Looking for warmer batting
 

Greetings all! I'm new to the forums. My mother in law got me into quilting last summer, and now I'm hooked! I made 5 quilts for family this Christmas with warm and natural batting. I was a little disappointed that along with many compliments, I was told the quilt seemed thin. Is there a warmer and thicker batting that you would recommend to me for my quilts? TIA! :)

I think sometimes that people associate warm with thicker. I use warm and natural too and have found that even though the quilts are not fluffy, the quilts keep the users warm. I don't have any knowledge about a thicker batting but I am sure someone will come along with some information for you! You could also 2 layers of the warm and natural if you wanted.

Welcome to the Board and to quilting! It can really grab ahold of your life (in a good way).

There is a wool batting - it will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer because wool does breathe. I have never used it because it should be dry cleaned. But a polyester batting does come in various lofts and it sometimes feels warmer because it does not breathe.

It depends on the quilt you are making to determine which batting to use. The higher the loft the harder it is to quilt through. But if you are going to tie the quilt it can be very fluffy.

Polyester is supposed to warmer than cotton and wool much warmer than either, but more pricy. My last one was preshrunk (by me) Fairfield Quilter's 80/20. It seemed very warm while working on it. It worked up very nicely if they want soft, but not light. It did have to be quilted more closely than the polys, but 2-4 inches isn't too bad.

They may be confusing loft with warmth. A wool batting would be warmer, but it would also be thinner. They are probably thinking about modern polyester comforters and/or down comforters, which have a lot of loft. Traditional quilts were made with cotton and were much flatter than modern day comforters. Warm n Natural is a modern cotton batting needlepunched through scrim, which makes it actually thicker than a traditional batting but with a flatter look to it when finished. I quit using Warm n Natural because I prefer a thinner cotton batting that is more flexible.

Try Hobbs 80/20 batting next time and see how it is liked. This is still a primarily cotton batting, but the poly gives it a little loft. Because it is not needlepunched through scrim, it will be softer and provide a little more loft.

The other option besides changing batting is trying two layers of batting. I generally use warm and natural, or the 80/20. I also want to try wool and bamboo batts, I have some of these already). When I took my LA class, the teacher had samples with double batting of different combinations (wool/poly, wool, warm and natural, etc. ) to show how they quilt as well as making them heavier and warmer.

there are many many different batts to choose from and loft's from very thin 1/8" right on up to 1" thick! when you have the chance to visit the lqs or a joannes type store stop by the batting selection and read some packages- the batts from the dream company are wonderful- there is dream poly, dream cotton, dream wool, dream orient, dream green (a recycled batt that is warm like polar fleece) dream bamboo...
the hobbs company offers many batts in various lofts. i'm not one to use warm & natural much- but some of my customers do and (they) like it. start a (batting journal) try out different batts and write down-the name of the batt- the cost- the fiber content- the quilting requirements, and what you thought of it- after trying many different batts you will find you have different favorite batts for different projects- be adventurous- there are so many wonderful ones to choose from- my all time favorite is wool- i also have used all of the dream batts and have found they are wonderful to work with- the dream green has held up very well in kids- take everywhere/build forts/utility quilts- they wash up well- are warm- for cotton batts i prefer either dream cotton or Hobbs heirloom batts- usually one of the 80/20's. i've found there are alot of different poly batts- some are nice to work with-some not so much-

I agree with auntpiggypn ... people often like thickness with ability to keep them warm.

If I had the $$$ I'd use silk batting for something really special. It might feel light but I am told it is very warm in winter and cool in summer.

ali

Try a silk or wool batting for warmth( both are much pricier than a cotton or poly) . Do be careful if you are going to quilt it yourself and you go to a higher loft poly. The higher the loft the tougher it is to get through your regular sewing machine.