i have always used poly batting, but i was thinking of trying the cotton, so i am also curious as to the replies you will get. As far as the poly goes, i have handquilted and machine quilted quite a few without problems and they are warm and wash beautifully. I think the reason i shyed away from cotton was because i was told you have to quilt 1"apart. That's a lot of quilting! Dont know if this is true, but it scared me off :(