This week I’m looking at some batting samples from Fairfield. I was sent 5 different batting samples and am looking at a variety of features and benefits of each batting. Yesterday, I briefly described each batting sample. Tomorrow I’ll focus on the polyester battings and later in the week I’ll compare and discuss the best projects to use these battings.
Today I’m focusing on the 2 cotton battings: Soft & Toasty and Quilter’s 80/20.
Quilter’s 80/20 and Soft & Toasty battings from Fairfield
I wanted to do some simple testing of the battings. I cut 14″ squares of each batting and then drew a 12″ square with a permanent marker.
12″ square marked on a 14″ piece of batting
I soaked the batting pieces in a tub of warm water for an hour. I then squeezed out the excess water and placed them in the dryer with a large bath towel. I allowed the dryer to run until the battings were still damp. I then spread them flat on the bath towel to finish drying.
Pre-wash batting in warm tap water to pre-shrink
I remember my 2 very first quilts. When I bought the batting for these large twin quilts for my daughters, I was told that I had to pre-shrink my batting. The directions were to fill my bathtub with warm water and immerse the batting. Let it sit for a while and then squeeze out the excess water. I thought I’d save some time by “washing” the entire 5-meter length at once. Well, I felt like Lucille Ball and her infamous grape stomping episode! I spent a good half hour stomping on the batting in my bathtub and then trying to pull that wet length of batting out of my tub and finding a place to dry it! Things are much easier now.
I recommend the following procedure to pre-wash cotton battings. Fill the washing machine with water. Unfold and submerge the batting in the water and turn the machine off!
DON’T AGITATE!
Allow the batting to soak for a while and then spin the moisture out. The batting can then be tossed in the dryer with a large towel to get most of the moisture out. Lay the batting on a flat surface to finish drying. If you agitate the batting, you’ll end up with a tub full of fluff!
The benefits of cotton battings
Cotton battings have a few clear benefits. They’re made mostly with natural fibers. Cotton battings ‘breath’ and therefore can be warm in winter and cool in the summer. They drape well and are ideal for bed quilts. Cotton battings tend to be heavier than polyester battings and for those of us who like the weight of our quilts, cotton battings are ideal.
Personally, I like cotton battings for their natural materials. I have a few allergies and cotton batting assures me that I won’t have any sleepless nights.
Soft & Toasty is a natural cotton quilt batting
Soft & Toasty natural cotton batting from Fairfield
Soft & Toasty is a low loft natural cotton batting. The package states that the batting won’t beard, shift or gather and can be stitched up to 8″ apart.
What in the world is scrim?
The batting has been needlepunched onto a very fine scrim. Scrim is a very thin stabilizer that the batting material has been needlepunched to. When looking at both sides of the batting, the scrim side will appear firmer and flatter. The non-scrim side appears and feels softer and loftier. The scrim also helps the batting from becoming distorted.
The Fairfield website has the following information about Soft & Toasty.
Soft & Toasty™ batting is the perfect 100% natural cotton quilt batting for all of your quilts and crafts. You will get the same strength and warmth you expect from similar battings at a very affordable price. You can use it to create everyday quilts and crafts or award-winning masterpieces with confidence.
- Low loft
- 3 oz per square yard
- Quilting distance: 8″
- Ideal batting for clothing
If you choose not to pre-wash your batting, the quilt will take on an antique look once it has been washed.
Soft & Toasty batting quilted and washed
Quilter’s 80/20 batting is 80% cotton and 20% polyester
Quilter’s 80/20 batting from Fairfield
Batting that is made up of more than one fiber has the added benefit of giving the quilter the best of both worlds. Cotton is a natural fiber and breathes more than polyester, but it does show creases from the folds of the quilt. Cotton/poly batting blends give the breath-ability and weight of cotton and the polyester fibers help to keep the creases to a minimum.
The Fairfield website gives the following information.
Quilter’s 80/20™ is a super-soft needle punched quilt batting that is preferred by hand quilters for its easy needling and smooth drape. The 80% cotton and 20% polyester blend yields a beautiful antique look and is an ideal batting for clothing. Weight: 3 oz / square yard
- Low loft
- 3 oz per square yard
- Quilting distance: 2″ – 4″
- Ideal batting for clothing
The following image shows the quilt washed after being quilted. There’s some shrinkage from washing the batting which gives some nice texture to the quilt.
Quilter’s 80/20 batting quilted and washed
Both of the batting samples shrunk once they were quilted and washed. There’s a little less texture on the Quilter’s 80/20 sample, but both battings quilted beautifully and I’ll certainly be adding these battings to my quilting toolbox.
The advantage of the polyester in the Quilter’s 80/20 is added thickness or loft. I’ll go into more detail later this week.
Join me tomorrow, I’ll look at the 3 polyester batting samples I received from Fairfield.
This is part 2 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 1: Comparing 5 Fairfield quilt batting samples – which one is for you?
Go to part 3: The characteristics and benefits of polyester batting
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