I bought some 80/20 to try. Usually buy the warm and natural but this should give me a little fluff which I like for quilts that will be used. It does say that it will shrink 2%.

I buy poly batting on a 70 yard roll for $72.00 from Wilson Sales in Boaz, Alabama. I have done a lot of quilts with it for all my customers and have never had any complaints so far (knock on wood). When I was quilting full time for other people I would order 5 rolls at a time but now I drive the 2 hours and get 2 at a time.

Also, cotton doesn't melt and catch fire when it is used under or over an electric blanket.

if you do chairty quilt they don't want you to use poly . an alergic thing and it's melts in case of fire.

That's me all over again.

I like the polyester batting. It really puffs after being machine quilted. I think it holds up well after repeated washings that a crib/lap quilt require.

poly is very hard to work with and won't look as nice. After you spend the time and money making a beautiful top, poly can ruin it.

I make mostly baby quilts. poly is a no no with newborns because it dosent breath and can over heat a small child.

I like cotton because it is warmer, drapes better, feels more cuddly. I LOVE cotton because it is perfect for the babies!!!

I have volunteered at Project Linus and they use polyester batting and tie their quilts with polyester yarn.

Wow, talk about learning something new every day, so many things I didn't know.

I have used all kinds if batting, but my preference is warm and natural, I like the feel, there is no smell, you can iron on it, and you don't have to quilt as dense. But, I also like the fact that it is natural, and is not made from petroelum products. I rarely use poly because of that, but I did use it when I did my first trapunto project, because that is what everyone suggested. It looked beautiful, but it was a wall hanging, and no one would be bundled up in it. I only do machine quilting so so many things that would bother a hand quilter are not important to me. Another reason I don't use poly is that my husband is a asthmatic, and he swears he can smell the poly, and it bothers him.

I felt some of the bamboo batting, I think I would use that in a instant, because it feels like silk, and it is very green to the environment. That is very important to me. But it is so expensive, there is no way I could afford it with all the quilts that I make.

I have never heaard of the batting made from plastic bottles.

Like I said, you learn something new everyday. Thank you all for all the info.

I have been quilting since 1988 and used poly in a couple of my quilts and didn't like the bearding at all. Once I started machine quilting, I found that I liked cotton batting or hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting; poly batting slips. when you're machine quilting, cotton sticks to your fabrics.
My hubby sweats far too much under a quilt with poly
batting in it.
Sharon W.

I only use polyester batting, it doesn't shrink like cotton will and warm and natural shrinks also. All 92 Quilts and comforters I have made in the last 45 years has polyester batting inside them.
It is very nice to work with. I used warm and natural in a bird cage cover and it shrank when I washed it and dried it, polyester has never done that. We sleep under a quilt all year round and have no problems, heat in winter and A/C and ceiling fan in summer.

Depends on what I want the quilt to do.

If I want it real traditional, or if I want it to be a true, warm bed quilt, I use cotton.

If I want it lightweight and "breathe-y," that is to say not hot, then I use polyester.

If I want it thin and drapable, such as in a mini, then I use a very thin polyester.

If I want it durable such as a tabletopper then I use cotton - which also accommodates possible hot dishes.
.

I usually always use warm & natural.

If you want to try it, go for Hobbs Tuscany Washable Wool. I didn't feel that it was all that much more in cost but Oh what a difference in a quilt. It quilts beautifully and feels wonderful, drapes beautifully. Can you tell I really like it.

New quilter here, and I'm confused. (Not that I'm new to being confused or anything. lol)

Anyway, I'm taking a beginning quilt class at my LQS and our teacher told us that cotton was for machine quilting and poly for hand quilting. What's the reasoning there? I think she said it had to do with how the batting binds to the fabric of the quilt top??

I use both the Poly - I buy the thin type I get from Hancock of paduca and it is soft and drapes beautiful and get my 20/80 warm and natural from joannes - I enjoy them both - the difference is that cotton breathes and poly keeps body heat in ... I use poly for quilts that I use in the winter when guest come and we turn down the heat in the house (at night) so they won't get cold. I have a scappy quilt on my bed with poly and it is the only blanket I use because I get too warm with more than one blanket on me at night. But I think every one should use what they like.

