What batting do you find works best for hand quilting? I have tried a cotton (which was to thick) and a poly (which worked well), but I would like something a little heavier. Thanks.

Sorry, I have never hand quilted. I hope someone can help you here though :)

I always use poly. I don't really care for cotton. Haven't heard good things about bamboo.

Wool is very easy to hand quilt through.

I use Warm and Natural, whatever that is made from. It works very well.

In my last quilt I used Hobbs Polydown, which is a pretty good weight. I also like cotton, but not Warm and Natural - Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon is my favorite.

I have a roll of wool to use in my next quilt. Many hand quilters like it.

Janet

Yes, Dream Wool is a dream for hand quilters.

i use the 80/20 by hobbs

Are you using a low loft batt? If so, what fabric did you use for the quilt? Sheets used as backing can be very difficult to quilt through as the weave can be really tight.
I use and love Warm and white/natural, Heirloom cotton, all low loft, and find them easy to quilt through. However, I think they are thin.
Cotton is harder to quilt through, poly is supposed to be much easier... Wool would be a good choice...heavier and warm.

I use Warm & Natural/white all the time. It's supposed to be very difficult to quilt through but I really don't have any issues. It is 100% cotton and everyone to whom I've gifted a quilt raves about how warm it is. I use 100% cotton light weight (think summer) blanket and a 100% cotton quilt on my bed year round. Works wonderfully. Any natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk) will hold body heat. I haven't tried wool or silk although I am anxious to try silk but very pricey. I do like thinner quilts, though.

wool is very lightweight, but loftier than cottons, and a dream to stitch through.
mountain mist cotton is made for hand quilting- as is hobbs heirloom select.
batts with scrim (like warm & natural are made for machine quilting- and are more difficult to hand quilt (because of the scrim)
any batt that says quilt 2"-4" apart is ideal (they do not have the scrims)the Dream batts are all pretty nice to hand quilt... i love the bamboo and the dream orient (which is a bamboo-silk blend) but wool is my favorite- lofty but light!

interesting to read that what does not work for one person is another person's favorite

lol, I was thinking the same thing. I guess I will have to take notes and go check them all out. I use low loft poly now but I think I want to check out the wool. Thanks for all the feedback!

One of the few classes I've taken was a hand quilting class.I said at the beginning of the class that I'd been hand quilting for over 15 yrs But could always learn more! Boy did I!
One of the things she did was to make a practice sandwich with 4 different kinds ofbatting. She had a circle drawn for us to practice on. The best to quilt on was the poly.,but the wool was almost as good. I like natural fibers so wool is what I've been using & the more I use it the more I like it. It's cool in summer & warm in winter! My stitches are getting smaller & smaller!

Any brand in particular that you have found to be nice to work with?

I like a very traditional look of my quilts so I prefer a cotton blend like Hobbs 80/20 or Legacy 80/20 or pure cotton. I have also tried wool and it's wonderful to work with. What I don't like are battings with a scrim.
I would love to use the Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon but it isn't available here in Germany...

I prefer wool or polly. Poly Mountain Mist or cotton poly Hobbs 80/20 but I like Moutain mist better. I do not like Warm and Natural for hand quilting and I think it is not designed for it.

What exactly is scrim and why don't you want it for hand quilting?

It's a thin sheet of synthetic material that holds the batting fibers together. It can make it harder to quilt, but it also enables you to quilt less - I believe you can leave 10 inches open with Warm and Natural because the scrim keeps the fibers from lumping together.

Janet

Hobbs Heirloom wool is nice but the wool by the bolt is a little more consistent & more expensive, however when it is quilted they both look the same. I try to buy whats on sale. I don't have many choices here in Midland.