I was wondering what the difference between cotton batting and polyester batting. Thanks! :D

cotton is better! cotton is heavier, more dense, poly is very light, cotton wicks away moister poly does not, cotton will draw up and give your quilt that good old fashioned look snuggly look, poly will not, can you tell I like cotton ?

I like cotton too. It just seems softer to me. It lays out nicer too when you're making a sandwich. I used to use poly, until the first time I used cotton, now I only use poly when I'm doing trapunto.

I don't like poly b/c it beards.
I love the 80/20 cotton poly
I also do a lot of hand-quilting and it looks so much nicer to me using cotton. My opinion only here!

I have used both and they both have their uses. I prefer cotton. It feels better and draps better.

I usually use cotton, but last quilt tried 80/20 and really like it. Would also like to try Hobbs washable wool. Saw some at a quilt shop during a shop hop and it felt so nice...and DH keeps saying he likes "poofy" quilts. I can't get him to understand that what he is referring to are "comforters"! Gotta love him anyhow...he is my enabler ;-)

Cotton is easier to quilt, poly is cheaper.

I actually find poly easier to hand quilt then cotton. I prefer the look and drape of cotton though. However I am currently working a project using Quilter's Dream polyester. It has lovely drape and is very easy to needle.

Also cotton doesn't melt when an Iron touches it where poly on the other hand can make a mess when an iron gets too close.

Some of the polys don't hold up as well through the washer either, they tend to migrate and end up in little wads if you don't quilt quite heavily.

seems like there are people who will say..."cotton is best" and there are those who will tell you "poly is best"...then there are those of us who LOVE the wool batts and the bamboo's...it depends on your personal choices and what you are using them for. I do not believe one is necessarily better than the other; just different. I use them all. I love wool batts and use them for really special quilts (because they are expensive) I ABSOLUTELY LOVE DREAM POLY!!! oh my it is a dream to work with! i use WARM AND NATURAL cotton batting most often...the dream poly is as thick and wonderful as the best warm and natural, biggest difference (2 of them) 1) warm and natural is cream colored; dream poly is white...2) warm and natural shrinks just like all cotton battings; polyester battings do not shrink.
poly's are great to use in kids quilts or any quilt that will be laundered alot; it holds up very well and washes thousands of times without issue.
not all cotton (or any other batting) battings are created equal, some are better for hand quilting than others, some are better for machine quilting; some are ok for machine quilting with a small machine but not so great with a long arm...
i have put together a little (scrap/swatch book) journal if you will...each time i try a new batt on the market i cut a 6" square of it to add to my book, noting the recommended quilting distance, laundering instructions, material content, cost, and then after i've used it i add my critique and general feelings about it. some times it lets me know i never want to use that again,or perhaps i oh so love it and will look all over to find it again.
i do not think anyone should limit themselves just because someone said ... this is the only batting i would ever use in one of my quilts...how sad :(
there is a wide world of quilting out there and you should try as much as you can and make your own decisions what to use and what you don't like.
there is one cotton batting out there i ABSOLUTELY HATE!!! but i have a friend who loves it and would bring it to me with her quilts to be quilted...i kept replacing it (at my own cost) finally when she was over bringing me another quilt we talked about it and i had just finished a quilt for her mother that i did use the hated batting, so i could show her exactly what my issues with it is and why i shudder when she brings in a new quilt to be quilted. she understands my side now and has assured me that neither of them will buy that anymore. (they would bring me a quilt and tell me don't quilt it much, it doesnt' need much...but the batting said quilt every 2"...so i had no choice but to do some heavy quilting...finally she understands; and we had talked about it a number of times but until i could show her...)
anyway. try every batting you can get your hands on and make your own decisions based on what YOU like. (the dream green batting which is green and made from plastic bottles is just like using artic fleece for a batting)

I usually use Warm & Natural but recently have discovered Poly Down. Love how it quilts. Less fuzz in the bobbin.

i have never had a problem with a poly batting melting from my iron, i have never actually ironed a batting without fabric covering it but there has never been a problem and just like with cotton batting not all poly batts are created equal, some pull apart and migrate alot others (like the dream poly) do not. scrim and no scrim also has a bearing on the characteristics of the batting, and you can get either one (cotton & poly) with and without scrim

poly batts are NOT NECESSARILY THIN OR LIGHT it depends on the brand and the loft, you can buy poly with anywhere from 1/8" loft up to 3/4 " which is amazingly lofty! not all batts are created equal, try them all

Ilike cotton mix too and it's qualities BUT do find that poly gives a wonderful loft snuggly/comforting feel and to me is warmer ,but do not know how it takes lots of wash/wear.

I usually use poly batting. My quilts are not heirloom quality, just quilts to be used and washed alot. I would use cotton if I ever made (not likely LOL) a special show quilt.

very sensible.

