Batting Braindead
 

I know choosing the right batting for your particular needs/project is a timeless, constant question. I have read & done research, jotting notes down, and now it's just all running together. I also realize it has a lot to do with personal preference as well (likes, dislikes, brands, etc)

My adult boys prefer thicker quilts (and so do I) Which would put me at polyester for the most part. I also would like a little weight to it. I have made one with a cotton/poly blend and it was too thin for me. I don't want a huge problem with bearding, but also need something that fabric isn't going to shift too much (which would be some kind of cotton).

See... I'm just lost as can be.

Thanks for "listening" (((hugs))) & Happy Quilting!

Cotton is heavier than polyester. Which brand of poly/cotton did you try? You can double batt -- e.g., warm and natural cotton on backing side and poly on top to get both weight and loft.

or you could double bat with 80/20 cotton/poly bat and then wool under the top. I also used a really nice poly recently--need black for a quilt and was double batting it but couldn't find a black wool, so ordered it from Keepsake Quilting--seemed tighter than most polys I'd had before and softer. Quilters Dream maybe?

my suggestion, also, is double batting. of course that requires extra care in basting

The Hobbs Tuscany wool/cotton blend batting is very nice.

I have always used Quilter's Dream cotton Select, and I still like it, but my new found love is QD wool. It is heavier and thicker and does such a fine job defining the machine or hand quilting. It is warmer too.

This was my immediate thought as well. I, personally, like a heavy blanket. I'm not so concerned about loft. But I do like heavy but I also want it to 'breath'. I tend to W&N as my go to. Most recipients seem to be happy so far.

I mainly use hi-loft polyester batting, warm without the weight. My husband and I cannot sleep under a quilt. I guess we keep our house too warm.

Quilters Dream has a heavier weight cotton, heavier than "Select," that I have used for a very warm quilt. Give that a try.

I noticed a few suggested wool/cotton blend, is there any special washing required with it being will and cotton.

Cotton batting feels heavier to me than poly or a poly blend. Also, some have said the wool/cotton blend needs special washing. I have not found that to be true. I wash ALL my guilt's on a gentle cycle with a slow spin and lay them on a table in our sunporch to dry.

Check out the tutorial from "man sewing" on battings. It is informative.
http://mansewing.com/2016/08/quilt-batting/

I almost always use Warm and Natural for my quilts. I do my own machine quilting and I like it, but I recently asked my 16 yr. old grandson if he wanted a new quilt from me. He said, he thought my quilts were sort of stiff and he liked quilts he could snuggle in and tuck around his neck. He wasn't really critical. But I'm not sure what kind of batting to use that he would like. Someone told me thatQuilter's Dream was softer. I'm sure it would just be put in a regular washer and dryer. Do you have any suggestions? I think wool would shrink too much.
Thanks for any help.

I prefer Warm and Natural cotton batting for my quilts, but use fusible fleece for place mats, table runners, wall hangings, etc. I have a brain cramp, so I cannot remember the English lady who does tutorials, I think it's Sew, Sew Easy; but she had a tutorial explaining the differences with the various battings. I believe she made a sample of each type of batting and wrote done what it was used for, how to treat it, etc. Hope this yelps.

Verna, Hobbs wool batting would not shrink more than cotton batting and would provide the softness your grandson is looking for. It is more expensive, but in my opinion one of the very best battings on the market. I'm not sure how it would react to a hot dryer; some people prefer to lay out wool batting quilts to dry.

Quilter's Dream cotton is softer than Warm and Natural, but is also thinner (unless perhaps you go with their thickest cotton batting -- anyone know which version that is and how it compares to W&N?). Warm and Natural is needlepunched through scrim, making it very stable, but that is also why it has a stiffer drape. It does soften up with use, but that can take many trips through the washing machine and dryer over the years. Quilter's Dream cotton is needlepunched, but not through scrim. This makes it very stable, but softer than W&N because there is no scrim. However, the regular weight of Quilter's Dream would be a lot thinner than W&N which is why, if you want to use QD, you would probably need to go to its heavier weight in order to get the thickness and weight of W&N.

The above is not necessary, however. I think your grandson would be very happy with Hobbs 80/20 batting. This is 80% cotton and 20% polyester. It combines all the good traits of cotton with enough polyester so that the batting is soft and cuddly, with higher loft than W&N.

This is probably more information than you need. Bottom line is I would suggest Hobbs 80/20.

Edit: Hobbs Poly-Down is another option. It is even softer than Hobbs 80/20. However, it is all polyester and therefore does not "breathe" as well as the 80/20. Also, I find that it is harder to quilt because its loft is higher than Hobbs 80/20. Hobbs 80/20 is easier to quilt, in my experience, and still has enough loft to look and feel soft.

Thanks so much MadQuilter for the tut from "man sewing" . it was very informative!

Thanks to ALL of you for the many opinions and information from your experience. It is TRULY appreciated!

I ended up going with "warm & plush" 100% cotton. Oh boy, I hope I made the right call.
I am needing heavy (but cool) with a higher loft than most cottons I have seen. I figured the 100% cotton will breathe so it won't be so hot. They say this one is the heaviest cotton people have found. Here is the link to it if you want to take a look at it.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Warm-Plus...x-108/34932431
Here is the specs about it: Warmest natural quilt batting ever
No scrim
50 percent more soft, warm cotton
Added weight
Includes one 90" x 108" queen-size cotton batting

Maybe don't over quilt it. I had a Judy Neiermeyer quilt done by someone who specializes in quilting her quilts. It's breath takingly beautiful but it's like sleeping under a board. Any batting will do. Just don't over quilt it and put flannel as a backing.

In my experience, heavy quilting with cotton thread does stiffen a quilt. Heavy quilting with polyester thread does not. Different battings have very different drapes. Warm and Natural, which is needlepunched through scrim, has one of the stiffest drapes even when sparsely quilted. Although it will soften up over time, it may never achieve the softness of other types of batting.

I bought a whole bolt of the warm and plush. It is significantly heavier than warm and natural. I have no problems with it at all. I sometimes prefer the lighter weight of regular W&N- but this will definitely get used. I have no experience with hi loft battings as I just don't like the look or the feel.