Originally Posted by Prism99
I prefer using 100% cotton in my quilts. Years ago I made a baby quilt that got used and washed many, many times. Had the opportunity to see it again about 15 years later and I could not believe how *soft* it had become. It was like hugging a cloud! That quilt was made with Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton batting.
Years ago I used Warm n Natural a lot, but I eventually came to dislike the stiffness of the drape.
Just read an article about bamboo that says the fiber has to go through very toxic processes to be made into batting. It is often touted as eco-friendly, but cotton is actually more eco-friendly in terms of processing.
I use Hobbs 80/20, 100% cotton w/scrim or wool. I really like the Hobbs products and find them very cost effective. I have a roll of W&N, but to me it's so flat that it really doesn't give much of a good of a stitch definition in the final product. It's stiff, not soft, and I don't care for the final drape in a quilt. But I've found it's great for purses, wall quilts and placemats where you want a bit more firmness. Quilters Dream also has nice products, but is more expensive to have shipped here (no one carries locally). I do use some poly's, if the quilt calls for it, but really prefer the cotton. I just like the way it feels over poly, regardless of brand.
Also wanted to add that I tried bamboo. Loved the softness, but the lint was awful! It was all over the place! I won't use it again - just too much trouble to clean up after. And I thought if it's flying all over the place, imagine what I must be breathing in! I also have read about the chemical processes it goes through, and am shocked. That feels somewhat untruthful to me...since it's thought of as more eco-friendly.
All just my opinions - of course :)