I found the denim layer alone was very heavy. Have you considered adding a layer of preshrunk flannel instead of batting?

I made a denim rag quilt with flannel in the middle and on the back, heavy and as warm as toast. Am currently cutting out circles to make the same one as you....will probably use flannel or thin batting offcuts in that also.

I did this pattern with a friend as her first quilt. http://apassionatequilter.blogspot.c...al-part-i.html Here are pics of the process: http://imgur.com/a/wVtZL no batting, just fabric and jeans, she says it's plenty heavy and warm. I've thought about doing one myself, I'd totally using flannel for the square part. Squares in this one were a charm pack, we drew 7.25 inch circles onto jeans with ink pens on the wrong side and cut them out, using a fiskars circle template I had in my paper crafting stash.

I put a flannel sheet instead of batting since my backing was quite thin. It was a challenge to quilt, but I thought it was because it was my first quilt and my fibro. From reading the comments here, maybe it is a common problem. I live in Canada, so the heavy quilts are wonderful.

I've made them with and without batting.

If you finish a row or a 9-patch section at a time, it's easier to work with. Then add the sections one at a time, so you only have a small section in your machine at a time. It's easier to do this method with octagons, squares or rectangles than it is with circles.

Denim Quilts Are Great!

LOL Here is to slob husbands!

Maybe you can never be too warm, but you sure can have a quilt that is too heavy , way too heavy. I made the Circle square, the square being the contrasting fabric in the middle, (I used a red bandana fabric) and it is way heavy with just those two fabrics.

I am making a similar quilt (very slooowly, lol) and I'm using fleece for the colored squares. I figure with denim plus fleece there will be zero need for batting for any weather I'm likely to encounter here in California!

The denim quilt I made this past winter I used a nice polar fleece(no batting) using the birthing method, with ties at every corner and blind stitched the opening. I was very satisfied with the finished product, satisfied enough-- the next one is mine.
It was not too heavy, yet had a cuddly feel. One of these days I will learn to post pics.
I used my Singer 1951 15-91 for piecing.

I made one for my grand-daughter w/o batting, flannel back. She complained that it was too heavy, so, her mother covered the headboard with it.