I was born in 1937. My mom had to use whatever she could get for batting. Sometimes it came out of a bed mattress. It would be lumped up. The children would hand pull the lumps until we came up with a smooth batting. Not so bad, just a way of life, it was all we knew so we accepted it. Can't imagine a youth today asked to do something so mundane. Actually I look back a lot and remember the layed-back lifestyle and miss it very much. Such a wealth of knowledge we learned sitting around the feet of several ladies as they helped each other quilt. The tools they used were everyday items that were around the house, like a string and piece of chalk to mark fans and scollops.