bamboo batting

[meg]

hi everyone - i have spent hours looking thru the posts and can't find much on bamboo batting. has anyone tried it yet? any tips? i had a coupon that was about to expire so i bought it. i am a label reader and they got me with all the environment hype. now i'm feeling nervous about using it as this is my first quilt top that i am loading after practicing on mucho muslin. the top is just an old b&w bento box - so no biggie on the outcome - but if at all possible i would like to be encouraged when my first quilt comes off the rollers. i plan to do swirls, stipple and loopty loops and was considering using king tut - but could use lava. i know everyone is busy - but any help you could offer would be much appreciated. thanks - i have learned so much from all of you just reading and looking at pics.

[Luvstoquilt]

I have never used it and was all set to buy some. Then I read an article about how harsh it is to get the bamboo into batting. All kinds of toxins are used in the process. Not sure if that is true or not????? It is hard to get at the truth in all the environmental stuff.

[PamelaA]

I used bamboo in a quilt and it quilted beautifuly. I havent washed the quilt yet so I don't know how much shrinkage there will be. I have more of the bamboo batts so I will be using it again.

Pamela

[meg_marsh]

I have only used it once and wasn't overly pleased. It did quilt nicely but lots of lint! - be sure to clean your bobbin area after every row or at the very least with every bobbin change. It was also fairly flat so not much stitch definition. When done, the drape was very nice and soft. Let us know what you think when you are done.

[ginnysnowden]

I prewashed the bamboo batting because of the lint. gentle cycle on washer and gentle on dryer. quilted up nicely and sooooooooo soft. similar to Hobbs 80/20. Loved it! Guess I missed the Harsh processing part.

[Merryjo2003]

Meg, it quilts beautifully! Winlinetextiles.com has 100% bamboo and I think a 50/50 bamboo and cotton batt. Their 80/20 is fabulous also. Love their batting.

[SandraC]

The bamboo blend has been my top seller for months now. It definitely is linty. I think the loft is similar to using a cotton batt. When I first started using it I did up a small lap quilt of my own and washed it and dried it right away to see how it turned out. I'd say it shrunk as much as the 80/20 I use and has the same look to it. The big difference is how soft it is. I really like it. I would be disappointed if there were lots of reasons environmentally that this is a bad product as one of the big reasons it is popular, I think, is the environmental factor. Altho' even if there are some environmentally unfriendly stuff about it...isn't there also issues with the growing and processing of cotton? Maybe we just can't win in todays world

[quiltmonkey]

I have used it and I do like the bamboo batting, but that said, I pretty much keep an open mind and will use any type of batting. I don't like to limit myself.

Originally posted by SandraC

.....even if there are some environmentally unfriendly stuff about it...isn't there also issues with the growing and processing of cotton? Maybe we just can't win in todays world

I agree, If we only knew all the details that went into making and printing fabrics, among other things that are produced in factories...especially items made in 3rd world or progressing countries like China... we would also know how environmentally unfriendly those things are, too. There is just too much false information out there, and if we don't educate ourselves with reliable sources rather than assumed or went along believing all of the rumors that fly around the world... well, nuff said about that.

[meg]

thank you all for taking the time to give me input. i am feeling better about it now. i think i will wash the batting while i am waiting for the thread to come in the mail. gretchen taught me to float my top so i can get it out of there without much trouble. i'll let you all know what i think of it when i'm done. that thread better get here soon - i'm itching to get going on something that will not wind up at the humane society! thanks again!

[witha'K'quilting]

I too use Winline's 100% bamboo batting. I love it. It quilts nicely, washes wonderfully and drapes beautifully. I have used it on many quilts and am very pleased with the results. I highly recommend it.

[dianne]

My experience with bamboo has not been quite so positive. I agree that it quilts beautifully, is linty and is quite light. However, I have a quilt that I fold under the coffee table for when I need it in the evening. I find the quilt creases very easily and these creases don't fall out very easily either. I am sticking to Hobbs 80/20 for now.

[lindasewsit]

I just finished a quilt that the customer brought bamboo batting for. I don't remember what brand it was. It was ok, but the quilting is very "flat" , no real definition in the quilting. Nice and soft, though.... I personally would not recomend it to my customers, nor will I carry it for them to purchase.