Quilters develop their own preference for battings. It is a matter of like/ dislike that is either learned by experience or by word of mouth from other quilters. IMHO pattern designers do not recommend batting because it may not be what the quilter likes or would use. I realy like Hobbs 80/20 and do not like W&N or poly batting. But that does not mean that they are bad. Just my personal opinion. New quilters can learn from others on this board about +/- of battings. Also they can buy small amounts of batting and use it in wall hangings/baby quilts or table runners to see which on e they like. Also the batting can depend on how the quilt is being used.