I had something similar happen to a quilt that I made for my DS when he was about 12, but he took that quilt wherever he went. He's now 39, so that tells you how long ago I made it. My point is that several years down the road with numerous washings, when he came home to live for the last time, I noted that the quilt had become very thin, not sure how, but the batting seemed to have almost disappeared. Granted I had used inexpensive polyester batting, but that's why I now use Warm & Natural in my quilts, as it seems to withstand the tests of time better than polyester, just my experience.