Most of us use quilting cotton in our quilts, and they do last quite a while, 20 years or more with washings. Not sure what you mean by "heavy handling". I made a twin-sized flannel quilt with a muslin backing several years ago. The child it was given to was having some medical issues for a while, and that quilt was washed in hot water many, many times. It has only recently started getting thin and worn around the corners on the binding, and I'm not complaining!