How do you quilt for Florida?
 

I have just encouraged a friend from FL to get into quilting. She is jumping in with both feet, and I will try to mentor by email and recommend U-Tub tutorials. But, here's the question. I love using Hobbs 80/20 batting and recommended it to her. She reminded me that FL weather is much different that MI. Sooo - what do you gals use for your middle of your quilt sandwich?

I have made several quilts for my florida family. The best review was when I used bamboo batting. This quilt is on their bed year round. They say it is cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. The second was wool batting. I have heard some people say the same about cotton batt but I've not tried that yet.

I know that Hobbs batting has a wool line but I am not sure about bamboo.

Depends on where she is in Florida. North Florida will see very chilly temperatures in January and February. Last year they had an ice storm, it was very cold.

My sister lives in Miami ... and i swear, if it gets below 70 she's complaining she's freezing.....I'm working on a springtime color quilt for her right now for Christmas....and will probably use the 100% cotton, thin batting that i have. Should be just about warm enough i hope.

Wool is lightweight and breathes. It's wonderful for a warmer climate.

My grandmas & aunts are the same way. It gets down to the high 60's at night & you'd think it was sub-zero weather by their descriptions "it's so cold I can feel it in my bones"... ummmm, really?!!!! We would kill for 60-degree weather as a high up here in Illinois.

Ok, off my soap box... I use the same W&N for their quilts as I use for the ones I make to sell up here. I like wool, but since they launder their quilts more frequently (up to 2x/week) down there, I probably wouldn't use it. Definitely have to make sure everything can go in washer & dryer because of how easily mold, mildew & pests grow down there. If they don't dry the quilt all the way in the dryer, it quickly starts to smell mildewy.

Any thin batting will do. Hobbs 80/20 is fine. We use our quilts more for the air conditioning in the summer than the winter.

I thin cotton batting is Cream Rose or Cream White ( Made by Mountain Mist ) . That's is what I would use for a warm climate quilt. Just enough batting so its has a bit of a loft but 100 percent cotton so it breaths. It has a wonderful drape.

I live in FL and the quilts I grab most often to use myself are the ones with Hobb's 80/20 batting. With the fans/AC on all the time, I am still cool often inside.

The same as you do for anywhere else, except you use Quilters Dream Select Loft cotton batting or their wool batting. Yep, wool! Wool tends to regulate warmth, not "make" you warm. I sleep under my wool-batted quilt in the summer when the house temp is 76 degrees. Never use polyester, which holds in heat.

Jan in VA

I quilt here in Central Florida, and I use Quilters Dream 70/30 all the time. It is thin enough, and as others have said, lap/personal size quilts are often used to take the chill out of the air conditioning.

I use Hobbs 80/20. It's pretty much the only batting I use.

Most people living in Florida have acclimated to the warmer weather and feel cold when people from up north wouldn't. I remember starting college at Michigan State U and you could tell the people from the south because they were wearing winter coats and wrapped up in scarfs in September, when the people from Michigan were wearing short sleeves and shorts. So, I wouldn't change the batting for a Florida quilt. It might be better not to do a denim and flannel quilt with batting, though.

You don't have to use any batting... just a front and a back. Or try one thickness of flannel instead of batting.

North* -South *
 

EXACTLY!! The first time I went to FL, I took my 3 children. It was END of October...my kids had a ball swimming & running around in 'summer' clothes. I heard passerbys commenting on the Crazy northerners!! It was really warm! for us!

Just like for anywhere else. With AC in most residences, the only time many Floridians sweat is if they have to work outside. So when your friend makes quilts, she should decide the batt on where it will be used. I generally use Hobbs 80/20.
Yes, we do feel cold at 60! I say my blood has 'thinned.' But in reality, as one ages, it seems that more heat is needed! Go figure! WE always know who the tourists are in the winter! :)

I live on the Space Coast and we do like our quilts in our winter and for the air conditioner/fans! Almost all my friends use warm and natural, I have some wool on order and am excited to try it! If you like the high loft 80/20 is still okay when the humidity is a bit lower.

I use a plain cotton batting, works just fine>

Because I hand quilt, I like using Hobbs Polydown. It is much easier to hand quilt than something with cotton. I live in S. AL, just north of the Fla. line and we like warm quilts and throws to snuggle under during our "cold" winter days & nights. Hey, it really does get down to freezing at least a few nights each year.

I have a lap quilt I use daily what with the fan and a/c. There are moments that I get really hot and sweaty but my husband tells me to just wait for a minute or two and I will be cold again. LOL Ah menopause! Gotta love it. I think the batting I used on that one is 80/20.

Bamboo for south Florida or thin 80/20 ..I now live in north Florida after 35 years inft. Lauderdale.Florida. I still love wool and warm and natural for a flatter quilt.. 80/20 is great also.

I use Hobbs 80/20 as well and find it the perfect weight.

I use 80/20 all the time for here in central Fl. And in Jan and Feb I am usually under 2 quilts at night!

And remember you ladies up north, (I am from Canada and NY at one time) As you live down here in FL your blood gets thinner and you feel the cold just as much and it can be very humid here, but as things get washed more, a good cotton batting would be good. Up here 70 miles N of Tampa it gets down to freezing some in the winter, usually in 50's-60 or higher in day time. Like El Paso, sun does down and so does Temp.

Flannel is also another option.

Another idea would be to use flannel. Did that in a baby quilt years ago!

I agree - I also live in Central Florida - no need to change the batting for a Florida quilt. Of course, it is also persona preference.

I lived for years in Michigan and now live in Florida. I make my quilts for Florida the same way I did when I lived in a northern area. I live in the Nature Coast of Florida (about 150 miles into FL) and it gets chilly here in Jan and Feb so a quilt is a welcome addition. Many of the houses in Florida are made of block on slabs and not insulated as heavily as northern houses so they do get chilly around the edges more easily. Add that to what others have said about becoming acclimated to warmer weather and warm in the north is cool in the south. I like Warm and Natural batting and it is what I use for any quilt I make. My Florida quilter friends either use that or 80/20.

I live in Central Florida and I always use 80/20 cotton/poly blend. We used some small ones last night as we've been having cooler nights recently and we're not used to the cooler temps yet. Even here we sometimes get down to the 30's at night, so it's nice to have a quilt to cuddle up under.

I make "summer quilts" or "counterpane" quilts or whatever other people call them. It's a quilt without batting. It's too thin to tie and I suppose you could hand quilt it, but I just machine quilt a stipple pattern all over it to hold it together. They are surprisingly warm. If they aren't warm enough, I just put two on top of me!

Why would they launder their quilts 2x a week?Just asking?