For the last few years I've been building a stockpile of batting from Michael's buying whenever they have a 50% off coupon in the newspaper or sent by email. The last couple of times I went to the local store I noticed there was almost no batting left on the shelves, so my husband and I went to one some distance away hoping they would have some. They had ONE roll of poly. I hunted around for some assistance and they found a couple of fusible cotton in the back.

We got back to our neck of the woods and went to the local Michael's. I was able to get a couple of rolls of poly. We asked a worker who had a scan gun to see if there was more in the back and were shocked when she said, "None on hand, none on order."

Does anyone know if they're phasing out their meager quilting supply section? I will be terribly sad since that batting with a coupon is really a bargain.

My local Walmart hasn't been restocking their batting either. I try to get batting at Joanne's with 50% off also.

My walmart has been not keeping the stocks full either. They were out for a long time and then got only a little in. ugh. Has the world gone mad...lol :) Now I am going to have to drive 35 miles to get good priced batting. But you know I will, lol :)

When I picked up my sewing machine from the repair place, the older gentleman told me that cotton batting would no longer be made. I thought for sure he meant something else and I didn't want to be rude and ask again. So maybe what he said was true because I have noticed the same thing at Michael's. I just thougt it was the store here.

I guess that makes sense with cotton prices so high now. So now we only get poly batting :( ??

I heard petroleum is used in the making of batting. This has resulted in significant price increases. One quilt shop notified me that thier new orders were up as much as $5.00 a package. Maybe because of the significant price increase retailers are holding off on future orders?

Hancock's of Paducah has all kinds of nice batting online or through their catalog: Quilters Dream, Hobbs, other good quality batts, cotton, poly and blends, with decent prices.

That's exactly why I stepped up my stockpiling of cotton batting! I guess I'd better start hunting around at Joann and elsewhere before it completely disappears! Starting to panic.

Wow, I noticed our Hobby Lobby had less batting too.

If they quit making 100% cotton batting I will quit quilting and find another hobby! I can NOT stand the feel of other batting on my hands (snob? yes!). sad but true!

No, not a snob at all. I love cotton and if they stopped making it I'd be upset!!
It's just so wonderful to work with for me.

I'm a cotton lover too...guess it is time to start buying batting in bulk.

They are not stopping the production of cotton batting. But the price of both cotton and poly are going up because the raw materials (cotton and petroleum) are going up. I loaded up on cotton batting before the price changes, didn't even think about the poly. So far, I've only had to pass on a $.25 increase per yard in the poly. There hasn't been a change in the prices of the wool batting, yet.

Part of the increases to expect are also the increases in shipping, which are built into the prices of everything you buy.

A generation or 2 ago Quilters made their own cotton batting by getting the cotton boll off the plant and carding it and making a crude felt type batting. Served them well for years.
Us GRITS (girls raised in the south) gals can easily get the cotton direct from the farmer:) Just a thought:)

Carrie, our Hobby Lobby has less packaged batting also. but ours still carries it on the bolt, at least for now.

I used to work with a woman who picked her cotton from a neighbor's field (with permission), then picked out the seeds and cleaned the cotton on our break times, and then used the cotton to make her future hubby a quilt. I had never seen it done this way, and I watched her every chance I got. By the way, the quilt turned out beautiful! Wish I had taken pictures, but at the time, no cameras were allowed in the plant where we worked.

Our Michaels hasn't had any sewing supplies for years!

Check out www.createforless.com. I got my warm & natural from there, 4 queen size for $91.96, cheaper than buying a 40 yard roll. They aren't the fastest at shipping but have great prices on many many things. I also got YLI quilting thread from them. The last couple times I was at Joanns with a 50% off coupon they didn't have the cotton batting.

Michael's? Batting? Not here. Wish it did sell batting!

Ha! I didn't even know Michael's carried batting. But I do know the price of batting, like everything else, is going up, up, up. Cotton prices are going up for a reason - bad cotton crop. Petroleum prices are going up only to make the big oil companies richer! I hate it!

Same here, the poly makes my hands feel they are being scraped with steel wool.

I buy batting by the roll from Linda's electirc quilting site, it's 30 yards 108" wide for $109.00 that includes shipping. I get 13 quilts from this plus the extra I cut off the sides I whip back together and have this for baby quilts. I figured it cost about $6.50 per quilt and I can't buy it from Hobby Lobby or Michaels with a coupon for that.

I get mine when Connecting Threads has a sale.

I'll keep making tops and will put them together when prices go down.
Unless it's something that must be finished it can wait.

I bought bamboo batting for my son's quilt. It is super soft and easy to FMQ.

Another reason to buy from Connecting Threads is you get free shipping for any order of $50 or more even when the items are on sale. It doesn't take much to come up with a $50 order, but if you don't want to spend that much at one time see if a friend wants to order with you.

I order from Warm and Natural and there isn't any shortage of cotton batting there. The prices did go up a little and I think Michaels and Walmart aren't stocking it because of the increase in price. If Walmart won't get the price they want they just don't order the product.

Since I;m reading the cotton batting is getting so costly, I have been saving all my scraps from by completed quilts, but what can I really do with all these scraps? there are only so many table runners to make and placemats. Can I sew the batting together to se?

I need some suggestions?

Use a feather stitch on your machine and sew it together. They also sell a tape type product which you use to iron it together. Try to get the grains going the same direction.

That's what I do as well.

Our local Hobby Lobby said they were starting to sell it just off the roll and not in the prepackaged bags. I've been disappointed in the quality of the latest battings I could find at some of those stores. I had gotten some at Walmart and it was fine, but the next time I bought the same brand it was thinner in some spots than others. I think I'll just switch to the more expensive, and more consistant brands.

Yes and I have a pr of the carders to do it with. I remember my mom using them in the 50's. Also my mom and I chopped cotton one summer for a farmer for $3.00 a day. Wow, hadn't thought of that in a while...

Gee, thanks, Shelley!!! Good thing I have 6 rolls stock piled up! Guess I need to get even more!!!

our Michaels never had batting or material :thumbdown:

My local Walmart is now seling 80/20 batting which they never had before along with the all poly that they already sold

And we all wonder WHY we build our stashes????
For exactly this reason!!!
If there is another recession/depression, we'll be ready!

I just came from my local WalMart here on Long Island and was thrilled! They have completely re-vamped their sewing department with quilt-friendly patterns (yay!). I got fabrics for $2 and under, batting for queen/king for $7 and a BIG new rotary cutting pad for $9. I am a happy quilter!

I noticed Jo Anns warm and natural had gone up $4.00 per package. I went to Hobby Lobby and they had very little batting in packages but did get two pkgs. of Hobbs80/20 since I have been hearing it is a nice batting. Sad to see th prices of ou hobby materials taking such a big increase.

Marshalls dry goods has cotton and cotton/poly by the rolls. Great prices when you figure the price per yard

The Michaels in my area doesn't carry anythig quilty - no batting, nothing.