each individual project deserves it's own consideration-when choosing batting-just like when choosing fabric & pattern- there are many many wonderful batts on the market to choose from-there is no (ALWAYS USE THIS ONE)---
i may use 5 or 6 different batts in any given month- and everyone has their favorites.
I love wool batting- but it's on the expensive side & i generally use it for pretty special gift quilts (like wedding gifts)
poly batts hold up well for lots of use/laundered alot/ utility quilts---great choice for kids quilts
cotton batts add that (crumply) old fashioned look to quilts when they are laundered-
some batts need to be quilted every 2" (best suited for quite dense machine or hand quilting) some batts allow up to 10" between quilting lines (like warm & natural- which works well for even tied quilts- very difficult to hand quilt though)
the best way to start is READ THE PACKAGING -- choose a batting that sounds like what you need-is priced reasonably in your budget- and try it out- then next quilt- try out something else you find on sale- or someone recommends---after a bit with some experience (and experimentation) you will decide what you like/don't like in a batt- and what works best FOR YOU---just rememeber if you buy a thin cotton batting that needs to be quilted every 2"- and you do very little quilting-leave large unquilted areas- when it is laundered the batting will pull apart- ball up & leave you with areas with no batting-other areas with gobs of batting-
it is important to follow the recommended quilting requirements. beyond that the sky is the limit
my fav's---any batt from the dream company--ie: dream poly, dream green, dream orient, dream wool, ...the list goes on-
after that---most of the Hobb's batts- heirloom, 80/20, wool
i pretty much never use Warm & natural (except when that is what customers bring in for their quilts- it does have it's 'followers' who never use anything else)
but there are many to try out & choose from- in every price range-from ridiculously expensive to dirt cheap...
watch sales & try out batts- it is a wonderful world
