Difference Between Hobbs 80/20 and Warm and Natural?
 

i am at the end of a roll of Warm and White, and contemplating purchasing a new roll of batting. While I have been happy with W and W, I think I want something new.

I am wondering, what is the difference between Hobbs 80/20 and Warm and Natural, from your experience?

Thanks in advance, to all you wonderful people, for your expertise!

I also will be looking forward to the results you all give. Thanks for asking the question. BrendaK

I have used both.

Hobbs 80/20 is softer and lighter in weight, and its loft is soft. That is, if you push on it it compresses but springs back when you let up. It is easy to hand quilt. It is not needlepunched and has no scrim, but is a stable batt. It needs to be quilted more closely than W&N because it is not needlepunched through scrim. After being made into a quilt, the quilt is a little more like the more modern comforters in that it has some loft.

W&N is heavier in weight and flatter. It is considerably harder to hand quilt because of the scrim. The needlepunching through scrim makes it very stable, which is why quilting lines can be so far apart. The end result is a heavier quilt than Hobbs 80/20, a stiffer quilt with less drape (although it does soften up some with each washing), and a flatter quilt quite unlike modern comforters with their lightness and loft.

My personal preference is for Hobbs 80/20.

Prism99, which batting would you say is warmer?

I have used both battings and agree with Prism99 on the quilting and hand feel. Have found no real difference in how much warmer one is than the other. They both seem about the same.

I tried Quilter's Dream recently and WOW was it an improvement over the W&N I'd been using! For me, there will be no going back!

Hobbs 80/20 is 20% polyester. W&N is 100% cotton. If you're looking for a different 100% cotton, I suggest Quilter's Dream. I use QD for hand quilting and W&N for machine quilting. QD also has a wool batting which would be warmer.

I agree that the Hobbs 80/20 and W&N are about the same in warmth. To get more warmth than either and still be light in weight with a little loft, Hobbs wool batting.

Warm & Natural is actually not 100% cotton. If you look at the label, it says it is 87.5% cotton/12.5% polymer fibers. At least the label on my roll says that. I have used both W&N and Hobbs 80/20 and like them both. The W&N does tend to be a little stiffer, but both of them tend to soften with washing and use.

I switched to Hobbs and I like it the same. I think the only difference is the scrim on the back of W&N. After a few washes, I cannot tell the difference at all on which batting is in the quilts.

If I remember correctly Quilter's Dream comes in different thicknesses. Which type of Quilter's Dream is equal in thickness and weight to Warm and Natural? Anyone know?

Hobb's has a tiny bit of loft and shows off your quilting. W&N is flat and hard compared to Hobb's 80/20. Hobb's has a nice drape and W&N gets stiff if you quilt it closer than the 10 inches apart. W&N is not actually 100% cotton, the scrim is poly. If you want a real 100% cotton go with Quilter's Dream.

Glad this question was posted. Always wondered about the differences. Thanks for all of the information.

You all are so knowledgeable. Thanks so much for the information. I was always under the impression W & N was the best. I've been proven wrong.

High on my list for qualities, is that it must wear well through lots of washings. Sometimes, on heirloom quilts that have been washed a lot, you can see the batting clumping together. I would think polyester combinations would have less clumping than cotton battings.

Thank you, again, for giving away all your helpful knowledge.

The key word here is "heirloom". What kind of batting is inside these heirloom quilts? Back in the day, they oftentimes used what was available. Sometimes, especially in the South, quilters carded their own cotton to use in quilts, and I wouldn't doubt that that kind of batting would clump.

I think you'll be fine with today's commercially produced battings, as long as you quilt per the package recommendations.

:)

Thanks for all the informative comments.

Have you tried Winline's bamboo batting? It's wonderful.
www.winlinetextiles.com

I used to use W & N, but no more. I love the drape of the 80/20, but I also found dream battings and bought the wool. It is the bomb. I haven't used poly, but dream is the only one I'd try.

I just got a case of Quilters Dream machine blend 70/30 to compare!

There's a lot of good information here, but it might help if the quilter knows in advance exactly how they plan to quilt their patchwork item: If you hand quilt it yourself, you will want your quilting patterns to show prominently: so go with a higher loft. If your quilt will be done on a longarm by a professional quilter: ASK which they will prefer to use. The first time I used a pro long-arm quilter the answer was "Warm&Natural!!!" It is so stable, it is much easier to load into the machine and keep straight and squared. If your quilted item is a garment, you will want it to drape nicely, so only use a thin batt that is intended for garments.

I usually use Hobbs 80/20 and soak it before using, it's lightweight and holds up through washings. Some like the puckering when quilts are washed as it looks 'old fashioned' but I like the flatter modern look. Of course there are times when other batting is chosen, I do like Quilter's Dream and used it in quilt DIL asked to be heavier than the quilts I made for grandkids. Grandkids first quilts always had a good poly batting as I knew the quilts would be washed many, many times.

I love, love, love QD batting.

Peggi, which Quilter's Dream batting do you prefer?

Another use for quilts is wall hangings. I like theme stiff.
For clothing I'd use bamboo/rayon for the drape.
For snuggling I"d want loft and soft.

The end use makes a difference in the choice of batting.

I'm still working on a roll of Warm Company's 50/50 which was discontinued years ago...I also love Warm Company's Soft & Bright poly batting, it's works up really well, dries quickly in the dryer, my next roll of batting will be Quilter's Dream Green though, I tried a crib size of that batting and WOW it's so soft and washed up so nicely!

If you go to the websites of various batting companies you can sign up to get a card with a sample of all their battings on it, I have one for Warm Company, Quilter's Dream and Hobbs (although I'm not a Hobbs fan)

I found that my favorite batting now is Missouri Start Best Blend. It's soft, lightweight, drapeable, and feels like a soft blanket. I stock up when the 30% sale comes along.

Warm and Natural has lots of cotton seeds. Hobbs or Winline do not.

I use W & N almost exclusively.... because I bought a roll of it twice. I seldom hand quilt so that doesn't impact my choice W &N does not claim to be 100% cotton, I like the scrim and even with dense quilting I has enough loft to please me. I have had folks comment on the warmth of the quilts I make and well... that is part of the purpose, right? I had the opportunity to purchase a package of Quilters Dream and loved it but the cost between W & N and QD was significant. I make primarily donation quilts and cost is a factor.

Using just one brand of batting does allow me to piece batting easily which is another plus when making donation quilts.