My first quilt that I made I didn't know a thing about batting and bought what the package said "batting for quilts". It was a very high loft and I didn't like it at all. Made the quilt too puffy looking. Now I usually use Warm and Natural or lately I have been using Hobbs 80/20. I did make a quilt for one of my granddaughters and used wool batting and that was nice too as she lives in a cold climate in the winter and it is nice and warm. I guess it is trial and error and personal preference. Good luck to you on your decision.

Battleaxe- I just used wool for the first time and it's wonderful!
It very lightweight but warm. My cat, Mookie is fighting with me over it every night ! I made a sofa quilt and we go at it nightly.
I should make him one and buy another sofa haha!!!

Thanks for all the help. I bought the book. And I was leaning toward wool after reading some of the info.

I need to study them more too. A lot of my quilts seem too heavy. That's why I was so delighted with the wool. (and so was Mookie haha)

I can't help you any. I am looking for a cotton/poly blend that is slightly puffy. So far I haven't found it. Pellon Natural Touch wasn't bad when it first came on the market, but then it thinned down - at least my latest packages were thinner. The hunt continues.

A few years ago at our local quilt show school house (education program), a long-armer brought samples of batting that had been quilted and washed. It was very interesting to see the differences - the way they looked or wrinkled, the amount they shrank, etc.

I made a quilt with Hobbs silk batting and it's my favorite because it is a cooler quilt (great for Texas). Silk batting is more expensive, and my daughter said it wasn't warm enough for her, so I don't use it very much. My go to favorite for family is Hobbs Tuscany Wool (wash cool / warm, dry under a ceiling fan) which is wonderful and very light weight. The weight make a big difference in a large quilt when I'm quilting it. If I'm making for charity or someone I think will just throw a quilt in the washer and dryer or a baby quilt, I use both Hobbs 80/20 or Quilter's dream 80/20. If the quilt is mainly white and I don't want seam allowance shadows to show, I make certain I use a bleached or white batting from Hobbs or Quilters Dream.

Happy quilting!

This pic is for Battleaxe. She wanted to know if Mookie was my avatar but no, that's my sweet Mabel.
Mookie and Baby are brother and sister and still sleep together a lot. They are so sweet!

Cute cats Susie.

I use high loft Polyester batting for our quilts.

For donation quilts I use project fleece from Walmart.

I buy everything for the quilts so I buy that.

My preference is Warm and Natural. I use poly batting with medium to loft on some things. But it depends on the project. I see that many have offered many great suggestions for you. Most of all it is your preference.

Yes, i have long used only Quilter's Dream Orient. Have never had even a hint of a problem! Not with full sized quilts of just 6" blocks.