Has anyone ever used a blanket for the batting in a quilt? I remember long ago my mother gave the squares one aunt had made to another aunt to put together into a quilt, and she gave her a blanket to use as the batting. It seemed to wear pretty well and was nice and warm, but I've never done it myself. I just happened to think of it the other day and began wondering if it was a good idea or not. Any thoughts?

My mom used blankets for batting. She grew up in the depression and never wasted anything so ratty old blankets were just washed and put into a quilt. She tied her quilts, I don't know how they'd do if they were quilted.

it would work fine, I think. Different feel than traditional batting, maybe not as stiff, but then different battings have different feels to them.

My grandma used blankets for batting. My mom did in the one she made for my daughter. They were all just fine.

Yes. just make sure they've been washed if they're new. They can be tied or quilted with no problems at all. Mom used to take two or three old sheet blankets that were worn out and cut the best pieces out of one or two to lay over the holes in the first one then lay the quilt top on and quilt them. There was never a problem but she wasn't trying to win awards, just keep us kids warm in a drafty old farm house.

Just be sure the blanket lays flat.

Sometimes the blanket can be cut apart and sewn back together to get a more-or-less even thickness to the filling.

If it's warped/wonky/lumpy/bumpy - it will make the whole quilt the same - and be very difficult to work with.

A friend of mine tried to be "economical" by using a warped, worn out baby blanket in a quilt she was trying to make. In this case, she was being CHEAP - and later told me that it was a mistake to use it. Tried to tell her in a nice way that it wasn't a good idea, but no-o-o, she thought it would work. Sometimes one just has to try it for oneself before becoming convinced. :?

I have an old wool blanket that I may try for a new quilt for our bed.
It has been in my closet for a long time,found it yesterday while looking for something else.

If the wool blanket has already been washed a few times, I would think it would be fine.

If it's one of those thick wool blankets, I wonder how a duvet type of covering would work for/over it. (I have one folded up on a shelf that is really warm, but a bit scratchy.)

This one is scratchy also.
that's why I thought this might be the answer

Have never made a duvet cover but why not??

Long ago a friend of mine made a picnic quilt using her UGLY fabric as batting. So I made one using 2-3 pieces of my UGLIEST cotton fabric, someone gave me the fabric trying to also get rid of it! :) Anyway I washed/dryed it, then sandwiched the UGLY stuff between 2 pieces I liked and quilted straight lines with the machine. Made a good quilt to sit on at the park, use as a tablecloth on those park tables, etc. Also got rid of that UGLY fabric. I have also done this with quilted tote bags. Worked then as well, but I have been trying to avoid the UGLY stuff as much as possible! Lol :)

I wonder if one made something like a huge pillowcase for the blanket, and then just used several giant safety pins here and there to hold the blanket in place until the cover got dirty?

Like a duvet that has ties, buttons or snaps so you can take it out and wash the cover? It may be real hard to get a blanket into something like that. :)

As a wedding gift (many years ago) we received a lovely soft blanket that was made with fibers imbedded into a sheet of foam. After a a few years and many washings the fibers were all gone and I was left with a sheet of foam. I used it as the batting for a picnic blanket and it was perfect. My grandmother also used old blankets as batting in her quilts all the time. As mentioned before, this was during the depression when people made use of everything they had.

So, yes, blankets will work but you'd want to take the precautions mentioned above so they lay flat and don't have worn/thin spots.

Foam??? Wow, never heard of a blanket made with foam!! :D:D

I would make sure it is a soft blanket, not a cheapy one. I made the mistake of using a $4.00 cheapy from Walmart. It quilted nicely but it doesn't drape well. It is still rather stiff feeling, ever after repeated washings. It feels heavy too, not comfy like a quilt should.

My favorite quilt in the world was made for my husband to keep him warm in the recovery room after a major surgery. I used a cotton blanket, real heavy for the backing and cotton batting inside. Is the heaviest quilt I own and the warmest. He used it after surgery, but he prefers to be cold, so now I use it.

You're probably not old enough. :lol: This was in the late 60s.
And they weren't around long. Probably because of the shedding problem I mentioned.

My MIL used blankets for batting. She survived the dust bowl days and used everything. The one thing you absolutely must do when using a blanket for batting is to pre wash and dry your fabric.

I have used an old blanket as batting and it worked out fine just used a crosshatch design to hold it together. The first one I did was about 10 years ago and it is still going strong. It has had lots of washings etc. as I now use it to cover a chair in the family room that our dog sits on.

Once it's inside, who's going to know? I cut a chunk out of an old wool blanket to use and it worked fine.

The final quilt will have much the same heft as the batting, so choose your blanket accordingly. I'm not sure I would buy a blanket instead of batting.

I have used old blankets and mattress pads also. No problems here.

Yes, old blankets are fine to use. I use them all the time. I get most of mine from yard sales. I also use the quilted bedspreads that have batting on the back. I just make sure the pattern won't show through the quilt. I have even used the quilted bedspreads for the backing if they are like new when I find them. They work great on the back of denim quilts.

