Here's my problem. I need to use two comforters on my bed in winter time. We keep the heater down low at night. Even with a little portable heater I still need two comforters. I hate making the bed and trying to get them even.

I want to eventually make a double bed size quilt for my room but I want it to be warm enough so that I don't need anything else with it. I was hoping someone could give me a suggestion as to what synthetic batting would be the best for warmth. I would send it off to be machine quilted but I'm thinking in terms of washing and drying it. I don't want it to take for ever to dry.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Have you thought about a blue jean quilt ? They are heavy

How about wool batting?

Pricey (can be very, very pricey) but would be pretty warm.

This is crazy expensive, but it looks luscious...
http://www.shepherdsdream.com/p-40-e...l-batting.aspx

To quilts with wool batting. would be just right, That is what I will use for our personal quilts.

wowo. That is expensive. My dear friend gave me an old, and probably expensive comforter from her mom. It was 80's style but super warm. I'm guessing it had this wool batting. I re-covered it with a pieced top and some 15 years later it's still the warmest thing ever.

I've also used old electric blankets for batting and backing (with the wires removed obviously). The ones with the batting used as the backing are my snuggles that I always keep close by.

I made a heavy quilt using a blanket for the back and wool batting inside.

yes, i agree, wool batting is your best bet. if that is not financially possible, what about a fleece backing?

I haven't tried this yet, it's a little more expensive, but not as expensive as wool.

It's Hobb's Thermore batting

http://www.connectingthreads.com/too...g__D20825.html

There was just another thread tonight asking about Thermore. Too lazy to link now. Sorry.

Actually, Thermore is probably the lightest, least warmest batting on the market. ;-)
It's used primarily for jackets and items requiring a nice drape, or a lightweight summer quilt.


Least warmest - is that even remotely grammatically correct?
Least warm - doesn't look right either.
I need a nap.

Here's another option - I've purchased wool battings from here for quilts ... the process they use for their wool is unique and results in wool that is used successfully by people who have wool allergies. Turns out that the allergies are usually to the chemicals in the treating processes not the wool itself.

Check out the mattress pad....
http://cedarviewfarms.org/index-10.html

I've met her personally, use her products, am happy to recommend them. And she's done presentations for our guild :)

Yes, wool would be the warmest,

However, two or three blankets (quilts, comforters, etc) are usually warmer than one blanket, quilt, or comforter, no matter how heavy. It is the air trapped between the layers that help insulate. Just my two cents worth!!:):)

Maybe a duvet and make a quilt for the top part of the cover? I've never lived anywhere that is so cold, but I know a lot of Canadians use them. YOu'd have the batting from the quilt and the feathers/down from the duvet.

I've found two blankets to be much warmer as well, so when I make my bed I make it with one, and drape the other one over the end of the bed. No lining up for me!

I found a down comforter at a goodwill store and plan on using it as a middle for a quilt I am in the process of making. I get cold or hot so quickly and I love down it seems to even it out for me.

I made my son one with Hobbs wool and flannel backing.
Personally I use a feather comforter and 2 quilts. Heat set at 59/60 at night, unless temp is below zero then it is set at 62. Still oil cost WAY to much $ this year.

Our heater is also set at 59 at night and so I rely on my comforters. I think the way to go is wool batting and just fold up the nice comforter at the end of the bed. The comforter I have now is a shabby chic look. I plan to use the same colors when I make the quilt so they should match.

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions. Everyone here is so nice to help me out.

We have a Army Surplus store in my area. You can get the Army Wool Blankets cheaper, might have to buy two. Also, sometimes I find them at thrift stores, goodwill etc.. Just a thought..

the wool batts are wonderfull to work with- i have seen quilts made using a warm & natural (cotton) with a dream wool batt--both together-
with wonderful results- and a very warm quilt- also, heavy (denim) fabrics for the top and a flannel back (or all flannel) quilt would be very warm

Just a thought - what if you had 2 coordinating quilts. One which you would make the bed properly with & the other would be folded, draped at the end of the bed?

Right now, it's a little too warm at night for the quilt, but I'm not ready to store it away for the summer, yet, so I fold it down, & then back on itself at the end of the bed. Looks nice & is there should it get chilly at night. Would work with that 2nd quilt.

This way, you could save some big $$$ by not having to buy wool batting. I am not convinced that the wool is any warmer than other battings, as the pockets between the stitching is what forms the insullating factor of a quilt. Traps warm air there to keep body heat in & cooler, ambient air temps out!

I think fleece is very warm and light weight. I make two tied together for gifts. I also made them for my elderly parents, who keep their thermostat very low in the winter, and they do the trick. Not to be morbid, but Dad wants to be buried with his....lol

If you have a crochet afghan that will cover most of the bed, put it between a couple of quilts. Once your body heat warms up the air pockets, you should keep warm most of the night.

That's what I do in the winter.

i would do the fleece backing. Make a shawl out of fleece when sitting and doing hand work. Keeps me very warm while not moving.

Sam's club sells the most wonderful FLEECE PJs, then maybe you could use ONE quilt, I would still use wool in it.

OOPSS forgot. L L Bean sells wonderful flannel sheets. I use them from end of October until end of April. They are much better quality than anything I can find in the stores.

