"Everybody hates it"?? I think it went out of vogue because it did last forever and was so easy to care for. There became no market for the other fabrics! I still have a box of it in colors of the era. I used up some of the yardage for seat covers for the folding chairs at the senior center. Those chairs were well used but still very sturdy so this covered a multitude of scratches and evidence of use. The seat covers are easy to launder and put back into service. I suppose most quilts using them are tied because it is stretchy fabric and thick enough that traditional quilting would be a problem.
As for polyester. I like it. I don't understand why it has taken such a beating from quilters. It is strong and I like the sheen it has. I especially like the black as it is color fast and will not fade with age. Cotton is a natural fiber that with time is going to deteriorate; polyester isn't as apt to do that. Interesting that we usually use thread that has poly so it is stronger! To each his own.