Judy, I second that confusion statement.

There are no steadfast rules when it comes to batting, it's more a preference thing. That was the teachers opinion.

I think warm & natural is better for me to machine quilt.

I agree Kate, it seems more stable. I seem to get more puckers when I have used the poly batting.

I use Quilter's Dream Poly Batting for my best quilts. It is light weight and quilts up wonderfully whether by hand or machine. It is good to use for places that need a light breathable quilt, like South Florida. For my family in the north I use Jo Ann's polyester because they like the puffy warm effect. For them I use a medium loft. Finding what is right for you and those you love requires testing and what you can afford.

Thank you. :)

The safety issue is definite.

I really like Warm and Natural, but my husband likes heavier quilts, so I bought some Dream Cotton supreme and deluxe weight batting. I like them both and they are heavier(and warmer). I like the puckered look when they are washed. I recently purchased Dream Wool and am looking forward to using it in a large quilt for my bed. Does anyone use wool batting and if so what are your thoughts on it and which brand do you prefer?

I found the price of poly batting way cheaper than the rest and as I am new to this craft I wasn't keen on spending much. I have made 4 quilts and was very frustrated when I quilted the first three as no matter what I did they would pucker on the backing. I bought some cotton batting for the last quilt I made and it didn't pucker at all! I think that was because the polyester seems to stretch between the layers but the cotton didn't, it was much easier to work with also. I will not be going the polyester way anymore :!:

I only have used warm and natural or warm and white. Never tried the poly.

I've never tried cotton because to me it feels 'heavier' and I like a light fluffy quilt (more like a comforter).

I slept under quilts with cotton batting as a child and always felt weighted down..of course my mom felt like you needed 3 or 4 to be 'good and warm', since all heat was turned off at night, and a window had to be open an inch or so too!

I use what ever batting is sent to me. God bless.

Give me wool any day, also. It conforms to you. Can be cool in summer and warm in winter. It quilts beautifully and doesn't beard. And wool is fire-retardant!

I have been using "Soft & Elegant" or "Simply Cotton" from Ebay. Inexpensive but I love it on the Tin Lizzie and it drapes beautifully better yet its under $30.00 including shipping for 90 x 120.

I use Quilters Dream Blend 70/30 for my quilts. Their label says it is especially made for machine quilting (of course they could be saying that just to sell the product). I've used in in many quilts and it holds up beautifully in the wash.

The biggest difference between polyester batting and cotton batting is --- cotton shrinks Polyester doesn't. Another reason I only use polyester batting.

I never iron my quilts after I sandwich them. I wouldn't know if the polyester melts or not.

Yes, polyester melts. These are pictures from a cotton fabric quilt with poly batting. It was on a bed on top of an electric blanket that was turned on. A 3 year old was sitting on the quilt playing, the pressure from his body on the quilt and electric blanket was enough for the quilt to catch on fire and the poly batting melt. My guild is trying to salvage the quilt. Only the quilt, electric blanket and bed were hurt, not the little boy.

I love the wool batting from Hancocks of Paducah. It's so soft and cuddly. Makes a great quilt.

I'm kind of late to the party, but I was looking for any help with the weight of the poly batting I can buy. I can get it in 80 gram up to 200 gram weight. I was wondering what the typical weight would be for machine quilting. Does anyone know?

Those of you who buy it in 30 meter rolls or something like that...do you have just one choice to buy? How did you decide which loft to buy?

As to being a fire hazard due to melting on a child. I'm maybe a bit cynical, but if the polyester is between two layers of fabric, wouldn't the child already be in a "heap of hurt" if the fabric is so hot that the inside melts? Seems like it is "too hot" already.

It doesn't burn, but just melts, so that seems like a plus. As a fire hazard, cotton definitely would burn more easily. Don't they make pjs often out of some sort of poly fabric that isn't flammable? I thought that non flammability was actually a plus.