Several people have mentioned fleece, I wonder if it could be used successfully as batting. Has anyone tried? Seems to me it would be light weight but very warm.

our 1st winter in Indpls we stayed in a 24ft camper and of course it was their worst winter in 20yrs I made us a quilt out of Duck Cloth -doubled the poly-and used flannel for the back and just tied it It was for a full size bed I took it to a laundro-mat used a dbl frt. loader and it dried in less time than it took to wash All we used with it was a flannel top sheet We were toasty warm

I have to put in my two cents for warm sleeping. I used to live in some really cold places in the Rocky Mountains, and this is what I worked out for warm sleeping in a cold room.
One: an electric mattress pad manually or set with a timer to warm the bed for an hour or two before bedtime, then off. Two: a wool blanket underneath top sheet.
Three: A goosedown comforter with a washable duvet over us. (It's like sleeping under a cloud :)
Four: a hot blooded sleeping partner. This bed is also easy to make in the morning, because you just shake the comforter and it falls to the bed. Easy peasy..

So for your quilt, you might consider making it the top of a duvet cover, and the bottom could be a simple sheet.

Oh. So you're ruling out vampires? ;-)

Those I wouldn't know about!!

I have a Velux blanket and a feather comforter. That keeps me warmer than anything.

When I lived in China, I had no heat in the apartment and it would get pretty damp in the winter time ( I lived in southwest China and although it didn't get below freezing, it was very damp and you could feel the cold more). The school that I worked for provided blankets for us, but they weren't really warm, even having two on, so I bought a heavy cotton (yes cotton) duvet that weighed maybe 6 pounds adn that kept me very warm.So, my story is, if you get a heavy cotton comforter, that should keep you plenty warm - it all depends on the weight of the comforter or quilt. Wool is also a good choice.

Put a wool anything, old or new, blanket, afghan, fabric, etc UNDER the mattress pad. Kind of keeps it in place.

Maybe if the wool batting is too expensive you could go to a Goodwill or similar store and find a nice big wool blanket. I think Goodwill cleans their things so you would probably be okay.
I have used Warm and Natural and it is pretty heavy.

We live in Northern MN and turn thermastat down to 58 @ night and sleep with the window open and heat off in our room and I have a comforter made from polyester batting from this company. http://okleequilting.com/store

I use the 8 oz from here (Scroll down)
http://okleequilting.com/store/index...f1ad44d184da68 It is nice and warm!! I love to sleep in the fresh air even in the winter It it gets to 20 below we shut the window but have it open at least a crack above 20 below out side.
I don't think it can be quilted tho it has to be tied.
I threw a piece in washing machine with a load of jeans with no cover on it and it never lost a bit of shape. Have used it for 25 years with none of the quilt batting "bunching up"
They will send you a sample I believe.

you have so many good ideas here, I think most of them will work for you, but remember with wool, it`s costly making it and having it cleaned. Too many quilts can leave you tired in the morning when you get up. We have it cold here too, and use only 2 light weight quilts all winter long. I have the window open at the top until my DH finds out, but we never have heat on either in the bed room.

Just a quick note about making the bed easier - I have two quilts (store bought) on my bed. After fighting them for a while, I got the great idea to attach them to each other. I got out my trusty snap setter, and put snaps at each corner, and two on each side. they stay together until I unsnap them for washing! I have two slipped disks and anything that makes 'not bending' possible makes my life so much easier. I hope this will help you too! :thumbup:

We use flannel sheets all year long and in the winter we add a light blanket and a rag quilt. the rag quilts are easy to wash --in a laundramat, and are so warm. Flannel for the top and backing, and Warm and Natural for the batting.

Here's some info from Kaye Wood that just about sums it up:

More about batting!
If you are looking for the most common, easiest to work with batting, you can't go wrong with either a cotton batting, made of natural fibers, or a polyester batting, made of synthetic fibers.
Cotton is a very popular form of batting, because it is so versatile. On those shivery winter nights, cotton traps and absorbs the air, keeping you comfortably warm. However, it doesn't hold in the heat so when used in the summer, it will also keep you cooler. Cotton is thin in appearance and considered a low-loft batting, but it is heavier than polyester. Cotton batting also shifts and beards when you quilt with it, unless you get a bonded batting.
 Polyester on the other hand, can take wash after wash and still hold it's shape. Polyester batting is thicker, but the weight is still lighter than cotton batting. Polyester is great for keeping you warm without the bulky weight, but the fibers restrict air flow, so you can get very hot, very quickly! When you have to store your quilts, polyester is wonderful because it resists mold and mildew.
Now if you would like to utilize the qualities that both of these battings have to offer, try using a cotton/poly blend! You won't get the excess weight and your quilt will have all the benefits these fine fibers have to offer!

Along with whatever you decide for your batting (and I would personally use the thickest poly I could find....have done one with really simple straight line quilting between vertical rows of 9-patch on point) have you thought of using flannel sheets?
Flannel sheets along with flannel pj's under a really fluffy quilt and I'm good for the night. I have scleroderma and I turn blue very easily. (Living in cool, damp Oregon really doesn't help........ ;) ) Good luck........

I made a rag quilt with flannel for the top & bottom and washed wool for batting. It is for our camper and is super
heavy & warm.