Thank you all for the info. I had gone to the web site so did know about the up side and down side and did that the proper way. Since every one said they pieced batting I went with the lay it to fit and will use the extras to piece the next project place mats.

Thanks again, all the board members are a great resource.

I noted on the Fabric Fancy website, they have various batting on sale. Can anyone tell me whether the sales are good, which batting is best, etc.

ladydukes, which batting is best is largely a matter of personal preference. All batting types have pro's and con's.

For wallhangings, Warm and Natural is a good choice because it is needlepunched through scrim. This gives it great stability, allowing quilting lines to be up to 10" apart (although I wouldn't recommend that distance for a wallhanging). Warm and Natural has a relatively stiff drape, however, and is heavy compared to other battings. The softness of the drape improves with every washing, but the weight remains and is most noticeable in larger quilts. Some people like heavy quilts; others do not. Warm and Natural is difficult to hand quilt because it is so dense and because of the scrim.

For starting out in quilting, my personal favorite for most quilters is Hobbs 80/20. It is softer and puffier than all-cotton battings and is easy to either hand quilt or machine quilt. It is soft and has a good drape. If in doubt, this is the batting I would recommend starting out with.

Hobbs PolyDown is nice. However, it is harder to quilt because it has a lot more loft than Hobbs 80/20, plus the loft is springier because it is all polyester. Poly is lightweight and dries much faster than cotton so it can be a good choice for toddler quilts. However, polyester does not "breathe" the way natural fibers do. Not everyone is a fan of polyester.

I am currently gravitating to Hobbs wool batting. Biggest downside is that it is pricier than others. However, it is a natural fiber, washable, is very easy to needle for hand quilting, gives great definition to machine quilting, and lasts forever. It is washable and, for people like me who cannot wear wool clothing, it still works great because it is enclosed in fabric.

I use warm and natural all the time. I have never even thought about it having grain. I use it any which way all the time and have never noticed any ill effects.

Just wanted to say that is a lovely table runner! :o

Runner is in the wash will be mailed tomorrow, took a little longer to get the binding on than I liked.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]538630[/ATTACH]

Will let you know if it shrinks unevenly.

I do use W & N occasionally, but my choice is Quilter's Dream. I love the stuff! It quilts like a dream ((no pun intended). The needle slides through the quilt as if quilting through butter.

Update, no problems! I found it had very little shrinkage, repressed the runner and sent it on its way. Thanks again.