Which Batting to use??
 

I am wondering which batting to use? I have made a couple of quilts and always used the cotton batting but I'm wondering if there is a batting that feels more like a blanket, that is softer. Which is your batting of choice? Polyester, wool, or a poly/cotton blend. Thank you so much

I used to get hobbs 80/20.
But right now I'm using bamboo because it is so much softer and I don't get any pleats on the backside although I'm working on a kingsized quilt on a DSM.
It fluffs a lot more than hobbs but I have to vacuumclean it anyhow before it leaves my house because of my two big dogs who lose lots of hair right now

I like the feel of Hobbs PolyDown. The quilt ends up light in weight and very soft.

What brand of cotton batting are you using? I find Warm and Natural to have a stiff drape compared to others (it does soften up with repeated washings), and it is heavier in weight than I like. My favorite cotton batting is Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton, but it is thinner than many quilters like. Weight is similar to Hobbs PolyDown, but it does not have as much loft (a more flat, traditional look). Hobbs 80/20 is a nice batt that I would place somewhere in-between WnN and MMBR -- lighter than WnN, heavier than MMBR, with a loft closer to PolyDown but not quite as much loft as PolyDown.

Haven'r tried bamboo yet, I usually use cotton. However, I think I might give the bamboo a try next time.

Thank you. I am using the Warm and Natural 100% cotton batting and you are right, it seems stiff. I will give the Hobbs PolyDown a try. Thanks again

I use warm and natural, warm and white, and warm blend. Quite happy with my batts.

I absolutely LOVE Quilter's Dream batting. The poly feels and quilts like butter. The cotton is just wonderful. The wool is divine.....it's all just wonderful. I won't use anything else. (wow...didn't mean to sound like a commercial) lol

I use Hobbs Polydown for most of my own quitls and I quilt for others and most of them prefer Hobby Polydown instead of cotton. Sometimes because of cost but also they don't want cotton if they don't want the Shrunken look after it is washed. I, myself, only use cotton when I do want the shrunken look and I like the Cream Rose 100% cotton at JoAnnes. I don't care for Warm and Natural because I think it is heavy and stiff. I use if for customers when they ask for it to be used--but I think it is heavy and not soft. (But each to their own opionion of what they like). I also have used Hobbs 100% cotton but I found out (much to my disliking) that the quilt shrunk over 10% when I washed it and it claims to have a 3-5% shrinkage. So I did not like that it shrunk way more than expecting. I have some more of those Hobbs 100% cotton battings and am gong to try to pre-shrink the batting before I use them on quilts that I don't want to shrink that much.

l mostly use Warm & Natural because it is readily available and I can usually get it pretty reasonably. Sut so far my favorite is White or Cream Rose by Mountain Mist. They are very soft and have a nice drape. I have used a bamboo batt once and it seemed very thin but fluffed up nice in the wash. It may have been the brand, but I also found the thickness to be very irregular. It was a fusible and a little pricey even on sale. I have never tried wool or silk. I personally like the feel of natural cotton to polyester and I like my quilts to have the flat but puckered look and feel of an antique quilt.

That's my two cents. Ten different quilters may give you ten different answers. You may just need to experiment with different things until you find what works best for you.

Pellon has a new batting that I am trying. It says it is a drapeable batting. I have not got my quilt back from the LA yet.