Warm and natural.
 

I have warm and natural batting, which I feel is way too thin (for my taste) of batting for my quilts. I was wondering if I doubled the thickness, would I have problems quilting it on my Sweet 16 machine. I'm currently quilting a quilt on the machine which is quilting up very nicely. I have found out my machine really likes this brand of batting. I've had no issues quilting so far. I feel this batting is great for wall hangs and summer quilts, but not for warm winter quilts. I was also wondering what warm and natural batting I should buy next time for quilts in the future. Do they have heavy batting? I ordered this bolt from my LQS, I thought I told them I wanted heavy batting verses this thin batting. I can still use the batting for other projects. Just want information for next time. Thank-you for any info you can give me.

Hi,
I use warm and natural a lot...it does feel thin in and of itself, but when you quilt with it it really makes a "heavy" quilt...its not "lofty" like other high loft battings, so it also depends on what kind of look and feel you are looking for...
Hope this helps some,
K

I think sometimes thickness is confused with warmth. I like W&N because it is lightweight but definately keeps the user toasty warm.

Have you been sleeping under a W&N quilt this winter? Or does it just seem like it won't do the job because it is low loft?

I usually buy lofty batting, 1/2 to 3/4 inch, this is the 1st I've tried W&N. Does the W&N fluff up a little?

No. But don't let the low loft throw you, it really is very warm. If it is warmth you're after, try one out! If it is the puffy look you want, though, you won't get that from warm n natural.

Well said...I love warm and natural, because it is easy to quilt, and it is so warm when finished...it really makes a much heavier quilt than you can imagine...but it isn't a "fluffy" type quilt...Maybe you can make something small with it, and see what you think...
K

I use warm and natural for batting and love it...I live in the north with lots of snow and cold weather...its perfect!! and it also is nice in the summer too....I love how its not puffy..or thick and its plenty warm enough...

I think thickness of quilts is confused with the thickness -- usually polyester, though - of comforters. Quilts are warm not because of their thick battings most of the time, but because they are pieced, layered, batted, and quilted.

"Vintage" utility quilts were often made with one or more used up blankets or even old ragged quilts as batting and they were often so heavy one couldn't even turn over easily under them!

If you want warmth, use a wool batting from Quilters Dream Batting or Hobbs Batting.
If you want thickness, use a high loft polyester batting.

Jan in VA

No it will not fluff up for you!
ditto to what the others have said about loft, weight, and warmth

To answer your question re double layering W+N ... give it a try ... just do something small like a table topper and see what you think.

I like W+N for it's finished look as well as warmth. However, I will admit a large quilt with a single layer is indeed heavy to move around. I don't think I'd want a double layer of weight!

If I could afford it I would use a silk batting. It is thin and lightweight but really holds in the warmth. However, please note my first sentence here.

I use W&N and love it.

W&N, once quilted, is heavy. W&N, while thinner than poly batting, is warm!!

I have used warm and natural for many projects. And they are plenty warm to sleep under single.or double thickness.I recently tried their polyester batting as well and.it seems to have more of that "bulky" feeling you are missing.the.polyester however does not hand quilt well when doubled.hope this helps

Warm and natural is a very nice batting, and warm it is. I do not think I would double it in a large quilt as it would be pretty heavy .

You could use two layers. It will make your quilt heavier. I live in Wisconsin and it gets cold here. One layer on warm and natural isn't enough for me. Everyone else in the house is ok with it, but I'm always cold. The next quilt I make for myself is going to be two layers of batting(I'm thinking warm and natural and a poly). They do make a warm and bright that is poly so it will hold the heat in more but is close to the same thickness as warm and natural.

if my thinking is correct, 2 layers of warm and natural will give the same warmth factor with a lot more bulk. think of how we are told to dress in cold weather...layers...one on top of the other, but still able to remove one and another. also, think of house insulation...the pink stuff. it is lofty, and it holds in the heat, but we can't quilt like that. my idea is to use one layer of w/n and double up on the quilts if necessary. personally, i use a sheet, topped by a cotton blanket, topped by a quilt (using w/n). the sandwich is heavy and warm, and i can peel off the layers if necessary.

I do quilting for friends and some have been using wool batting. It's thicker and heavy. It quilts up nicely you might want to give this a try. It does need extra care when washing and drying.

I can't imagine how heavy a double layer of Warm and Natural would be to sleep under! If you decide to layer it with polyester, remember that the cotton batting will shrink, but the poly will not. I think maybe experimenting with a lap robe or throw might be a good idea.

I use W&N (I have two bolts of it - one Warm and White and one Warm and Naturel)- it will not fluff up but it is warm an toasty in a quilt. IMHO, a double layer might be too heavy in weight - a single layer Queen size quilt is heavy as a whole quilt - but not heavy to sleep under. I would be concerned that with two layers of W&N it would be too heavy to sleep under.

I too live in the snowy north and we currently have one blanket and a quilt with one layer of W&N in it - and both the DH and I are very comfy with it. Loft does not always equal warmth. The first quilt I made was for the DS and had it quilted - the quilter used a lofty polyester batting - looked cuddly and beautiful but turned out that it was not warm at all. He now only uses it in the summer as a bedspread.

