Why Bamboo Batting Makes the Perfect Summer Quilt
The trees are green, the birds are singing and I’m almost positive that it’s not going to snow again here in Chicago—it’s finally summer! Do you know what that means? Time to bring out the bamboo batting!
Now that's it's warm outside people may expect me to pack up my sewing machine, emerge from my sewing cave and take up an outdoor hobby. But guess what, people—I’m a YEAR ROUND sewist, and I have bamboo quilt batting to thank.
Featured in this post is the Bayside quilt pattern. You can find it here in the shop!
In a previous post on how to choose the right batting, I took you on an inspirational journey through the many batting options (I don’t know about you, but I had the time of my life. *Cue music.*) We talked about cotton.
We talked about poly blends. Wool made an appearance. Bamboo was mentioned, too, but I don’t think it got enough attention. So now that the ground and my hands have finally thawed, I’m bringing bamboo batting back into the spotlight.
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Bamboo quilt batting is… ok, it’s amazing. Not only is it lightweight, thin and strong (basically the athlete I’ve always wanted to be), it doesn’t mildew or collect mold, either. After washing, bamboo batting dries more quickly than other batting options.
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One question I get asked a lot in the Suzy Quilts Patterns Facebook group is about quilt drape. Some quilters complain that their quilts feel stiff after they’ve been quilted. Who wants to canoodle underneath a stiff quilt? Well bamboo batting is here to save your love life! Without even a single wash to fluff and crinkle it up, bamboo batting quilts have a silky smooth drape.
I will admit that all of bamboo’s amazing personality traits can make it a bit more expensive. But if you’re working on a quilt that you want to keep around for a long time, it’s worth the investment.
Bamboo Batting Brands
All bamboo batting possesses these amazing traits, but the brand of batting you choose has a pretty big effect on the overall quality and longevity of your finished quilt. I have a couple of go-to brands that I come back to time after time (ooh! Cue music again!) when looking for quilt batting:
- Quilters Dream: Quilters Dream Bamboo batting is everything batting should be; luxurious, velvety soft, strong and devoid of inconsistencies (like thin and thick spots sadly found in other battings). Dream Bamboo is a bamboo blend, incorporating some silk, tencel and cotton fibers. It’s needle-punched, which means there is a right and wrong side, but that’s no problem for you because we already covered that here on the blog – Is There a Right Side to Quilt Batting?
- Pellon: When I can’t get Quilters Dream Bamboo, Pellon Nature's Touch Bamboo is a close second choice. If you only have access to big craft shops (or if you shop online), this brand is easy to find. This batting works well for both machine and hand quilting.
Perfect Projects to Use Bamboo Batting
Since we’re talking about summer, and since we’ve established that no matter how warm it gets outside, you can still probably find me sewing away, let’s talk about a great summer project: quilting with lawn.
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As a fabric, lawn is semi-transparent, making it cool, soft and comfortable, even in warmer weather. The smooth silkiness of lawn makes an amazing pair when it gets together with breathable, silky bamboo batting. Just thinking about it gives me a breezy, comfy feeling!
Above is the Voyage pattern. Both of these quilts use Quilters Dream Bamboo batting.
A perfect pattern for this unstoppable duo would be the Maypole quilt pattern. It’s great for beginners, and it works well with the smooth silkiness of lawn! Every time the weather gets a bit warmer I turn to this quilt pattern. There's something about it that screams, "Toss me on the grass and have an ice cream party!"
If sewing with lawn, just don’t forget to prewash and starch. You can read more about sewing with lawn in this blog post.)
Don’t leave your sewing room behind this summer! Pick up some bamboo batting and start telling everyone about your new summer sport… which is the same as your winter sport (because come on, is there anything better than sewing? I’m open to suggestions but I’m going to be a hard sell!)
Read More About Quilt Batting
I’m glad to know this! My husband finds the king quilt I made for our bed with cotton batting too heavy on his feet. So instead, we use an ugly comforter most of the time. I have plans for a new quilt, but I was stymied about how to make it lighter. A bamboo batting (with silk!) sounds lovely.
