My very first quilt I used a THICK poly batting on. It was tied, not quilted, quilted, but it worked very well. I don't have any poly fibers sticking out through the fabric and it hasn't bunched or gathered over the last 20 years. It isn't as thick as it once was, but it is still nice and warm in the winter lol I don't even want to think about how heavy that thing would be if it had cotton batting in it! So much lighter in physical weight, without a major loss of heat retention.