Well and do you have different favorites for baby quilts, lap quilts, bed quilts for yourself, table quilts and wall quilts, Gees they are so many different kinds isnt it :wink:

imho - for baby quilts, i like polyester, because baby quilts get washed a lot, and for that much washing, i think poly holds up better and dries faster.

for grownup quilts, i like 80/20 cotton/poly. when it's used with a topsheet, it doesn't need as much washing or drying, so it holds up longer. it has a nice drape, and it quilts well. it's very warm. cotton will pucker after washing and drying.

for wall hangings, it depends on the look you want. if you like the puckered look of antique quilts, then use cotton/poly and wash it after you're finished.
the cotton part will shrink up and pucker. if you want a puffy wallquilt, i would go with a puffy poly, so that the stitching really sinks in and shows. unless you hang it in the kitchen, it won't get washed as often as a bed quilt.

i would spend more on real usable quilts than on wall hangings or table toppers, etc. because i want it to hold up well after many washings.
table toppes are more for home decor and are not hard-used. in the end, it depends on the look and warmth and usability you want and can afford.

i use warm & natural cotton/poly. i make bed quilts. for babies, i always used to use poly.

As a new quilter, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's answers to this.

I tend to prefer cotton to anything synthetic, but I'm allergic to dust, so polyester is the better choice for me. It also has the advantage of not making the quilt look all puckery.

I was thinking, though, that wool might be the best choice for warmth for a bed quilt. But how would that wash?

some of the new wools are being made to wash quite well, although i have never tried them. also consider bamboo. and green bottle plastic. both are supposed to be very good and good-feeling. never tried them, either, but word-of-mouth.

Do you have actual brand names so i know what the search for?

That would really help me a lot especially looking on ebay.
I think what i have is polyester, i bought some batting a while ago and it was before i knew the differences :oops: but i guess it poly as it didnt feel very wool like or what i would think cotton would feel like but ofcourse i might be wrong

I would have to say I would never put poly in a baby quilt. If, God forbid, there was a fire, poly goes up in a flash and if it melts instead there would be awful burns where it would stick to the skin.

I always use Warm and Natural all cotton batting. At the beginning of my quilting I tried a couple of poly bats and didn't like using them, or trying to get them unfolded and flat!!

http://www.roseannsdolls.com/fabaquba.html

this is the bamboo. i have felt it, and it feels very good. you can get it at joanns with a coupon.

http://www.quiltersdreambatting.com/

scroll down to plastic or whatever they say. that's the green eco-friendly stuff from plastic bottles.
actually they're both eco-friendly, because bamboo is a very, very, very renewable resource.

I use Warm and Natural for everything.

I usually use Warm & Natural 80/20 blend. I recently purchased a queen-size wool batting, but haven't used it yet.