I've used all kinds of fabric in quilts ... some very cheap fabrics, and after making 100's of quilts, I haven't seen any problems that would cause me to lose sleep. Unless the quilt you are working on is to go to a quilt show, I wouldn't worry. Just finish it and enjoy! Life is too short to fret over something that may not happen.

I had one of my first quilts beard. It was dark navy fabric and I used poly batting. It was awful. I have never used poly batting again and never have had a bearding issue since.

thimblebug6000, have you washed the quilt with the bearding? I have one that needs to be washed but I'm wondering if that will make the problem worse. It was made in the late 90s--machine quilted-- and a lot of the battings were a problem then. Thanks

In 1992 and in 1994, I made my first two quilts for each of my kids. I didn't know any better and I purchased 100% polyester batting. They have used the heck out of these quilts. Faded and loved and no sign of bearding. I'm still quilting and use whatever is on sale. 100% cotton - cotton/poly - poly. I think its a lot of hype.

A bit off topic, but I found when I used a poly-cotton I couldn't get the basting spray to stick. Someone told me it only worked well on cotton fabrics. Just something to be aware of down the road.

Watson

I don't know about bearding but when I completed several of a friend's mom's UFOs made with poly/cotton, I had alot of missed stitches. I just finished them as best as I could and told her to snip any loose threads.

I have used Broadcloth which is a blend and it handles just fine. If you are worried about bearding, don't use poly batting.

I use Soft & Bright by the Warm Company exclusively, it's 100% poly, been thru several queen bulk rolls and I've never ever had an issue with bearding. I'm a pin baster but a friend uses the same batting and 505 spray for all her quilts and it works fine also. I think a good quality batting with a scrim is very unlikely to beard regardless of the fiber.

I have never had a problem with bearding and occasionally use poly blend fabrics. But, if you are worried about it, why not make a sample small quilt sandwich with your fabric and choice of batting and quilt it to test it out before going further on the whole quilt?