I know of one (nationally known) quilter who makes a lot of large wall-hangings on commission for commercial buildings. She uses well washed (and shrunk) navy blankets (like army blankets, but cream colored) as the "batting" for her pieces because they hold their shape and don't sag when hanging.

I have too, but the one I used was hard to quilt through....I think it was a cheapie from Walmart, but really worn out!

I have used fleece for batting and also put no batting in and used the fleece for the batting/backing all in one. These were charity quilts and turned out really nice. Soft and wonderful for the children they were going to. I was in Minn. visiting my teen aged granddaughter and went to an outlet and paid $1.99 a yard for fleece so could afford to do this. H.R. Harris I believe is the outlet store's name. Sue

Based on the responses, it seems to be OK - IF you are doing the quilting yourself. If you plan on taking the top to a long-armer for quilting, check w/her first! Professional long arm quilters have strict conditions for what they will quilt & type of batting used.

I've used blankets in 2 quilts. Before my son was born in 1979, I made him a baby quilt using a pretty blue quilt top to cover one of my daughter's baby blankets and backed it with small blue checked fabric. Another time, I used a blanket that we received as a gift (didn't like the color)as batting for a pink quilt that I made for my daughter's bed. I tacked (tied) both instead of quilting them. They were both stiff but wore well and are still used now and then.

i have used prewashed "cheapie" walmart blankets many times for batting. they require more basting since basting spray doesn't work well (for me) on polyester. otherwise they have served well. if i've done a decent job of quilting, i can't tell the difference between those and the ones i've made with cotton batting.

I love using fleece blankets! I can buy them locally which is a huge bonus, and my own lap quilt is made with just a top and a fleece blanket. I prefer it to any of the others I have.

My mother-in-law recently passed away and we brought home some of her mattress pads....why, I have no idea. LOL I was wondering if they would work for batting as they seemed nice and could be useful.

I have found several old blankets at thrift stores, I thought would be good for batting, but haven't used them yet.

Thanks for this discussion.

I have bought fleece when it is on sale at Hancock's and used it as batting. Also on baby quilts as the backing with no batting. It quilts very well.

I have used mattress pads in my kids quilts and they stand up will. They are very nice and warm.

Yes, I have used many blankets for filling of a quilt. I make youth sized quilts for the veteran's hospital near me. All my friends, when they have a worn, faded blanket donate them. When I run out, I go to a thrift store. The quilt pattern on the top and the colorful lining, along with the blanket makes a wonderful addition for the totes I place them in for carry home.

So far in the last 3 years, I have made and donated 179 quilts. Working on one a day now for Christmas. Have lots of fabric. Am moving and can't take it with.

Wool blankets can be very difficult to work with. They are usually too heavy for traditional quilting. If you want a comforter, that would be great, exceept tie it with carpet worp thread which won't un-tie.

Thank you for the feedback. I wasn't sure how they would work. I figured at the least, I could use them in coasters, wall hangings or doll quilts. They are older cotton ones, not polyester, so it seems a shame to throw away good cotton.

Thanks again.

I also use mattress pads rather than buying batting for the quilts I make for the veterans hospital. Just be careful about the fabric of the mattress pad. Some have a webby fabric. I find that is not good. They tear apart with use and ruin the quilt.

My thinking is that it depends on the look you want on your finished project. If you like puffy, then you need a real batt. One of the first quilts I made, I put a flannel sheet inside and I'm now so disappointed that I did that. But that was before I "knew what I was doing" and I didn't have much money then either to put into a quilt. I had put a lot of time into embroidering blocks for a quilt for my little girl and they really deserved better quality for finishing. As with all of our quilt projects, it depends on the use you have for the quilt and whether you want to put a lot of time and money into it. If it's a utility quilt, you may enjoy the blanket inside but, if it's likely to be handed down as a family treasure, you might decide to use the real thing.

I have used blankets, sheets, old quilts and thin mattress pads for batting. My quilts will never be artistic in value but they are warm, and hold up wonderful. I made one out of peiced sheets for the top and backing and a mattress pad for the batting. Tied it together with embroidery floss. Washed it every two days for 5 years and it still wouldn't die. The dog finally chewed a hole in it!

I received 30+ years ago a quilt from my grandmother who used a blanket as the batting, the quilt was tied and it was used to death!

When I first started quilting I had noone around me to give me advice, so I just used old blankets that family donated. I did that for quite a while until I started getting magazine subscriptions and learned that "real" quilters used purchased batting. Since then that's what I've always used. But I can absolutely swear to you that the ones I made with old blankets are still in heavy use after all these years. My daughter and her family live in Ohio where it can really get cold, and they use those quilts on their beds in the coldest of weather and swear they are the warmest things they have.
Bottom line is, use what you want to use, old blankets or whatever. As long as nothing is falling apart.

8-)