I just finished thread-basting my 97x107 quilt top (which my LQS generously let me do on their tables ever though I didn't purchase my fabric there!), using Warm and Natural batting, which I fell in love with! AFTER nearly 6 hours of basting, the owner of the shop said she didn't think that batting was good for hand-quilting! Does anyone have an opinion?? I read the package and it doesn't address whether or not it is good for hand-quilting.

I haven't used warm and natural but I'm going to watch this because I hand quilt too.

Lots of quilters hand quilt Warm and Natural and are happy with it - some won't use anything else. Try it, and if the going is tough change it.

I will try it, mostly because I can't face un-basting and re-basting!! I love the batting (only used it once when I sent a top out to be long-arm quilted), but never even thought about it not being suitable for hand-quilting since it is quite low-loft.

That's what I've always used.

I had that in my quilt and wanted to hand quilt it. I tried for 2yrs!! It looked awful and a new LQS opened up and I took it in. They said that the warm and natural was the worse to use for hand quilting. Yes, I hated taking the pins out too.

Try and keep the quilt nice and loose in the hoop - the tighter it is, the harder it will be to make stitches. I wouldn't try to make really tiny stitches, either. Go for even.

What kind of fabrics did you use for the top and back? Batiks will be harder to needle than regular cottons.

I used all 100% cottons, all fabrics I bought at Joann's over several years, and some FQ bought on line. It is bear paws, so there are several different fabrics, but all quilting cottons and none are batiks. I'll try your suggestion of leaving the quilt loose in the hoop and see how I go. I tend to make small stitches, but if it is too tough, I'll make them a bit bigger.

Quite a few quilters hand quilt Warm n Natural. It is needlepunchd through scrim, and this makes it harder to hand quilt than battings that are just needle-punched (such as Quilters Dream Request cotton, which is very easy to hand needle).

Try it and see how it works for you. Have you hand quilted before? The very first quilt I hand quilted, I used a very traditional cotton batting that I later learned is much harder to hand quilt than QDR. At the time, I just thought that was how difficult hand quilting was supposed to be!

PEOPLE LISTEN (and this isn't just for V.Jill or her question) IF IT WORKS FOR YOU DON'T LET SOMEONE ELSE TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT.
Q. What batting should I use?
A. The one you like to work with.
Q. What hand sewing needle should I use?
A. The one that's comfortable in your hand.
Q. What colors should I use in a quilt?
A. The ones you like.
Q. What machine should I buy?
A. The one that fits your budget and does what you want it to do.

I'm not trying to be rude or anything I'm just saying that if it's what you want to do and it works for you, don't let someone tell you that you can't. You should see my jar quilt. My sister, a long time quilter, told me that I was doing it ALL WRONG but since I'd already started I went ahead and finished it---doing it all wrong. I think it turned out great.