Handquilting - what batting do you use??
 

I have some high loft poly, but that idea kind of scares me.

Was recommended Hobbs 80/20 prenium, and Hobbs Tuscany Silk.... found a shop with both, and am unsure which to get.....

any ideas, suggestions?

somethng you like better?

i really love stitching the wool bats. the cottons are great too, but the wool seems to hold the stitches without as much crinkle after washing, really highlighting precious hand quilting. nothing worse than all those hours for something you can barely see.

aileen

I haven't used silk, but I did handle a quilt with silk batting in a class given by Roxanne Elroy. Silk batting was her favorite for hand quilting. It provides a very luxurious feel, and the resulting quilt is very light in weight and is supposed to be cool in summer/warm in winter. It is supposed to be very easy to hand quilt.

I have hand quilted Hobbs 80/20. It's probably not quite as easy to quilt as silk, but is still very easy. The biggest difference I noted was loft. Hobbs 80/20 has more loft than silk.

If I had to choose, I'd go with the silk.

I like Hobbs wool, Hobbs polydown, Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon Cotton, and Mountain Mist lite (lightweight polyester batting). I wouldn't use a high loft batting at all - it's going to be hard to needle. I haven't tried the 80/20, but I know those hand quilters who have used it like it a lot.

Janet

I love the 80/20, but I have worked with Warm & Natural & find it very hard to push the needle through.

I really like wool (Hobbs, Legacy) for hand quilting. It has a nice drape and loft and is very easy to needle. For smaller quilts like wall hangings or cot quilts (cradle quilts) I also use a polyester batting made by Tuscany or Legacy. Hobbs 80/20 or Legacy 80/20 are fine for hand quilting as well and I used them a lot, but the look of the finished quilt is a bit more flat.
I avoid battings with a scrim like Warm & Natural because they are hard to needle - at least for me! :)

I'm one of the odd ones who does not have an issue handquilting W&N. That said, I handled silk and it feels wonderful. Would probably use this for an heirloom quilt but not a daily-use quilt just because of price. Haven't tried or handled wool but I would think it would be dandy as well. No experience whatsoever with any others.

Good to know!! I use warm and Natural in a lot of the quilts I've done on machine. So I will make a note not to use it when hand quilting!

As a suggestion, I would not use bamboo batting, which comes as a 50% bamboo/50% cotton mix. I tried to hand quilt a wall hanging using bamboo/cotton, and it was so awful that I resorted to machine stitching. The bamboo is very fibrous and makes hand stitching more than difficult. I resorted to machine stitching on that, and was pleasantly surprised to find it no more difficult than Hobbs 80/20, and it made for beautiful stitching. I have since made a lap quilt using bamboo/cotton, and it's gorgeous: lightweight yet cool in the summer, warm in the winter and very easy to care for. It's great stuff, but just not for hand quilting.

I too love wool battings- they needle beautifully- hobbs 80/20 is a very nice batting for hand quilting, I have not tried silk but would imagine it to be fabulous---I think the answer should really be based upon the quilt. are you making an Heirloom quilt? if so, go with silk or wool- something fabulously luxurious- if it is more a quilt that will be used often- nice but not necessarily one to be more of a 'show piece' than an actual used quilt go with a cotton blend or cotton. one without scrim (like warm & natural- not a good hand quilting batting)

I prefer wool, from Hobbs or Quilters Dream.

Jan in VA

Thanks everyone! I think I am going to try the Hobbs Tuscany wool.... :) Maybe save the silk for later. the $5 price difference isn't that big a deal, but I want it to be really warm, and well the quilt will be used alot, it is special to me, so I think I want something a little more than cotton.....

I really enjoy seeing everyone's opinion. I've been quilting for years, but just recently got into more handwork than machine, and am spending lots of time trying different things :)

I don't handquilt often enough but the ones I've done have been warm and natural. Nothing to compare it to but it didn't seem hard to get the needle through. On the big queen size one my
stitches definitely improved over time

I avoid high loft batting. It is too hard to hand or machine quilt for me. I think it is more appropriate for tying a quilt. I also found it very hard to attach a binding to. I am self taught but this is my experience.

When I use to hand quilt, many years ago I used poly batting. Now that I machine quilt, I use high loft poly batting. It will outlast the fabrics you use. Very soft and easy to get a needle through. I have quilted 100 quilts and almost all of them have been poly batting.

Actually, I prefer any kind of poly to a cotton batting when I hand quilt. Just got through two lap quilts using Hobbs Poly Down. Gave nice dimension and was very use to quilt. Quilters Dream makes for great hand quilting also.

I love Quilter's Dream Request loft. It is a cotton batt, but I love the look of a quilt after it is hand quilted and then washed. Gets all crinkly!

Quilters Dream

I have been hand quilting for years and always use extra loft Fairfield poly batts for my quilts. I have no problem hand quilting with the extra loft. I like to puffyness you get amd dpm't care for the machine quilted quilts. To flat and stiff for my likes. Just me.

I will have to try this. Thinking on one of my stonehendge quilts... ordered Wool (Hobbs Tuscany) for my Downton Abbey quilt, but have some high loft poly, and I do like puffy quilts :)