contrary to popular belief, close quilting does not affect the drape of a quilt as much as type of batting used and type of thread. Yes, very heavy quilting with a heavy cotton thread (like King Tut) can also affect "stiffness" but the batting will make more of a difference in the end. It is my experience that W&N is the stiffest of the bunch. Especially when quilted close. If you want a cotton batting and want to quilt closely I would recommend going to one of the Quilters Dream cotton battings. Other battings that will maintain lovely drape and softness and impacted minimally by dense quilting would be wool, bamboo and silk. Hobbs 80/20 blend will also maintain drape better with closer quilting. But when I refer to close quilting I am talking very dense background fills like pebbling, mctavishing or micro meander (aka stipple). If doing straight line it would consist of spacing no less than 1/4" apart. If you are quilting 2" or more spacing then you will not have any issues with stiffness no matter what batting and thread you use. And W&N has a tendency to soften up a lot with use and repeated washings. Much like a pair of jeans.