Best Batting for Hand Quilting?
 

Hello, I recently read the thread on Warm and Natural Batting and it made me think of a question. I'm a new quilter and have only used 2 different kinds of batting. I used Quilter's Dream on my first one, and I machine quilted that one and it worked fine. My second one I used Hobbs and I am currently quilting that one on my machine.
I am almost done with another small quilt top and I want to hand quilt this one. What type of batting is the best for Hand Quilting? I love the antique/wrinkly look, and I do not care for a stiff quilt, the softer and cuddly the better. So what kind of batting should I use, what's the best?
Thank you so much!

Try Cream Rose or Cream White both are 100 percent cotton , with no scrim.

Many prefer the all cotton batting for the antique wrinkly look. The cotton battins made now are soft, drape well and are easy to hand quilt. As one who teaches hand quilting, I would not recommend Warm and Natural for hand quilting. Some use it successfully and like it but I believe it has drawbacks unless one is an accomplished hand quilter. Guess my recommendation for W-n-N is to try it on a small piece first (pot holder size). But I don't believe you will get the look you want because it has a poly scrim inside and is needlepunched. The Dream Cotton is a nice hand quilting batt as well as the Mountain Mist. I also read that the bamboo batt is easy to hand quilt as well as wool. But for the antique look, then stick with the all cotton. Most of the 50?50 (cotton/poly) batts work well for hand quilting.

mountain mist & hobbs heirloom are both nice for hand quilting- batts that do not have scrim (the ones that say should be quilted every 2"-4" are best for hand quilting- sometimes a scrim is quite difficult to hand stitch through. (like warm & natural)

I'm one of those hand quilters that uses Warm & Natural with no problems. I get small, consistent stitches with no issues. And after washing, the quilt has that (to me) nice crinkly look. I also use Roxanne needles for hand quilting. That will be another decision you'll have to make. Try several different brands of both with samples. Mark them as to batting brand and try several different needles in each one and mark it some fashion - different color threads - so you know which needle/batting combo gives you the look you want.

I don't hand quilt but talked to a lady last week that does...she said she has switched to fleece in all her quilts, swore it quilted so easily by hand she would never go back to regular batting...who woulda thunk????

Great info, Holice...thank you. Yes, the bamboo batting is super soft and easy to hand quilt. For those interested, it is a little on the pricey side, but watch for the 40% off coupons from JoAnn's...it's a great deal then. :-)

Wool is the absolute best to hand quilt. It is a dream to work with.