Just last week I washed an old mattress pad that has been around for about 30-40 years. LOL The elastic has long since given up, but otherwise it still looks good. I was thinking of putting on new elastic, but it will serve a much better purpose as a batting. We are making a lot of charity quilts, and this will work fine.

For the Veterans Day sale at JoAnns, I bought the packed batt, queen size was 20.00, or you might try flannel, i use that also especially when it goes on sale for 1.99 a yard, but remember to as it first. But using a blanket, I have done that as well.

Of course you can. Remember when the ladies on the prarie were making quilts they used everything they could-but only after it had outlived it original purpose.
I too have used blankets, mattress pads and my favorite is flannel sheets. The sheets keep them light weight which is better here in the south.:)

I had thought about this very subject. My grandmother use to recycle quilts for the batting (many, many years ago). My mom always used blankets for batting to cut down on costs. I still have one she made for me when I was a teenager using the little dutch girl pattern. I found some blankets that are creme colored for $7 for queen size that I plan to purchase to try in future quilts (got to finish what I started first). So, how close for the stitches do I need to quilt when using a blanket for batting?

I have done it and it worked fine.

I love light weight blankets for batting. Choose a tightly woven one.

I used blankets in tied blankets where I sewed squares together and used flannel on the back for my children. we lived in a tiny very cold house at the time and my kids loved them, very warm. Then I did the same thing for my husband out of wool squares. These were my very first quilts. They came out really good, but I tied them i didn't quilt them. And I didn't bind, rather i sewed the edges and turned them right side out. So I'm not much help to you. But a blanket is incredibly warm inside.

One of the first quilts by boys received was a large flannel quilt with a blanket for batting. The blanket was made of the same material as a soft electric blanket without the cords. The backing the quilter used is the heaviest fabric I've ever held. It's cotton and has laundered well over the years, but I have no idea what kind it is, just very, very heavy. My boys loved it. They were so small they shared a bed then. Now that they are much bigger at 8, 10 and 11, my 11 year old loves it as his weighted blanket. He's austistic and he finds great comfort in very heavy blankets. It's laundered very well over the years and it's had all sorts of abuse happen to it as most baby/kids quilts have.

If you are going to use it to sleep under - it may be heavy, which is fine for many of us. My husband doesn't like heavy quilts and the one I have made using fleece is actually heavier than regular batting. On the other hand, I'll bet it will be warm.

I recently changed my ironing board cover and used the old one for batting for pot holders. Worked great! Not a quilt but just an idea for recycling.
Blessings,
Scherrei