My great grandmother used old wool army blankets for batting. I don't know how she acquired them, they were stamped U.S. Calvary - she worked as a seamstress before she got married and was very resourceful when it came to using hat she had to make something she needed. She lived in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado where you need very warm bedding. She lived from 1875 to 1961. When I was little and stayed with her in Burlington KS I loved using those quilts.