Quilters - another wadding question

[Twigletpiglet]

I'm making a quilt for the first time and need a bit of advice. I've bought some 4oz polyester wadding from our local sewing shop. I've read the other thread on here about what type of wadding to get, and I'll be honest, compared to bamboo etc my wadding is really nothing special.

I made up a very small sample for some quilting practice and then put my sample through the washing machine. It came out a lot flatter than when it went in. Is this because it's rubbish wadding or is that expected? And more importantly, should I/could I wash the whole quilts-worth of wadding before I actually make it into a quilt? If it comes out flatter then it will be easier for me to sew, but I'm a bit worried it will just fall apart without the support of a framework of stitches.

As no-one has replied yet, I'll give you my views on this.

When I first started quilting I used 4oz polyester wadding and was very dissappointed in the feel of the end result. It did go very flat and limp, but as I was only making a small wall hanging it didn't really matter.

If you are going to make a quilt to be used on a bed I think for all the work you'll put into it that it is worth buying better wadding. I've used "Warm and Natural" which is a cotton wadding and also Hobbs Heirloom cotton wadding. There are many good man made waddings around which give different "loft" - depends on how puffy you want the quilt.

If you look on www.cottonpatch.co.uk they explain all the different waddings and the benfits of each kind - washability, etc.

I'd agree with the recommendation to look on the cotton patch website.

You might find something like a polycottom to be a more versatile option. Have a read about the different types and think of it like researching a duvet - each type has its pros and cons and it's worth deciding what you want out of the finished product.

There are lots of websites out there summarising the types [[

Sorry posted early

this isn't the best summary but it's a starting point for you

This is a very good article on how to choose wadding.

www.leahday.com/art-pickbestbatting/

Her point that the more you quilt the quilt top the stiffer it will become is a very good one.

Cotton Patch also do sample packs of both natural and man made waddings so that you can try them out. The packs have 8 or 10 different waddings in which are about 10" square so you get a real feel for them plus the packs come with descriptions of all the types in the pack for easy comparison.

A lot of teachers I know use 80/20 so you have the best of both worlds (80% cotton and 20% polyester)

Washing can be recommended for natural wadding because it can shrink but it depends on the type of wadding and who makes it. You don't really need to do that with polyester.

It also depends on what you mean by polyester wadding. They are not all the same. I used Quilters Dream polyester for some things and it is fine. Like a little fleecy blanket. It has very little loft but is quite dense iykwim and don't have the problems that I think you are getting.

It won't fall apart that much, the stitching protects fabric too, I would just go ahead & use it without worries. I wouldn't bother washing it, but then maybe i'm not that fussy about the final product, anyway.

(I am a bamboo fan, but always use up what you have first!)

Thanks for the replies. I've bought some more wadding from Cotton Patch - Dream Puff in the crib size. It seems a lot nicer than the other wadding I've got, a lot softer and more resilient. So I hope it will stand up to washing well too. I'll use the other wadding for something else that won't need to be washed hundreds of times. My current (first and possibly only!) quilt project is a baby floor mat so it needs to be durable.