If you want the "puffy look" I might think about laying a thin layer of the poly batting over the W&N - it will add the loft with out the weight. Another option is Wool batting or even Bamboo Batting - I recently used those is a few Baby Quilts - they seemed a bit more fluffy and quilted beautifully.

You could also use flannel for a backing - this would add warmth without a lot of weight.

I also use W&N in all my quilts. I don't use quilts in the summer because it's just to hot to use quilts then (JMO). I use the quilts in winter and they keep me toasty & warm!

Thank- you all for giving me good information and ideas to try in the future. I will try several of these ideas and see how it works for me.

I normally use Quilter's Dream-Select...its warm and has a nice loft. I also tried their Deluxe which is a bit more dense, but it doesn't drape quite as nice. The select is very snuggly : )

This is great information.... Tkx

I was using W&N because I can buy it cheaper at Joann's. One day I couldn't buy it there, so I got some Quilter's Dream Request at my LQS. Love it! Give it a try. It fluffs up very nicely after washing/drying.

I love Warm and Natural batting, and hardly ever use anything else. It may not look like it, but it makes a nice, warm quilt to sleep under, but it won't be fluffy. So if you want fluffy, I'd go with a polyester batting.

warm and natural is very warm-love it.i prefer the flatter look of a 80/20 cotton/poly blend.I do not like trying to quilt the thicker polys-fabric shifts too much for my liking.

I use W&N in all my quilts. Its warm, if I need more warmth I use another quilt on top of it. One of my quilts has a heavier flannel for backing and W&N for batting its very warm, my Winter quilt. I agree with what the others have said, 2 layers would make for a very heavy quilt.
Sharon

You could double layer it but it would be so heavy you probably couldn't lift it!

I call it "Warm and Naturally stiff as a board." Not only does it get stiff if you quilt it very close but it is so flat it doesn't give your quilting any definition at all. I use Quilter's Dream Select, Quilter's Dream poly or Hobb's Heirloom 80/20.

Try lots of different battings to find the ones you like for the look you want in your quilts.

I've been using a W&N quilt and just this week changed to a wool batting with flannel for the backing. I could tell the difference in warmth almost immediately the first night. It's not any heavier but it is much warmer.

I have only used W&N and In love it.

I would suggest instead of using two layers of batting, try using flannel for the backing.

i agree with everyone else Warm and Natural is the only one i use and the quilts are warm

I've always used warm and natural. For me it was easier to quilt with. And I found great buys on it at Joanns. It is really warm batting. But, when my supply of warm and natural is gone, I'm going to switch to Hobbs 80/20. I like the crinkle look it gets when you wash and dry it. It's also nice and warm. Will be watching to see what kind of replies you get on this subject.

For the most part, I lived in Florida and didn't need such heavy batting. But, now I live in KY and it's cold here. My bed is layer with 2 quilts and I'm nice and toasty warm. (Both quilted with warm and natural batting.)

I discovered the hard way that W&N does have a thicker batting (about 1/4"). the regular that I buy is thinner. But, for what it's worth, our bed quilt was constructed with the thinner bat and we are perfectly warm under it, along with a top sheet. Being in MI, it works for me.

I'm glad you started this thread, because you've addressed the same issues I have with Warm and Natural. I bought it because so many here on the board recommended it, but was disappointed in how thin it was. I feel it is fine for tablerunners and wall hangings, but I prefer a high loft in my bed quilts. I have used Quilter's Dream Puff in the past and will go back to that for bed quilts and keep the Warm and Natural for my tablerunners. I have to admit, I don't actually use my quilts when sleeping--just for looks--so I've never noticed if they were warm or not. And when gifting them, I think the high loft looks better. This has been an interesting thread to read.

I h ave heard of people using warm and natural for warming but adding a poly layer for fluff. I like W & N or Warm and white because it's 1--% cotton and will last for years. But it does not, nor ever will have loft. And the tighter you quilt it, the less it will have (as with any batting). Try that W/N and Poly combination if you want durability and fluff :-)

My hand quilted quilts get W&N. My baby quilts mostly get W&N, but I've done 2 now with a high loft poly batting. My personal problem with the poly is it beards horribly as I tie the layers together, and I can't fix it and make it look tidy unless I want to go over the entirety of both sides and trim the beards at each spot where the thread went through.... The last baby quilt had a faux fur backing, so the bearding got mostly hidden in the fur, but I could see it and I think it looks terrible. It makes me angry that something I worked SO hard on now has these stupid floofy beards at every tie location... The Christmas quilt I'm working on now has a red fur backing, and this daughter is ALWAYS but always cold, so I'm going to try the wool batting, and see how she likes that. W&N makes (or made, I haven't bought it in a while) a thinner and drapier batting that I used on one baby quilt (quilted that one, didn't tie it) and I thought it was nice. I like the puffiness of the high loft poly, on certain quilts, but I sure don't like the bearding that appears to go with it.

As a complete newbie, I found this thread very interesting. I want to add that I ran across Sherri Lynn Wood's wonderful blog. She says that for her functional quilts, she always uses two layers of batting, a thin 100% cotton layer on the bottom for weight and a low loft poly on the top layer for lift. Check out this gorgeous commissioned quilt she made: http://daintytime.net/2011/12/20/put...november-2011/