batting, thick or thin?
 

I went to a quilt show this weekend and I noticed most of the quilts were machine quilted and the batting seamed very thin and you could tell most were longarm quilted, they were very pretty but I couln't get over the thin batting almost like no batting.I've been to many quilt show and I don't remember such thin batting. thank you bignan1935

I love to hand quilt and will be using thin batting on my next quilt. The last quilt show I attended were as you described: machine quilted, thin batting and beautiful. I feel that the machine quilting and the hand quilted should be in different categories.

Warm and Natural is pretty thin and is easier to use when machine quilting. However, I like the puffiness of low loft poly batting. If I'm going to tie a throw it doesn't matter if I use low loft or high other than high makes the throw too warm usually.

I discovered this just a few months ago when I grabbed my batting roll to ready a quilt. I happened to have batting set aside for this quilt but wasn't enough. So I went to Joann's and bought more, thinking it was the same. I was shocked to find out it's approx. 1/2 the thickness (like 1/8" thick) of the previously bought batting. So I went back and found the thicker batting, only to find out it was $15.99 a yard whereas the thinner bat was, I think, $11.99. Thank God I had a 50% coupon. I bought what I needed for this quilt but guess future quilts will be, what I call, this summer-weight bat.

I don't care much for polyester batting because of all the tiny fibers that fly around when you start cutting it but that's my personal preference. I DO like the puffiness of poly bat -- just don't like to work with it for that one reason.

the more quilting they do, the flatter/thinner that quilt will be....

Good answer Jacquie!!! I am a Long Arm quilter, a lot of us prefer wool batting for show quilts. The wool is heaven to quilt through (just like butter). Wool hangs nicely and doesn't hold creases when folded for shipping show to show. When buying batting, pay attention to the different lofts because it all looks the same. No matter what loft, if it's quilted to death (heavy) it will appear thin.

I never thought about that-- that being that the more quilting the thinner the quilt will look/

PROBABLY because they were quilted to an inch of their lives, this make them thin and mat like, yuck.

I don't like the really thin batting. I had a look at wool batting the other day and can't wait to use it. Lately I have been hand quilting my quilts.

My sister brought a quilt top (I made the quilt top)to a longarm quilter and I hid my disappointment when they showed me how thin the batting was. It was about the thickness of 2 pieces of flannel. I don't think my sister will like it because the quilting won't show.

What batting is best for warmth? thickness? I still am trying to firgue the batting thing out! I have used many types and honestly don't see hardly any diffrence if any. I do see a lot of quilts that are quilted to an inch of their life. While it looks pretty, doesn't give me that warm and cuddly feeling.

I usually use warm & natural, or a low loft poly/cotton mix. Would like to try wool sometime. Poofy poly batts are better for tied tops-IMHO.

Deedum, you can use two bats at the same time for more fluffy loft. They do make thicker battings.

I mostly use a 100% cotton batting. I do prefer a Bamboo/cotton mixed batting. When the Bamboo bats first came out they were quite a bit less expensive than cotton or poly batts. Now they are significantly more expensive. I'm going to give wool a try when I use up what battings I currently have.

As a hand quilter and because I love the traditional look of my quilt I like to use low loft battings like cotton or cotton blend. For my next quilt I will try a wool batting.
Many quilter here prefer a very puffy look of their quilts and they use poly battings. I must confess I don't like that very much although poly is easy to quilt through and easy to clean.

Wool is the warmest & the coolest! It is very light feeling, but it quilts beautifully and is my warmest quilt...a quilt we use all year round....cooler in summer and warm in winter. When I washed this quilt the first time...it really puffed more than I expected it to...very nice looking. I have only made one quilt with it for myself...expensive...but have it available for customers.

i like the thin cotton batting. I had some poly left over and made a wall hanging with some swap star blocks I'd had around forever and ended up giving the quilt to charity. i couldn't get used to the puffiness!!

I Longarm, I prefer cotton or washable wool.
One thing you need to remember when these quilts are washed the batting takes on a bit more fluffiness. I usually dry my quilts on the line, then fluff them up in the dryer with no heat or low heat if they are damp yet and I'm in a hurry.
My bed quilt is wool and a layer of cotton, we live in WI so it is cold and we enjoy the weight of this quilt as well as the warmth. You have to remember that a natural fiber will breath, the poly is very warm.
I love the look of not prewashing fabric and then the cotton batting, the quilts really look inviting when washed.
Enjoy

I don't like thin batts, so go out of my way to avoid them. They feel like 2 sheets stitched together and aren't very warm. I want both beauty and warmth. So, I stick with Warm and Natural or hi loft Quilter's Dream. I do like Hobbs, but Joann's doesn't seem to carry it any more. I loved Joann's Soft and Crafty when it first came out. The loft no longer meets the specs on the front of the package, so I won't buy any of S&C now.

