I have used flannel sheets in the past that were used. I loved the feel of the quilt. I actually prefer it this way than with regular batting but don't have anymore flannel sheets!

Kyia

yeah, I've seen flannel sheet sets on sale that would give you 2 pieces of flannel. You couldn't buy the yardage for that price!

I have used old baby receiving blankets and sewn them together. They were cheap at yard sales and worked great.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice! My DH just lost a lot of income from a consulting job and I don't have the money to buy quilt supplies anymore. Now I'll be able to piece from my stash and quilt using old thrift store blankets! I'm so glad to know this works and that so many people have tried it.

I've used towels. They work great, a little hard to quilt in some areas when threads are very dense. Thrift stores always have lots of large towels.

Batting substitute
 

I have used moving blankets on sale for cheap cheap. Worked very well

Some long arm quilters refuse to quilt for you if you don't use a manufactured batting. But if you quilt your own, you can suit yourself. If you don't want a heavy quilt, choose accordingly something lightweight to put inside, or put nothing. I make baby quilts with a top and a flannel back, because I want to make my baby quilts more like the 'receiving' blanket one uses around a baby indoors, rather than the cozy quilts for colder situations.

But for a heavy quilt-- the heaviest quilt I made was with nylons. I had 2 sisters, a mother, a grandmother, aunts, and women from the office who all gave me their nylon stockings (the older women) and pantyhose (the younger women) that they otherwise would have thrown away because they had runs in them. I wrapped a piece of the leg around my hand, and put it flat into a pocket (or envelope) that I'd prepared for it, using a 4" square print sewn around 3 sides to a 4" square of old sheet. Not turned inside out, just with the raw edges of the seams showing. The next pocket was sewn to the first at the open side of the first in order to close it, right sides of the prints together (the seam at the back on the old sheet side). I used the panty parts cut into pieces for filling too. I sewed strips of the square pockets to the width I wanted, then sewed the rows together with the prints right side together again . After it was double bed size, I put flannel on the back, and sewed long lines diagonally (to make an X in each square) to hold the front layer with its nylons and the back layer together. This construction was not my idea. My grandmother taught us to do it, my mother had a quilt that grandmother made her in this way. It was beastly heavy though!

My son loved the one I made. When he grew up and moved out, he asked me if he could have it. We had used it a lot for family camping trips, as a pad under a sleeping bag. Folded a couple of times, it was so thick that you didn't notice if you were laying on a stick or a stone. :-)

I volunteer at the animal shelter doing laundry...towels take forever to dry...thus require more effort for the dryer to do its job...Actually fleece washes and dries best of all.

I never thought of flannel! I have some King flannel sheets that we no longer use. Thanks for the heads up.

I have used inexpensive/used blankets as batting. Also used cheapest walmart white or off white fleece - it's very thing - and regular fleece in white or off white for batting. Or you can use just the thicker fleece in any color or e pattern that looks good with the quilt top. Flannel is one of my favorite backings, but it must be pre-washed and machine dried twice because it will shrink considerably.