Sheri,
Hello! My name is Stephanie Hackney and I’m the director of sales and marketing for Hobbs Bonded Fibers, makers of Hobbs Batting.
I’m sorry you’re experiencing an issue with your quilt.
To start, there are generally three causes of bearding:
1. The needle was not new and sharp - even a tiny burr in a needle can create havoc. We recommend using a new needle every time you start a new quilt, and periodically check your needle while quilting to make sure the needle is still in good shape.
2. The needle was too large - this creates holes that are larger than they should be and can allow the batting to be pulled through the fabric.
3. The thread tension was too tight, creating extra space in the thread holes through which the batting appears.
Additionally, using a low threadcount fabric can result in bearding, but we assume most experienced quilters use good quality quilting fabrics ($12/yard or higher is generally a good gauge).
It’s rarely the batting that causes the bearding issue unless a very low quality batting is used.
If you can send us pictures of your quilt where the bearding has occurred, or better yet, if you’re willing to send us the quilt (we vow to take good care of it and return it safely), we’d be happy to examine the bearding to see if we can determine the cause.
You can reach me at shackney at hoobsbondedfibers dot com or by phone at 254 301 3039 (Please Note: I’m traveling internationally for business right now and am 7 hours ahead of central time).
Thank you for purchasing our batting - I look forward to assisting you.
Have a great day,
Stephanie