I am piecing together a lapquilt for a friend, and am wondering what weight/type of batting I should use. I bought Soft and Natural.

It should probably be a wall hanging because it's kind of artistic, but he wants a lapquilt for his wife.

I have never used soft and natural, but I like warm and natural so I would probably like this as well.

I like warm and natural because it is lightweight yet warm.

I just bought some new stuff in Paducah - because I couldn't resist the price! Pellon Legacy is the brand, and I have 100% cotton, 50/50 cotton bamboo, and 50/50 cotton soy. Never tried the bamboo or soy blends before but I like the feel.

The Cotton indicates "quilt up to 4", 3.5% shrinkage"
Bamboo "quilt 8-10", 2% shrinkage"
Soy "quilt 8-10", 3% shrinkage"

All are King size and each cost $20.00. On the last day ALL bags of batting was selling for $20 regardless of type or size.

I can't wait to try it.

I prefer 100% cotton quilt batting for lap quilts because it drapes well and becomes softer with every washing. It requires close quilting, however (max 2" apart). The one I use is Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon.

The problem I have with Warm and Natural is that the drape is somewhat stiff. This is actually a bigger problem with smaller quilts; it's not as noticeable in larger quilts, although then the weight becomes a problem for me.

There are other batts that are soft, but I haven't tried most of them. Hobbs 80/20 is nice if you want more "puff" than MMBR.

I have already tried the Legacy battings (cotton, bamboo and soy blend and 80/20 blend) and they are really great. Easy to needle for hand quilting, a nice drape and a soft touch. Sue, how wonderful that you got the battings so cheap on the last day in Paducah!

the batting dictates the density of the required quilting- so decide how you want to quilt it then choose a batting that meets your requirements.
some batts have to be quilted every 2" (very dense quilting) some you have up to 10" available between stitching lines
and i would take into consideration if it should be a really warm quilt or a more light-weight, cooler quilt.
poly batts are very warm (because they do not breath)
wool batts are wonderful to work with, fluffy, soft, lightweight...warm in winter=cool in summer
batts come in many loft's also= from very thin/flat to very fluffy-lofty.

some days i really dislike my computer

LOL

Warm & Natural is needle punched on a scrim, which is a very thin sheet of media used to give the batting overall strength and stability. It does cause it to be slightly stiffer than other bats, but you can quilt it at up to 8-10" without it separating. It does get much softer with each washing, and I have never experienced it being "too stiff" when done in any size item.