my favorite to quilt with because it is so smooth. Even with spray basting and pins it felt like the layers were slipping while being wrestled through a domestic machine.
This was great so informative I now have a better understanding g of the different battings
Forgive me if this sound ignorant but when you mention draping is that the way it hangs on the bedside? Also what would be a good batting for a wall hanging?
Great question! Yes the drape is how the quilt/batting hangs. And just about anything can be used with a wall hanging since it's a decoration. The biggest thing you want to watch for is the appropriate amount of lift which is a personal preference.
I wonder what will happen if yo stitch in both directions; you only did along one side. There could be shrinkage on both directions. Thanks!
1/2” shrinkage was a shock. That’s about 7% I was expecting less for the polyester at least.
Fabrics should have been prewashed in order to test the shrinkage of the batting. My poly batting does not shrink that much when I prewash the fabrics.
I love quilters dream puff as well, but I find that it tends to "leak" out of my quilts and cause a lot of pilling. I've not seen any one else talk about having that issue. During this process have you noticed anything like that?
Brilliant! Thank you.
I exclusively use quilters dream usually bamboo
Thank you, very helpful.
Did you wash the wool batting one in a washing machine?
If you'd of quilted it side to side would that of helped the samples not shrink as much or at all side to side? Just curious
The batting and fabric both shrink in their own ways and how the pieces were quilted wouldn't have made a difference. The quilting doesn't prevent shrinking, it just keeps all the layers together and prevents shifting. Great question, though!
Thank you so very much!
can some of the shrinkage come from the materiial?
Great info
Maybe wash them but let them air dry - that might avoid the strange shrinkage situation with the bamboo batting.
Thanks!
Very informative. Thank you! I didn't hear you mention this...Was the fabric pre washed?
I am glad you found the video informative! No, I do not like to prewash my fabric!
Just came across this. The “shrinkage” after quilting but before washing is called draw in.
Which batting is the warmest in a quilt?
I have the polyester puff batting for a quilt that hasn’t been quilted yet.☹️
Please remember when choosing polyester: It will produce microplastic that ends up in the ocean. It will will take ages to rot. And quilts in the dryer? I don‘t own a dryer, but with quilts I‘d hang dry. Thanks for the video and the testing!
Which would you recommend for a South Florida wanna-be quilter?
Are any of these fusible?
No. She would have said they were.
I know it’s not politically correct to comment theses days on looks but wow beautiful in your denim
Are you aware of that different fibers and fabrics have different frequencies..? Anything made out of poly or other made made fibers is very low in frequency. A healthy human body has a frequency of 60-100. Organic cotton is at 100. A human that’s very sick, like a cancer patient is at 15. Poly, nylon, spandex and silk are at 15. Linen and wool at at 4,000. They spin in different directions so you should use or wear them together. Linen is or was used in Europe for centuries to wrap babies in as it calms them down. Just saying so you can guess why cotton, raw or organic might be your best option. 💕