I used lukewarm water for my gorgeous 'Ali Quilt', and shrinking has been minimal. The quilt looks great.

I don't know if anybody in the US does this, or how much in would cost in postage if you order from 'Asding', but I just love the idea of being able to buy a whole stack of wadding sample pieces and then 'play' with them at home.

The other thing I did before making a very large quilt for a non-quilting friend on the other side of the world who has cats and dogs, so it had to be easy to look after (and I wasn't there to help): I made a few simple table mats with the wadding first, and then washed them several times. The friend uses the quilt all the time (and it washed regularly in a machine), and I'm still using the mats about 4 years later.

Lorchen, you've got Hobbs Heirloom wool in your quilt, I'm pretty sure.

Nancy, if you've been hand quilting W&N, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to hand quilt Hobbs or Quilters Dream Wool. If you prefer cotton, I would recommend one of the Quilters Dream ones, it doesn't have a scrim and should be easier to needle than the W&N.

Shirley, the Hobbs Wool is thinner than the Quilters Dream and might suit your purpose better. It is washable, though I have heard other reports of some batches of Heirloom wool shrinking, so it might be worth pre-washing. It's not heavy like cotton, so it won't be a difficult job.

I'm still waiting for just the right time to quilt my king-sized quilt at the shop where I rent time on an HQ16 and am planning on using a wool batting.

At a quilt shop, I asked why all they had was wool and the worker said they all love it so much that's all they carry. I asked about it being too warm since my DH is heavy and hot blooded and she said it's not any warmer because it breathes so much better.

We'll see. The problem is that the gal who helps with setting up the long-arm that I rent is alergic to wool and can't even be in the room while I'm there. I have to pick a day when another gal is working.

I'll report on how it quilts on the long arm. Nancy in NY state

Nancy,you will LOVE handquilting with wool batting. I finished hand quilting a queen sized quilt some months ago and it was so easy to needle. The needle glided right through the batting and I was also better able to maintain stitch size. It's just easier to hand quilt. In fact, until I got used to it, I really stabbed my finger underneath the quilt a few times because I was expecting more resistance.

Charmart, the wool batting is really light and provides a light warmth without weight. It's lighter than poly (except for something like Hobbes Thermore) and also "breathes" better. My largest quilt, 120 x 120, is our summer quilt.

I usually use Warm & Natural Cotton batting and I'm a handquilter. Since no one else mentioned it, I'm wondering if there is something about it that I should know. So far, I prefer cotton over poly and have not yet tried wool.

Yohoo, Ali! What type of wool batting is in my quilt? Can you remember? It's a big quilt, but very light. It's lovely and warm in winter. I have hand-washed it in the bath, then dried it outside on a sunny day (but in the shade), and it looked like new.

Lorchen

Whenever I hear all of the discussons about wool batting I can't help but wonder if it doesn't make the quilt hot? This Texas girl doesn't need any more heat! Please tell me it's just the same as cotton. Thanks,

I've never tried the Hobb's wool, but the Quilter's Dream wool is fabulous! It's fluffy, drapes very nicely and is so soft! It washes and dries beautifully. I use it in most of my personal quilts.

Created by CJ

I am currently working through my Gran's and Nanny's old blankets for batting for bed quilts, definately wool and most definately pre-shrunk!
However I have just received a sample pack of different batting ( thanks Alison of Asding) and I have been surprised at how thin quite a few of them feel. Previous to this I have only encountered the 2oz and 4oz polyester and they are in a class by themselves. It is going to be interesting to try them out and see how they handle. It has been good to find this thread and find out from others, their opinion of the different batts.

Yours in the cause

Rosemary

Great info ladies!!! We have ordered Tuscany....

Thanks, Ladyquilter, for other quilt batting and washing info.
I washed one quilt where I used the Hobbes Heirloom (rolled up in the package). I basically soaked it in my top loading washing machine in cool water and hand moved it around to wash, then I spun it in the perm press cycle. This did shrink but not to the point that it was warped or like a "little sweater". But the shrinkage was significant...at least 5%. (Why didn't I measure it? ) I layed it out on a spare bed to dry and only straightened the corners and edges. I did not try to pull out any crinkles, then fluffed it on air cyle when it was dry. The quilt is still light in weight and has a yummy drape. I gave it to my brother with instructions on how to wash it in the future. I need to wash some of my other quilts to see about this.

I'm finishing up a lap size string quilt that has muslin foundation blocks. Because of the extra fabric layer and seams, I can't decide what type of batting and quilting to use. Does anyone have any advice? What would be thin enough? I even thought about using something like a prewashed fleece or flannel.

Is wool batting washable and is it thin?

Hugs for your help...Shirley

Aha, I do like a good batting discussion . Hobbs Tuscany vs Hobbs Heirloom Wool - my personal preference is the Tuscany, it is softer and has slightly more body to it than the Heirloom, but it does need hand washing rather than machine washing (according to Hobbs). It's beautiful for machine or hand quilting. The Quilters Dream wool is also gorgeous, it has a higher loft than the Hobbs, but it can be machine washed (according to QD).

Quilters Dream Orient (which was also mentioned on this post) is an extremely dense and flat batting, the roll of it weighs a ton, compared to some of the other battings. I haven't used this one, but would imagine it would be good for a wall hanging or anything else you wanted nice and flat.

Polyesters are some and some, at the end of the day you get what you pay for. I like Hobbs Polydown which is nice and light and soft. Quilters Dream polyesters are more felted and firmer, they give a nice finish for a wall hanging. I've used it in a bed quilt recently and it seems a little stiff, but I'm going to wash it soon and see if it softens up any. It was nice to work with and all the layers kept pretty stable.

I'm a 505 spray adhesive fan, I use it for all my quilt layering, be it hand or machine, though if your hand project is big and is going to take a long time you might want to consider tacking as well, as the glue will lose its stick and disappear over time (you'll be fine for a few months though).

Cotton battings have their pro's and cons as well, I usually advise not to use cotton if it's a quilt that's going to be folded up for a lot of its life, as cotton holds the creases much more than wool or poly. It's also heavy, so stitching and washing a large piece can be very hard work. However, it does give a nice flat finish, my particular favourite is the Quilters Dream cotton Select (mid loft).

There's a great resource on the web on battings, I'll try to find the magazine it was mentioned in and get back to you all.

Here's place for good batting prices I have bookmarked:

http://www.batt-mart.com[url]

They do have Heirloom, Tuscany and the Quilters' Dream wool.

Isn't wool just lovely for a batting ?