I think it will be the perfect fit, and if you don’t want to quilt a king quilt yourself, you could request bamboo batting from a longarm quilter. Most take special requests. I have a few articles on longarm quilters if you’re interested.
The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Quilters in the USA and Canada and In-Depth Guide to Hiring a Longarm Quilter.
I heave a question. How does the bamboo batting wash up? My favorite part of quilting is taking the quilt out of the dryer and it is all puckery and nubby. I think the fact the cotton shrinks a bit is what causes this effect – does bamboo do the same?
Thank you for your time
Laurel
Hi, Laurel. I’ve used bamboo batting several times in my quilts, and have always had great success! I wash on cold and dry on low…and my quilts do have a “crinkliness” to them. The only brand I’ve used is Winline; it’s a local company to me that ships all over. I like the idea of having a little silk in my batting though.
Alright Suzy, you’ve got me sold. I’m using mostly lawn for the Mod Mountain SA and was originally going to use cotton batting, but now I have to give it a try.
I used bamboo batting for a large lap quilt I made my parents last Christmas based on your previous blog post. I thought it’d work well for their camper in summer and winter. Although I used a heavier weight fabric for the top and backing (Essex linen in the Arroyo fabric collection) and my mom has said it’s great because it’s like a mildly weighted blanket. 😂 So…not as summery as I intended, but thank goodness I didn’t use a heftier batting! They just used it in their camper overnight without having power for heat and said the quilt was a perfect extra layer.
My first bamboo was on a liberty of London lawn quilt. Perfect for summer. Plus so soft and dreamy. May have cost a fortune but totally worth it.
Hi Suzy!
I love your blog! I’m in my late 20’s and just getting back into quilting after learning to quilt as a kid/pre-teen, and am trying to learn more about proper materials and techniques.
Have you ever tried a 50-50 bamboo-cotton blend? Curious if it would have similar anti-mold type properties/similar benefits to regular bamboo? Currently debating trying the Pellon 50-50 bamboo-cotton blend (working on a baby quilt for my niece) or sticking with cotton-poly blend. Trying to balance cost and benefits.
Thanks!
I have! I think because of the cotton it isn’t as mold resistant, however it still have a beautiful light drape. It’s also less expensive, which is a major plus.
Suzy,
You’ve done it again! Thanks for the education on batting traits and how to sew with them correctly.
I have not given thought to the batting side when using them recently. Going forward now!
Is this batting good for baby quilts?
Bamboo is AMAZING in baby quilts! It’s wonderfully light and has a soft, flexible drape.
What is your take on bamboo rayon blends for batting? Making my first quilt and bought that online, but not sure it is what I want to use. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
I’m not personally familiar with it, but it sounds like it has an amazing drape and will be great for a warm-weather quilt!
Hi Suzy,
Love your blog – it is so informative and I get a lot of suggestions good advice with your knowledge and experience. I am going to hand quilt a twin size double gauze blanket 1st time with 100% bamboo batting from Winline, I hear they are very good, maybe a bit pricey, but worth well it. I am anxious to see how it comes out. I
Suzy,
Is it necessary to pre-wash bamboo/cotton batting?
Love your work and articles.
Typically batting you purchase has already been prewashed, so there’s no need to do it again.
I’m making a large lap quilt for my 84 year old mother. She lives in Houston and tends to read and watch tv. She gets cold from the air conditioning in the summer and the humidity and dampness I the winter. I want a batting that is light on the body, not a weighing down feeling. Something that can be used in all seasons. I also want it to be soft and drape nicely. I was thinking cotton or bamboo or bamboo/cotton. What is best for what I want? Please RSP soon. I’d love to buy it today. Thanks for ur time!
