Soaking

Every once in a while I pre-soak/shrink my batting…and since I get a lot of questions about it I thought I’d answer it in a quick post.

I usually don’t pre-wash my batting unless I’m concerned about shrinkage in the final quilt or I’m using a Chenille backing, as was the case this time.  I like the crinkly look of a washed quilt, and even with pre-shrinking I’ve found that my quilts still shrink a bit.  Out of the package batting is also thinner and way easier to work with/fit under my sewing machine foot, so that’s another main reason I usually don’t.

When I do pre-soak …I cut my batting at least 4″ larger than my quilt top around all sides (if I’m quilting it myself).  Then I stick it in my washer in hot water and let it soak for the day or overnight.  I use a tiny bit of detergent, or you can use a product like this made for soaking.

After it’s soaked at least 5 hours or so I spin cycle the batting in the washer (don’t agitate it though!) to remove the water.  Then I throw it in the dryer on low just as I would with any delicates.  Because it dries fast, I check it often and take it out right when it’s dry so it’s not bouncing around in there needlessly getting too hot.

I use mainly Warm and White batting.  This roll in the picture is long gone (can you believe it?)…but now I usually buy it when it’s 50% off in King sized packs because that roll takes up a lot of room!