Is batting necessary?
 

I have a question for all you ladies. I was just looking at a quilt on "pictures". The lady had used minkee as her backing but had also used batting. I've used fleece on a couple of denim throws I've done and I've used minkee on all the (2 or 3) baby blankets I've done but I didn't use batting with any of them. The denim and the fleece was sufficient and I thought the minkee was as well on the baby blankets but I could be wrong. My brothers and my dad seem to think, although they know nothing about quilting at all, that if a quilt doesn't have batting it's not a real quilt. This is because my grandmother always used batting.

So what to do? I know I won't add batting to denim throws even using flannel as the backing, they are quite warm enough without anything else added. But the baby blankets and just regular throws using minkee as the backing? What do you think, batting or no?

It sounds like your brothers & father are candidates for the Quilt Police Academy. It's your quilt and you can do it any way you want. If they want to make quilts and add batting--give them directions to the quilt shop.

I don't add batting to a quilt that has fleece for the backing. I did add batting scraps to the 2 denim faux cathedral windows quilts I have made because one is supposed to be heavy for hubby's restless legs and the second was made to be a play mat on a hard floor.

No quilt police here to say you "have to" use batting. Personally, I think the Minkee makes the baby quilts warm enough.

minkey on its own is just fine if you whant to enter it in a show it has to have 3 layers but if its just for you or a gift do whatever you whant.

I don't use batting on the baby "quilts" I make when using flannel or minkee; they are warm and soft.
Yes, it does take three layers to technically make a quilt, but who cares if they are not in a show?

"quilt/kwilt/

[TABLE="class: ts"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Noun:[/TD]
[TD][TABLE="class: ts"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]A warm bed covering made of padding enclosed between layers of fabric and kept in place by lines of stitching"



[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

I consider a layer of air and folded-back seam allowances, to also be a form of padding. :thumbup:

I have never used fleece or minkee for the backing. But it sounds interesting, I will have to try it on my next Project Linus quilt. The fleece should make the quilts light in weigh but comfortably warm.

I think it all has to do with how and where the quilt is to be used or how you want it to look. Here we have such little cold weather most quilters I know use very thin batting for bed quilts and thicker for show quilts and wall hangings. As has already been said, it is your quilt and you should do what you like.

The first quilt that I made with no batting I didn't take to guild for show and tell because I thought there was something wrong with just using fleece on the back and quilting brought the fleece. It just seemed thick enough. And it was for the cabin, so it didn't need to be super warm--but it still is. Keep doing it the way that you want to--and tell the quilt police they can make their quilts they way they think is right, and so will you.

Ignore them and do what pleases you.
When they start quilting, they can do what pleases them.