If you want something light and drapey, go with a bamboo blend. If you want something that is drapey but gives more warmth, try an 80/20 cotton/poly blend – https://suzyquilts.com/quilting-on-a-budget-with-poly-blend-batting/
Any information on durability of bamboo batting? I bought a set of bamboo sheets about 15 years ago. They were the softest sheets I’d ever felt! And after about 4-5 washes they started getting holes in them. ☹️ I don’t want my quilt batting to deteriorate like that! Anyone have experience with this?
How frustrating! And yes, bamboo sure is soft! I like to use Quilters Dream bamboo blend batting and that is mixed with silk – which is incredibly strong. So far I’ve had no issues with my batting deteriorating.
Can the quilters dream bamboo blend batting go in the dryer?
Yes, but only after it’s been sandwiched in a quilt.
Thank you for all the great info. I’m a first time quilter and making a baby quilt for a friend. I finished the top and bought some quilter’s dream bamboo for the inside. I like the advantage of stitch distance and the renewability, plus the softness. It says mid loft, but seems so thin. Does it lift a bit once it’s in and washed? I wanted a bit more “squishiness/puffiness” if that makes sense. I was even debating trying to double it up to achieve this, but wonder if that would be overkill. Any advice would be appreciated. I’m so eager to do this finished (I’ve done a lot of firsts on this
Hey Heather! You could do two layers, or you could try using wool batting if you’d like. Wool batting is my personal go-to for baby quilt because of the puffiness!
I’m on the fence between bamboo/cotton batting and wool for a cotton double gauze baby quilt I am gifting. I’d love to hear your opinion. I want it to have beautiful drape and also be easy care.
Both are great options and I’ve used both in double gauze baby quilts. The main difference the recipient will see is puffiness or “loft”. Here are two blog posts showing double gauze baby quilts with the different batting types:
Bamboo – https://suzyquilts.com/the-fastest-baby-quilt-pattern/
Wool – https://suzyquilts.com/how-to-make-the-softest-baby-quilt-in-the-world/
Will lining toss pillows with bamboo batting keep the feathers from coming through…
You know what, I think so! What a great idea!
Thank you for all this information and those photos of the long arm quilting! Wow! Based on your responses to comments, I see that using two layers of Dream Bamboo might be my solution for a quilt I am working on. Have you ever done this (two layers of Dream Bamboo?) I know that wool probably gives the best definition, but wonder about how that might compare to the two layer Bamboo definition? Many thanks!
I haven’t used two layers of bamboo before, but my guess is that the wool batting will still give more definition to the quilting because it is so much puffier than bamboo, even a double layer. You could run a test on a small 8″ x 8″ quilt square to see what the difference is between one layer of wool and two layers of bamboo.
I am looking for a batting with low loft and soft drape. Bamboo? Does it crease when folded, like cotton bats, or smooth out like wool?
It does crease when folded, but the creases ease out with some misting from a water bottle or a few passes of an iron. Once the quilt is quilted all of the creases will come out once the quilt is washed.
I only use bamboo since I was introduced to it by my longarm quilter. It’s the greatest! I wish I could convert many of the quilts I’ve made in the past to bamboo.
I’d love to try the bamboo but without ordering outside of Canada, I can only find bamboo batting WITH scrim. Will my quilt be stiffer with it?
Scrim shouldn’t add any noticeable difference. It is very light and thin.
I just had a quilt long armed with bamboo. It came out beautifully. I washed it and and it got thrown in the dryer (!!! GRRRR !!!!). Do you think I could stretch it back out some if I rewashed or is it that scrunchy forever. It is a gift and I am super bummed. Appreciate in advance any advice you can give me!!!
Based on what you’re saying, I am guessing it’s your fabric that has shrunk more than the batting. If you didn’t prewash your fabric, it shrinks a lot after washing. Many quilters love this crinkled look, however if you are not one of them, I suggest embracing the crinkle for now, and prewash all of your fabric at least once before sewing in the future. For more info – https://suzyquilts.com/should-you-prewash-fabric-before-quilting/