Hi, I just purchased some batting today at Joanne's and was not happy about the price or the selection. Fortunately, I had a 60 percent off coupon that I printed off the internet from their site. I wanted white, as the quilt has a pieced backing that is mostly white, and their is a lot of white in the front as well. I prefer cotton or bamboo. They do not carry bamboo, I would of settled on a poly cotton blend but they did not have that in white. I settled on white that is not as thick as I would of liked it and it was 10.99 per yard and I needed 3 yards. Pretty expensive, and thank goodness I had a coupon. Why is batting getting so pricey?

Warm & Natural or Warm & White are my two absolute faves in the batting world. Poly battings tend to beard (work its way through the fabric) of the quilt top over time IMO and I don't like that.. especially since I tend to work with darker fabrics and it shows up really well, ugh. Haven't tried wool but would like to one of these days.

I prefer a thin batting - less to wrestle with in the machine. I didn't notice extraordinarily thin battings at the last show I attended. Am curious to see if it is the case at the next show I go to.

Cheers, K

I also hand quilt and I like Hobbs 80/20. It seems to work well with hand quilting.

Batting is all a matter of personal preference. It's not just about how lofty it is. The more natural fibers "breathe" and will not vary that much in being good for one season or the other. Some quilters use more than one layer of batting in order to achieve both the "natural fiber breathability" and more loft to show off the quilting. [Another way to achieve this effect is to use cotton thread which will shrink with the unwashed fabric in the quilt.]

Polyester high-loft batting will retain its loft, is antimicrobial, and doesn't absorb moisture (does not wick). It doesn't breathe (and therefore is too stuffy for those who are naturally warm). It is also relatively low-cost. Polyester batting is not recommended for small infants.


Bamboo blend batting is the same loft as warm and natural or 80/20 cotton blend batting. The advantage of bamboo blend batting is that it is antimicrobial (bugs will not lay eggs in it).

Wool batting will keep its high loft and still gives you that "natural fiber breathability". It also costs almost twice as much as some other battings.

Just feeling the batting itself doesn't give you enough information. Handling something quilted with the different kinds of batting gives you more of the "tactile" information that you need.

I love Quilters Dream batting. Their cotton batting comes in various weights, so you can use the one that best fits the quilt.

Warm & white is my go to batting. I recently bought an all cotton batting made by pellan because it was cheaper and appeared to be the most like W&W...what a disappointment. It started to pill before I even got the machine quilting done. Lesson learned...pay the price on the good stuff!

I totally agree. Machine quilting is completely different than hand quilting. I love doing both.

I have always used Hobbs 80/20 that give a little fluff. I think of thick batting being the polyester type that you can only tie the quilt, There does seem to be some cheap batting out there though.....

Boy, I wish I had read this three days ago. Making my first quilt. Haven't sewn much in years. Have the top made, I'm glad its going to a 5 year old :). Anyhow, I bought 100% cotton batting, because I prewashed all my fabric, I also just this evening presoaked the batting,ugh! My questions, are is it necessary to preshrink the batting when you have preshrunk the other material? Should I not use all cotton thread when I quilt the top?

It's easier to quilt on thin batting.

I have used Warm & Natural, Hobbs 80/20, Hobbs 80/20 fusible, and Hobbs wool Batting. If you quilt the Warm & Natural very densely it becomes stiffer with not as much drape - OK for a quilt but not if you were making quilted wearables. I bought an entire roll of Hobbs Wool Batting and used it until it was gone. It has greater loft than the Hobbs 80/20 or the Warm & Natural. I love the feel of it. If quilted densely it remains drapeable. Also as someone mentioned before it does not keep creases. My only complaints about it are that I seem to get more shifting while quilting. I quilt on my domestic sewing machine. Because of the greater loft of the wool batting I have to pin baste much closer together to prevent the shifting.

From an overall ease of use I prefer the Hobbs 80/20 fusible batting. I press to fuse in place. If I know that it is something I can quilt fairly quickly then pressing is all I do. If it will take me longer to quilt (due to quilt size or busy life) then I will also add some pin basting. But in that case I do not have to baste as close together.

I think that like everything else I have been buying lately, batting has decreased in thickness, but increased in price!!!!
I personally like Warm & Natural for quilts, but even it is thinner than it used to be............so another deception.