I usually use Warm and Natural cotton. I am working on a whole cloth now, and I decided to try wool. I LOVE it!! Its expensive, but, WOW it needles so easily and has great loft.

I really learn a lot reading all the posts and so many people have so much knowledge. Thanks to everybody. I have used Warm & Natural, or White to hand quilt and it works great. I have tried Heirloom, seems lumpy to me. I have tried polyester but it takes a long, long time to quilt even a lap sized quilt and by the time I'm finished, the polyester seems to separate around the edges. I guess I could hand baste right along the sides of my quilt, but after pin basting, I don't really want to baste any more, I'm ready to quilt!
I have never tried wool batting. Can you wash it without shrinking? :?:

The package (Hobbs Heirloom Wool) says its washable and will not shrink. It gives detailed instructions on how to wash. I will get back to you, after I finish the quilt and wash it!!!

I'm working with wool right now and am loving it. Hobbs Heirloom Wool, my needle flies through it, it gives a lovely soft drape and has a good thick loft to show off your quilting.

Thank you so much for all of the advice and opinions, I
learn something new every time I check here.
MaryAlice, I just finished a whole-cloth quilt and I used Hobbs Heirloom Wool. It is wonderful. It needles so nicely. The quilt was white and so after several months in the frame I had to wash it and the wool batting was just like new. I think you will be pleased with the results. Even though the wool is expensive, for a "special" piece, it is well worth is. Pam

The wool batting I used was pre-washed so that it would not shrink. And I agree, for a special piece it is well worth it. It makes hand quilting a pleasure, not a chors.

My mother made the best quilts out of wool. Most of her wool tho was harvested from soldiers uniforms and other used (from clothing) wool. She used cotton as the batting and tied the quilts as opposed to quilting them. In the summer time she would have us take them out and hang them on the clothes lines to air and sun for a day. We lived in So. Indiana and the quilts would smell so fresh when we took them in.

I have used a LOT of Warm & Natural and Warm and White. Am in the process of doing a lot of hand quilting on a large quilt and am sorry that I used the Warm & Natural in it. If I had to do it again I would use wool or Dream Cotton. W&N is hard to hand quilt and it makes a large quilt VERY heavy. That's called live and learn.