Originally Posted by Joeysnana
I am getting back into quilting after a "break" of about 20 years! My question: how is the cotton batting for hand quilting? Years ago it was considered to be okay for machine quilting but too difficult to hand quilt with. Any opinions?
It's not just a matter of the fiber content of the batting; how the batt is prepared plays a role in whether it is suitable for hand quilting or not.
I definitely advise against using my favorite Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton batting for hand quilting! I hand quilted the first quilt I made with this batting, not knowing any better. Years ago this was all that was available; nowadays there are better options.
I no longer hand quilt, but the cotton batting that seems to get rave reviews from hand quilters is Dream Request. Like MMBR it is 100% cotton, but unlike MMBR it is needle-punched. This results in a soft, even, smooth batt that is easy to needle.
Many hand quilters also like thin polyester battings.
Before committing an entire hand quilting effort to a specific batting, I recommend buying small quantities of several and hand quilting some samples. Even as a complete novice, I think I would have noticed the difference if I had done that years ago.