Batting?
 

I'm extremely new to quilting and sewing in general, and I have absolutely no idea what type of batting I should use for my quilt.
What is the best batting to use when making a summer quilt? (It gets very, very hot where I live so I don't want a warm, winter quilt)
Or should I use just not use batting at all and just sew the quilt top and the backing together?

You could just sew the top and backing together or you could put a piece of flannel in the middle. It's up to you. I always use Warm and Natural for the batting, but I live in Minnesota, and it can get pretty chilly.

No batting is an option but some use flannel in place of batting.

I would probably opt for the thinnest weight (request weight) of Quilter's Dream cotton. Batting gives a little body and drape to the quilt. Here is a link: http://quiltersdreambatting.com/dream-cotton.htm

I don't like not using a batting because the thickness of the 3 layers helps the quilting stitches "sink" in and look flawless. going to throw out a "wild" idea--but what about a thin wool bat? Wool breathes--meaning unlike poly, it doesn't trap sweat. And unlike cotton or a cotton/poly blend, wool is very lightweight and drapes wonderfully. Ask at a local quilt shop to see if they have anything quilted with a layer of wool to see the feel of it.

I agree that wool would be a good choice. I like Hobbs Heirloom wool.

My summer quilt has Dream wool batting. It is lightweight, breaths, drapes beautifully and is just wonderful. It also launders well, the quilt is used and has held up wonderfully for 10 years and counting.

There are 4 summer quilts in my house. None of them have batting. They are just a top and a backing, usually an old sheet. It can be very hot at night here in the summer and these are the absolute perfect weight. If they were any warmer, we would not use them.

I live in the South and I still use batting in all my quilts but we run our air conditioner 9-10 months out of the year and we like it rather cool in the house. A thin wool would be an easy choice but I'd try a sheet, it would be cheaper.

That's a good point Austinite - AC usage. In our case, we open our bedroom windows as often as possible. So if the humidity goes down and/or the temp drops a little, we turn the AC off. Therefore my nighttime sleeping temperature is probably a little warmer than yours.

literalsalad - I think you should determine how hot/cold your bedroom is in the summer and plan accordingly. Consider what blanket weight you currently like in the summer and try to make your quilt approximately the same. Before I made the quilt we would use a sheet and a thin cotton blanket. My quilt (just a top and bottom, no batting) is about the same weight as the thin cotton blanket was.