Originally Posted by Prism99

Muslin isn't necessarily a better backing than other fabrics, but it can certainly be a good backing. Many antique quilts have muslin backings. The big thing you have to be careful about is the quality of the muslin, which isn't always easy to judge just from looking at it and feeling it. Many cheap muslins have been treated with stiffeners and glosses to make them look better, but washing takes all of that away. In general, premium muslin is what you want to look for. JoAnn Fabrics has a premium muslin that has gotten good reviews here. The width is less important than the quality of the muslin.

Choice of batting is very personal. My favorite is a traditional 100% cotton batting, Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon. It drapes well and gets softer with every washing. It shrinks about 3%, so my quilts come out with the softly crinkled look of antique quilts. I would not hand quilt this particular brand of 100% cotton batting again; there are easier cotton battings to hand quilt! Cotton battings don't beard (poke out through the fabric).

Hobbs 80/20 is another one I like. It is a little puffier than MMBR and is good for both machine and hand quilting. It also shrinks 2 to 3%. It is unlikely to beard.

I haven't used wool but if I did, it would be Hobbs again. Wool is very easy to hand quilt and shows off hand quilting stitches very well. Dream brand wool is also supposed to be good. I would not use any other brands because you can't be sure of what you are getting. You can get a lot of shrinkage, distortion, off-odors, and bearding.

I personally stay away from polyester battings. They slip and slide more in the quilt sandwich, and do not shrink. People who like a flat, modern look often preshrink fabric and use poly batting to avoid the crinkly effect. Poly battings are much more likely to "beard", although some of the newer bonding processes make certain brands and types of poly less likely to beard.

I could be wrong, but I think the black batting is poly.

Different battings drape differently. I used to use Warm and Natural, which is a very easy cotton batting to use, but decided its drape is a little stiffer than what I prefer in a quilt.