Batting
 

I would like to hear what your likes and dislikes on quilt battings. What you like to use and any other information you can offer.

Warm and Natural - I used it for quite awhile, but no longer. It has a stiffer drape than many other battings (although it does soften up with washings). Its major plus is that it is extremely stable because it is needlepunched through scrim, so quilting lines can be as far apart as 10". Relatively difficult to hand quilt because of the scrim.

Hobbs 80/20 - My "default" batting. A good all-around choice. Has more loft than W&N and yet is lighter in weight. Good for both machine and hand quilting.

Hobbs PolyDown - A new favorite for me. Nice loft and a good choice for children's quilts that will get washed often because it dries quickly (all polyester). The loft makes it a little trickier to machine quilt, and probably to hand quilt, than 80/20.

Hobbs Wool - I have some of this but haven't actually used it in a quilt yet; eager to try out because many quilters rave about its qualities. Good for both machine and hand quilting; especially for hand quilting, shows off the quilting stitches very well. Cool in summer, warm in winter.

I like thin cotton type. BUT my dogs like the poly type.

My favourite is Quilters Dream Orient which is a bamboo mix, followed by Quilters Dream cotton - all three weights, depending on the quilt.

Unlike Warm and Natural, it doesn't use a polymer base. I once used Warm and Natural on a pale quilt I quilted on my LQS Gammill and didn't notice they loaded it on the wrong way, so the little cotton seeds showed through. So, between that and the polymer, I haven't used it since.

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I use either Hobb's 80 20 or Quilter's Dream. I like both equally but I have never machine quilted either one of them. I am a hand quilter and am just getting ready to start machine quilting.

I have tried all of the battings from the Dream company and love them all; I am also a fan of the battings from the Hobbs company. I never restrict myself to one batting over & over- I try them as I find them- keeping a small square of the batting in a 'batting journal' with information about it so I can refer back and see what I liked/disliked about a particular one. I absolutely LOVE working with wool battings- Dream Wool and Hobbs Wool are both wonderful, light weight, lofty, oh so wonderful to work with- they are a bit more expensive though so I generally use them for particular quilts. I often use either Hobbs 80/20 or Dream poly *or dream green* when making kids quilts- the dream poly & dream green hold up to many, many washings/drag around lots of use & abuse so are great for kids quilts. it all just depends on the project what I choose- I pretty much never choose W&N

I've only completed a few quilts (many quilt tops ready to go). After reading so much on this board, I have used the Dream products exclusively. I am still working on what I like best. The Dream Request and Dream Select are nice to work on for both hand and machine quilting. I would like a little more loft to them, however. I have used two layers of Dream Request for table runners and like it but I think it is too expensive to do for quilts. I want to try the Dream wool as it is suppose to be machine washable and dryable and easy to work with for Machine and hand quilting and it is loftier. Have not used the Dream Poly. There has been much discussion here on the board about battings. I'd recommend a search.

What about silk battings?
Pros and cons?
When should they be used?
Do they provide warmth? loft?
Can you spray baste it, for quilting on a DSM?

Likewise is wool, one that can be spray basted for a DSM?

I have used a lot of Warm N Natural. It was the one the LQS' in this area favoured and I just followed blindly!! I'm now branching out to try others .... and trying to keep track!

My current favourites are Tender Touch 80/20 and Warm N Safe ... both seem to have more substance than W+N and thus give a nice loft for the quilting to show. They drape nicely and feel oh so cuddly in the finished quilt.

I have a binder labelled as "The Batting Book" ... where I keep samples, info about different battings and any other relevant info. I try to remember to note which quilts have which battings.

Has anyone tried the new Warm & Plush yet from Warm & Natural?

Since i buy mine at JoAnn's when i have a coupon or when it's on sale i go straight for the Warm & Natural...sometimes all cotton - sometimes not --- but ALWAYS the one that allows for quilting every 10 inches. I never know exactly what i might be making -- and whether or not it will be stitched or tied....so i like to know that i have the best option for distance between the "anchors"

I use a lot of Warm & Natural and like it a lot. My favorite is the bamboo blend they sell at Hancocks- will watch batting sales like a hawk and buy as much as I can when the price is good. I don't know what the brand is, but it has such a nice drape. I also use the Hobbs 80/20 - like that I can get that in black - and the Hobbs Wool - Also like both of them, but have to keep in mind the minimal quilting distance. I think of the wool as a luxury batting and only use it on special quilts. I see that Connecting Threads now has a bamboo blend, so as soon as they have a batting sale I will be buying that one for sure. I don't use 100% poly batting because it's like nails on a chalkboard for me - can't stand to touch it.

I prefer the higher loft of polyester battings. I use cotton batting for some quilts. I don't have a specific brand preference. I thought the iron-on batting was interesting, and tried to by it, but JoAnn sent me small pillow forms instead. I thought about trying the bamboo batting, but after reading about the processing of the bamboo batting and all the chemicals used and waste products generated, I decided against using it.

Thank to you all for this information . I have a better understanding
on the deferent battings now.

100% silk batting is very luxurious. I took a class from Roxanne McElroy years ago, and it was her favorite batting for hand quilting. She passed a quilt around that was made with cotton fabric in combination with silk batting, and it was wonderfully light and soft. It washes up just fine too. At that time silk batting was extremely expensive (could cost $10+ for a queen size) so very few quilters used it. I'm not sure how the current blends on the market compare; I would definitely look for one with a high percentage of silk. Silk battings are the batting-of-choice for clothing because it is very light in weight and can be very thin.

I would imagine both silk and wool battings can be spray basted. Can't think of any reason why they couldn't, as they are both washable.

The batting I keep as the most versatile is Warm and Natural or Warm and White. .. the reason is that it takes pre-shrinking better than any other I have found. So often I use the trimmings from quilts for table runners.. and do not want any crinkling, so pre- shrinking is a must. I do like Hobbs 80/20 but can not find it at my JoAnns.

Is dream orient a warm batting. I am thinking of using it for my lovers knot

Any wool batting is my favorite. I'm saying that in the viewpoint of warmth and loft. A cotton quilt never keeps me warm, but give me a wool batting quilt and that's all I need!! I love the loft with wool batting. The quilt looks full, not flat and lifeless. It gives it body and warmth all in one. Try wool once and you'll be hooked. But not for wall hangings or table toppers. Only for quilts. It's a real dream!

I use Hobbs Wool or Tuscany Silk batting for my bed size quilts. I use Hobbs 80/20 batting for utility quilts, kids quilts and donation quilts. I recently bought a bolt of Pellon cotton/poly batting at a great price. I haven't used it yet There are lots of brands of batting but I stick with one brand so I don't have to wonder how the batting will work.

DD has a quilt I made her on her bed and we live in Scotland, albeit with central heating (and a husband to keep her warm, lol).