Using the right Wadding
 

Hi, I am new to quilting and have had a few lessons from an English friend. In order to practise quilting before converting my nine patch blocks to cushion covers she gave me a "sandwich" of cotton material and wadding. I am now looking to source my own wadding and received some cotton wadding but it is not like the one she gave me which looks like polyester. I undestand ideally everything should be cotton but will it really matter if I use polyester for these cushions.

Polyester is a good choice for cushions. Polyester holds up well, is washable, doesn't shrink like cotton. I have been using polyester battings in kids quilts for years. I use many different batts, there is such a great variety now, you can find the perfect choice for every project. I use blends, 80% cotton/20% poly is a popular blend, I love wool batts, there's silk, bamboo, dream green- which is made from recycled plastic bottles, orient blends, lots to choose from. Try different ones as you get the chance and find what you like as you continue on your quilting journey

As Ckcowl says there is aplethora of waddings/ batting. Only problem with polyester is you have to be careful not to let a hot iron near it. I have dogs who prefer the poly to cotton wadding for their quilts.

every thing does not have to be cotton it's your quilt do as you please it all seams to work

I use mostly Hobbs 80/20 batting but that is my preference. If you go into a quilt shop, they should be able to show you what the best batting is for you to use. There is a variety of battings for various purposes.