Best batting???? Suggestions needed
 

I am kinda new to quilting. I have made four quilts all using White & Natural batting. All are machine quilted. Does anyone have a suggestion on a different batting? Quilts will be used and machine washed. Your thoughts appreciated.

I like the cotton Warm & Natural batting. If my quilt has lots of white in it I use their Warm & White cotton batting which may be what you used? Some like wool or bamboo battings, it all depends upon your preferences.

I like Hobbs PolyDown when I want a quilt that will dry quickly -- good for children's quilts that will get washed frequently, and sometimes requested for donation quilts that will be shipped out of the country.

I like 100% cotton batting a lot, but stopped using Warm and Natural because this type of batting -- needlepunched through scrim -- has a much stiffer drape than other cottons. All cotton battings, including W&N, soften up with repeated washings but I prefer cotton that is thinner. My personal favorite is Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon cotton batting, but that is a very "old-timey" choice and many modern quilters think it is too thin, plus it requires close quilting (no more than 2" apart). Quilter's Dream cotton offers nice drape with a choice of thinness/thickness, and it is needlepunched (but not through scrim) and therefore has superior stability (which allows quilting lines to be farther apart).

Hobbs wool batting is highly recommended for both machine and hand quilting. My next quilt will have this batting in it so I can compare it to the others I have used. An advantage of wool is that it breathes well, is supposed to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and it retains its warmth even when wet.

Me too. I like the cotton battings best.

Dream Orient for me.

I buy Pellon 80/20 cotton/poly batting from Walmart.com. A 96"x9yd bolt costs about the same as one queen size of the packaged name brands. I'm on my second bolt of it and have had no issues at all, in fact I like it very much.

Cari

Agree. I stopped using W&N for this reason, switched to Quilter's Dream and have been very happy ever since. Wool is also nice, although a bit more expensive. I have some bamboo, haven't tried it yet.

I prefer Quilters Dream, I like the way it handles while putting the layers together and the finished product too.

Following this post.

I use warm & natural. It's easy for me to find and goes on sale a lot. I tried hobbs 80/20 and hate it with a passion. I find that the quilts made with warm and natural soften up as much as the ones I did with 80/20 after a wash or two and some use.