I saw in another post that someone mentioned that you can't tie a quilt made with cotton batting... is that true? If so, I'm glad I saw that b/c I was getting ready to finish one off that way!

It depends on the batting. Warm and Natural can be tied, I believe. Mountain Mist traditional cotton can not and must be very closely quilted. It should say right on the packaging if you can use it in a tied quilt and how far apart your ties need to be. Even a polyester bat suitable for tied quilts needs to be tied every 3" or so.

W&N is the only thing our LQS carries I believe so I should be good to go... Although it just dawned on me that some other stuff I bought there when they first opened isn't and is a much looser weave so probably not the case with it. I'll have to check for sure what I have for this particular quilt.

I have been told that it is very difficult to get your needle through W & N.

the batting packaging tells you if it is suitable for tied quilts, it is very important for success to read the packaging, it contains a wealth of information.

I've tied plenty of cotton batting quilts and they're all fine.

I have tied Warm and Natural, the needle went through it like butter :D:D:D
Just check on the packaging how closely you need to tie it :wink:

They had to have some sort of scrim then or were needle punched. A traditional cotton batting that needs to be quilted as close as 1" or less is not suitable for tying. The batting will shift and bunch over time and not remain evenly distributed throughout the quilt. I have seen many 100% cotton battings that say right on the packaging "not suitable for tied quilts". If the packaging states it is ok to tie then you are fine. Or if you can quilt as far apart as 3" also a good indication that you can tie with this batting.

Here is a good link
http://www.quiltingassistant.com/batting.html

Well, if that were the case, my grandmothers' quilts are headed for disaster!!! :shock: All of their old quilts have cotton batting in them, and they are holding up just fine, thank you very much! :oops: :lol: :thumbup:

I agree with you , way back when everyone used cotton Batting are old Blankets and they tied them with no problem and they are still around today :D

It is good enough to hand quilt, I think a tie should be easy-breezy.

The batting I have says it can go up to 10" so I should be fine... I'm a bit concerned about the other stuff I used in a couple of quilts b/c I did SITD so some spacing is pretty far. I guess time will tell!

What company batting is it that you could go up to 10". I have to make a few quicky quilts that I was going to tie.

I use Quilters Dream cotton and have never had a problem tying even on the hightest loft. It is an excellent batt and I have never had it shift, bunch or wadd up in any place. Believe me they were/are well loved and used by grandchildren who can really give anything a workout. Washed and dryed in the machine with absolutely no problems.

oh nooo. ... I think I made a major mistake with the one I just tied. Did not even think about the batting holding up with it being tied. I certainly did not tie it 3" apart. more like 10. wanted to get it done it was/ is a cal king that just seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. We shall see I guess. Thanks for the topic will be looking at what people comment. T

generally when tying quilts the rule of thumb is to have a tie every (fist) width apart. anywhere on the quilt top you place your fist should touch a tie...above, below and on each side (4" is standard, with a fist being a good measuring tool) 10" apart is definitly too far apart to not bunch and cause bunching later.
and again, the batting matters. even if your batting says you can quilt 10" apart; ties need to be closer because they are not consistantly holding the batting all around that 10" space. 4" spacing for tying!

Maybe I am lucky, but I just learned how to tie quilts through cotton batting, and it was easy. We put some beeswax on the embroidery floss, used a hooked needle when we threaded the floss, and it just slipped through the layers like silk. The needles were really sharp, and maybe the wax made it easier?

It's some warm and natural I just bought last week - it says on the package that you can leave up to 10" open :) I know for tying I can't do that far, but for quilting, especially SITD with some patterns, that's really nice!

I get high loft batting at JoAnn's for when I want to tie a quilt. I wait until I have a coupon so it isn't so expensive.