i have always been fascinated with this topic...years ago during ww1 and ww2 this type of quilting was in fact done due to the scarcity of cotton. the newspapers of today are pretty much the same as those of that time. what you want to do is wet the papers to remove some of the excess ink and then dry and press the paper.. the paper was used in place of batting and in fact is just as warm as batting. it will soften as the quilt ages and is washed...of course back in the day even a modern washing machine of the time was far less powerful than what we have today. during the days of old and up to depression era, it was not uncommon to layer newspapers on the walls of homes, and between sheets and blankets to cut drafts and help keep the home and body warm. check out some of the homeless people at night and you will find that they (yes, even today) collect newspapers and use them for more than reading.