Let me tell you my tale. Made this gorgous spinning star quilt. Lots of bright colors & black background. I used poly & it bearded. Meaning it worked its way up thru the fabric. Broke my heart. King size quilt too. I wiil never use it again. I now only use cotton & on dark quilts I use dark cotton batting. I feel like I wasted my time. This was a hard pattern for me to learn & then have my quilt ruined. Glad I was making it for me. Use it anyway. :XD: :XD: :XD: :thumbdown: :cry:

It really depends on the quilt and its use. I find Polydown is a good polyester batting as it doesn't shrink or beard, is uniform in thickness (seldom has thick or thin places), is easy to unroll (some shred instead of coming apart easily) and can be quilted eight inches apart without any difficulties. It washes well and does not seem to bunch up after repeated washings. Quilts made with Polydown will be a little puffier and won't be quite as flat as those using a cottom bat. I find it a great choice for children's quilts or college quilts that will get a lot of wear and be washed frequently. Polydown is not my bat of choice if I was completing an heirloom wedding quilt for my daughter. I'd try a Polydown bat on a quilt to be used everyday and see what you think. It really is quilter's choice and the $ spent. Polydown will probably be only 1/3rd of the cost (at least in Canada it runs about $5-$6 metre and less if bought in bulk) of a cotton bat. Happy stitching.

Thank you all for your replys! You have been most helpful! :D

When I first started quilting I used poly then I was introduced to warm and Natural and fell in love.
I am taking a class and they gave us some quilters dream and now I love it.
It is quite expensive so don't know if I will switch but I love it. :-)

I use and have used all kinds of batting. I use polly for children quilts or any othter quilt I expect to get a lot of wear and washing. I also like the look it gives the actual quilting on some items. Since I have issues with my muscles the lighter weight is often a consideration. I like the bamboo batting also. I save my coupons to purchase batting.

I almost always use cotton Warm and Natural or White and Natural or a cotton blend 80/20 Hobbs. Sometimes I feel a quilt needs polly. So most of the quilts in my home are cotton batting but the few that are polly are the most loved by my children. The last polly bat quilt I did was for a baby. He was very small at birth and the Warm and Natural cotton just seemed it would be heavy. I much prefer to machine quilt cotton bat quilts over polly bat though. For hand quilting I like the polly. For our family the Warm and Natural cotton wears much better then the polly batting but it probably has to do with the brand polly batting I use.

Ok I am as confused as ever now. I am second guesing all the batting I have used over the years, and am wondering if the ones I have used as gifts will make it through the years, or if people now are saying that they hate the quilts I made them because they are falling apart. Oh my the choices us quilters have to make.

Thankfully all the quilts except 2 I made for my family...

I can't be the only one with this problem but just handling any brand of polyester batting is very uncomfortable, it so so irritating to my hands, I feel like I'm getting a zillion little cuts & it is catching on my skin. I can't even try on a polyester blouse in a dept store, the minute it is on I feel suffocated.
It must be some type of phobia but is why I always use cotton even though for some projects I would like a lighter weight.
Maire

Honestly, I think there are a lot of things to like about both poly and cotton.

I've used both. And down here in South Texas, I've found that the cotton batting 'feels' too hot, while the poly batting 'feels' like it is lighter and not so warm. Since we certainly don't need a lot of quilts to capture the warmth like we would in a more northern climate, I tend to use poly more frequently. I've never had trouble with it bearding, and I done both hand and machine quilting. Maybe that depends on what brand you use?

Have any of you tried the Bamboo batting. It hand quilts smooth as butter. I usually use the Warm and Natural though as the bamboo is pretty expensive.

I've only used polyester. It's a cost issue for me. If I could only use cotton, I wouldn't be able to quilt because I can't afford it.

I buy poly batting by the 30 yard roll. It is cheaper for me. I make a lot of quilts for charities and giving away as gifts. I can't afford to use the more expensive battings. I like the puffyness of it and haven't had any issues with bearding.

I was also wondering about the bamboo batting. It looks and feels like cotton. I guess I'm partial to cotton because my mom's family were cotton farmers.

I used to always use polyester because it was cheaper. Then I got started using Warm and Natural. Fabrics seem to adhere to it and I love it. It is more expensive, but oh well.

does this mean you like the dream green?? thanks for all the advice....seems like you're giving a very researched opinion...I like that!

I am so glad that I found this post. I had always preferred cotton. Then I read or heard someone say that cotton is much harder to work with. I will go back using cotton after reading the different post here. However, there are some things that I will still use the poly.
Thanks again for all of the in put. And thanks to the person who ask this question.

Just wanted to remind everyone never to use polyester batting in a child's quilt. It is a fire hazard because it melts and sticks to the skin.

The ultimate batting is silk, but it is very pricy. I'm making a silk jacket and using this batting for hand quilting.

There is a warm & white as well as warm & natural, I really like them both

Thank you for mentioning that, I was going to as well. Please no poly for children!!! And, honestly I won't use it at all for that reason. It will melt on an adult just as easily, so unless the quilt is for something other than sleeping under, no poly for me.

Wow, thanks for this advise. I had not thought about that.
Another good reason to use cotton batting.

I've started to use two batts in my "to show" quilts. A very thin cotton batt (against the backing) with a wool batt over the top. Then I can do fancy quilting patterns and quilt the background behind these fairly heavily. It then give the effect of trapunto without all the cutting out that is usually done.

The biggest problem with Poly for me is the way it catches in my equipment. But it is nice to use in a puffy quilt because it is so lofty. I usually use cotton or fleece.

I'm with Kathy for all her reasons. I prefer the cotton over polyester.