Batting Selection
 

Hello!
I wanted some opinions- what type(s) of batting are your favorite?
My great-grandmother would use Army surplus wool blankets (which, before being turned into quilts, weighed 3-5 lbs for a lap blanket!), so I have always been very fond of a crazy heavy quilt, however my husband absolutely hates heavy blankets.
The quilts I've made for my nieces/nephew (my husband's side), I've bought Pellon Natures Touch Natural Blend 80/20 because they didn't want heavy blankets, and I found a great price online from Walmart. For my aunt's chemo blanket, I found a wool blanket just like her Grandmother would use. (She talked about chemo making her constantly cold, and she adores how much like a 'hug' the heavy blanket is.) I'm not great at machine quilting, but I do a lot of straight line, so I usually don't worry too much about the loft (I lack a personal preference).
Anyway, I was just curious about everybody's preference: What is your ideal batting and why?

I like the 100% Polys because I find them easy to work with, fluffy and comfortable.

right now my favorite is Warm Company's Warm and Plush. Its plusher than some but its too much

If you are looking for what weighs the least, I am thinking it would be Polyester.

After considering weight, heavy or light in weight ...
there is the fluff and puff, stiffness, warmth to compare.

Some of that is managed or created by how much quilting, just a little or a whole bunch.

I'd really love for someone to tell me more about wool batts vs. bamboo vs. silk
in comparison to the more familiar poly/cotton blends.

That is, when to use, the virtues of each, and when not to use each! :)

My favorite is wool. When I won’t spring for wool, I like poly. I like light quilts. To me, even 80/20 seems heavy.

My preferred in Hobbs 80/20. It's slightly fluffier than Warm and Natural and priced better too.

I'm a 100% cotton girl. The quilts I grew up with were cotton picked from the fields. But I do sometimes like fluffy poly for those difficult to lay flat quilts.

Hi! I use and Love Hobbs 80/20 fusible... mostly because i Hate basting!

So far my favorite is wool. But I have found it is not a white -white a bit on an unbleached look so can make white fabric underneath look a bit dirty when it is not. Then I used a Quilter's Dream 80/20 - it is a lot heavier and seems not to drape as well. I have used the Warm & White from the Warm Company. I could buy it by the roll, have it delivered, and get it at a discount too. Since I am not making as many quilts lately I may not buy a roll again. It takes up space in my sewing room, and it's drag having to move it around.

Winline 80/20 has become the favorite over Hobbs 80/20, at the store. The Winline is more consistent overall. Not so many bald spots. There is a Hobbs 80/20 "Thick," which is double the thickness, and that is very nice, but $14.98 per yd.

I like the poof of a poly batting. Too, it dries quicker than some of the other battings--washability being considered.

I really like Warn and Natural for the majority of my quilts. I have used wool batting before but the person the quilt was gifted to says it's too hot for her since she lives in Texas.

For machine quilting I will generally use a poly batting. It is easy to work with and is full. If I am hand quilting I want to use Warm and Natural as it is easy to pass a needle through and is a nice warm quilt when it is finished. Now if I am doing hand Trapunto and I want that 'fluff' I will again use a poly batting. If I am making a quilt for someone other than family (which I am being paid to make) that person chooses the batting.

I live where its rarely cold so I use Quilter's Dream Select or Request. They are both very thin flexible battings.

My favorite batting is Soft & Bright by the Warm Company. It's 100 percent poly, a tad more loft than W&N and dries very quickly in the dryer. Warm & Plush is an excellent batting as well, it's way too hot for me but for my friend in Wisconsin it was the perfect warm batting and it worked up beautifully. I had to turn my AC up while I was quilting on it though cause I was getting overheated under it :D

I like cotton batting. My favorite is Quilter's Dream Request.

I use Hobbs 80/20 and like how it turns out after being quilted. I used wool one time and really enjoyed working with that also.

I have the most "luck" with the Natural Blend 80/20. I like the weight of it. Also I used the Polyester when I want a quilt to be really light weight. It is also great for Charity quilts as it is not as expensive and really easy to quilt.

I love a heavy blanket or quilt - I'd be a perfect candidate to use the weighted ones they now advertise.

I also don't like "fluffy" quilts; fluffy makes me think of a comforter.

My last quilt, Talkin' Turkey, was done with Warm and Plush. Between a lot of seams and the extra weight of the W & P, it is quite heavy. I think W & P is 50% heavier than W & N, my second favorite. I have not yet washed Talkin' Turkey, so cannot speak from personal experience, but have heard that quilting shows up more after washing than it does on W & N. The crinkly look is appealing to me, so that would please me.

Interesting topic. I just tried Quilter's Dream 70/30 and did not like it. It was thick and stiff. So far I like the Hobbs 80/20 best of for cotton batting. I'm trying QD Request next. I honestly like Mountain Mist, because it's lightweight and puffy, but I know it doesn't hold up. I've used the QD Poly once, but it didn't have the same soft puffiness, and it was stiffer than I like. I made a note to try the Soft & Bright (thanks, Austinite!).

I just purchased some Hobbs 80/20, not fusible. I am anxious to try it out. Up till now, have always used Warm & Natural, but wanted something lighter and better drape. We'll see . . .

Our LQS likes QD 80/20...have used Hobb's 80/20 for a long time, but recently switched. She's been LA'ing for almost 10 years.