Bearding:
If you have ever had a quilt
beard, you know how frustrating and heart-wrenching it can be. Once that soft, wonderful batting is
in the quilt, the last thing you want is to see little bits of it appear on the
top. Bearding gets its
name because back when poly fiber was stiff and horrible (think leisure suit)
the fibers would poke through the fabric and then grow like an old man’s scruffy
beard. Today’s Quilters
Dream Batting fibers, even the poly fibers, are fine, thin, long, and soft, and
naturally resist bearding. However, on the rare occasion given
the wrong conditions, even the highest quality batting can sometimes
beard.
We have found that many high quality fabric
manufacturers use a sulfur-based chemical in their dyeing process (especially
when dying dark and vivid colors like reds and dark blues). The sulfur is very good for fabrics
because the sulfur molecule is five-sided, which causes a strong bond and makes
the colors very color-fast. The disadvantage to the “attraction”
created by having 5 sides is that more surfaces promote static
electricity. When you
wear dark colors or a very vivid print, have you noticed that pet hairs and fuzz
balls seem to stick to you? It isn’t your imagination – the
sulfur has caused a static charge making everything stick. In quilting, the combination of
motion (sewing), handling, and atmospheric conditions, especially dry climates
or the dry winter heating, will cause the fibers of batting to ‘stand up’ like
the hair on our arms and be drawn to the
fabric.
The solution is to break the static
charge. You can use an
anti-static spray, such as Static Guard both on finished and unfinished
quilts. If you don’t have
an anti-static spray, put a few anti-static dryer sheets in a spray bottle with
water and sprits both the fabric and the batting (or the finished
quilt).
When you wash
your quilt, use fabric softeners in the washer and anti-static sheets in the
dryer. It is also helpful
to remove the quilt from the dryer before it is totally dry and hang
it. Do not store the
finished quilt or your quilts-in-progress in regular plastic bags as this really
promotes static electricity. Using a humidifier in the workplace not only cuts
down on static, but is great for your skin!