Not understanding the real diffrence in batting! Am I the only one confused? I buy polyester, ok, that works. I have bought warm & natural, that works nicely also. I have bought many types but it all seems the same or is it? What is the bottom line on batting? Why one over the other?

I know many prefer a certainly type, why? I just buy whatever is on sale and I say " that will work nicely" and it does.

I know a little bit about it. Polyester is good if you are looking for loft but lightweight. Warm and Natural is denser and will make for a flatter and warmer quilt. Wool batting will make a very warm quilt.

I'm sure others here will have much more to add.

I love cotton batting b/c up until now all my quilts are hand quilted and I love the look ( like the antique quilts) and also enjoy quilting with it more than poly.
I've never used wool but would like to.
I've heard poly-down is good also. I used to use poly and I didn't like the way it bearded but that was some years ago.

Oops

there are alot of differences in batts- different companies- different production techniques, different properties-
fiber content varies, poly, cotton, wool, silk, bamboo- and combinations of them. there are different lofts...from very very thin to very high loft- there are different shrinkage rates, some don't shrink at all- some shrink alot.
different requirements for quilting- some are ok to use for tied quilts- some need to be quilted every 2" (dense quilting) others can have up to 10" between quilting lines.
some batts (smell weird) some batts seem stiff-

it is best to read the packaging- see if the batt meets your requirements for the project you need it for.

there are some people who bought a warm & natural- or a hobbs batt the first time- and have never considered anything else since- other people buy what ever they find on sale- and pay no attention to it's properties-

i use lots of different batts- each project determines the best batt (for me) to use at that time.

i keep a (batt-journal)
each time try a new batt from a new company- or a batt i've not tried yet I cut a 6"square from it to add to my journal-
i include the name of the batt, what it cost, where it came from, fiber content, loft, shrinkage estimate, stitch requirements- anything else i think is important- then after i use it i add notes about using it- if i liked it or not- and why. if it was hard to needle-
some batts are fine when hand stitching/quilting- others are next to impossible to push a needle through by hand

when i find a sale on line i can grab my batt journal and see if the batts being offered are ones i would like to get a couple of to have on hand.
i do tend to (lean toward) the same batt most of the time- but i LOVE LOVE LOVE the wool batts (a bit expensive though so saved for very special quilts) I also love love love all of the batts offered from the DREAM company-- dream poly, dream cotton, dream orient...all of them.
try them all- and see what you like best- but in the mean time-
READ THE PACKAGING- IT HOLDS ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO MAKE A CHOICE. :thumbup:

good info

Thanks much for the info! I like the idea of a batt journal. That is very helpful. Some packaging has more info than others. By the time I finish a quilt, I forget what batting is in what. Since I have an assortment of diffrent ones. I do stay away from high loft though.

I do not do polyester anything, so it is only Warm & Natural for me.

I like Warm and Natural. I prefer cotton over poly. I've heard hand quilters say it is a pleasure for them to work with wool batting. Since we live in FL wool is warmer than what we need, otherwise I would give it a try for winter quilts.

Try the bamboo and cotton blend. Very soft and denser than warm and natural and price is about comparable.

Does the cotton blend help with the bamboo coming through the top. One of my friends used the bamboo and kept getting fuzz coming through her top.

I'm a longarm quilter, so I deal with lots of different kinds of batting. I can spot a quilt with polyester batting from a mile away. It looks like something from the 1970's, which is not a good thing. Plus, lots of polyester battings are uneven in consistency, so you end up with thin areas with hardly any batting in the middle. I highly recommend a cotton/poly batting with mostly cotton, like Hobb's 80/20 (80% cotton and 20% polyester). Warm and Natural is too warm, in my opinion.

I detest polyester batting! I like Warm & Natural, its great batting for machine quilting. For hand quilting Quilter's Dream is good.

This is very helpful! Thanks, everyone!

For hand quilting, I have gotten Thermore lately. It's 100% polyester, but thinner than anything I have ever seen. Hand quilts like a dream. I am quilting my Dear Jane with it in it. I decided to try it as there is almost as much fabric in the seam allowances on the back as there is fabric on the front. Wanted really thin batting. For machine quilting - Warm & Natural or Tuscany Collection, especially for a wall hanging. I want the wall hanging to lie nice & flat.

Polyester used to be the bees knees for hand quilting, but then along came machine quilting & polyester just doesn't lie nice & flat or smooth.

By the way, the warmth of a quilt usually depends on the pockets between the stitching to form little insullating puffs. The warm body heat is trapped in them, keeping you warm & keeping the cold air out.

I agree with ckcowl about the Dream Co. batts. They seem to have the most consistent texture and softest hand of any brands. The wool batts are wonderful! But I like Warm and White for some things, too. I don't like the ones that require small distances between stitches, so I choose the ones with 8-10 inch distances.

Thanks everyone, this is helpful!

Love the Warm & Natural. I really like the idea of a batt journal.

I prefer cotton battings to polyester, I haven't used polyester in years ... but it all depends on how you want your quilt to look. I like the flat, antique look so I use cotton in my quilts. Some people like a thicker, puffier look. Cotton batting is usually best for machine quilting but the 80/20 blends are good too. I like Quilters Dream, Warm & Natural and Bamboo is wonderful ! There are so many choices today, you can find just what you need, for the way you quilt and look you want. :)

I've switched to using mostly 80/20 battings because I grew tired of the inconsistencies in some poly batts (i.e. thick and thin areas). I tried fusible batting ONE time, and found that there were areas about 1' wide that had no fusible on them!! It was so aggrevating that I swore I would NEVER use another one!! :thumbdown: I like the feel 80/20 batts and cotton batts give to my finished quilts -- just like grandmas' quilts; so cuddly and warm. I've never tried wool, silk or bamboo batts, but some people who have seem to really like them. ;)

Great idea about the batting journal!! I'll have to try that!! :thumbup:

yes, this is all very helpful. So far I have tried many diffrent ones, but the batting journal is a great idea! Do they make a bad batting?

yes, this is all very helpful. So far I have tried many diffrent ones, but the batting journal is a great idea! Do they make a bad batting? I will be making me a journal for sure!