kathyathome

First I want to thank all of you for being so helpful and available. When I needed help last week I had an answer to my question within an hour. Now on to my question: Son wants a heavier quilt than the one I showed him (which has one layer of Warm and Natural and a bed sheet backing - it's what I consider a fairly thin quilt). He jokingly said that putting a Pendleton blanket inside would give him the weight he wants. Batting to be light colored without a pattern, so probably a ready-made wool blanket is not an option unless I bought a new one - too expensive. We already picked out the backing, a 108" wide cotton designed for backings, which is fairly heavy but not extraordinarily so. So I can't use flannel. I made a quilt for hubs with 2 layers of Warm and Natural, and although it's heavy and warm, the drape is terrible even after many washings. We hope it will soften up eventually and become less stiff. I put Quilters Dream Puff in a small quilt for my dog's bed, and it's very puffy and hopefully warm but not at all heavy. I'm looking at Quilters Dream Cotton "supreme" and Warm and Plush. Would also consider buying wool yardage. Does anyone have first-hand knowledge about any of these? I'm interested in which would be the heaviest in weight. Also interested in how they compare in loft. I'm sure he isn't concerned about how warm or "lofty" it is, just the weight. Sorry to be so wordy, but I've read a lot of posts here with lots of suggestions and just want to tell folks what I can't or don't want to do to avoid answers I've already ruled out. Wish we could have found a flannel he liked for the backing, but we didn't. Thanks friends

PaperPrincess

I love Warm & Plush. It's about 50% thicker (and heavier) than W&N. There's no scrim, so it needs to be quilted more closely than W&N. The loft is really nice. Your quilting has great dimension. Wool is about the same thickness, but it's light. If he's looking for a heavy quilt, the cotton batt would be a better choice.

Jingle

Sorry, I mainly use hi-loft polyester batting. It is warm enough for me but, not heavy.

Prism99

I would double batt. Warm and Plush for the weight, and Hobbs Heirloom Wool batting for the warmth and loft.

if you want really heavy, change the backing fabric to denim.

Maureen NJ

How about Quilters Dream wool batting. I love it and it is heavier than the QD Cotton Select. It give nice definition to the quilting too. Personally, I’d use that and buy him a fleece blanket to use with it on his bed to e Pendleton thickness!!

bearisgray

my concern for a " heavy" quilt is how to wash and dry it.

if he wants/needs weight, how about basting two thiiner quilts together so they " move" as one unit?

Sailorwoman

You could also add a layer of utility flannel along with the batting. It adds both weight and warmth but is still quite easy to quilt on a domestic machine.

GEMRM

Sailorwoman is right, flannel will add weight without a lot of bulk. I think you would have to pre shrink it first.

Kas

If he wants weight, I would use a blanket as the batting. Not one of those foam ones, but the kind with the satin edge at the top. If they still make them, that is. Another idea would to be putting a down comforter in the middle and tying the quilt.

Prism99

I agree with the difficulty associated with washing and drying a heavy quilt. Can you look into *why* your son wants a heavy quilt? Some people equate heaviness with warmth, but that is not the way it works. You can have a lot of warmth without weight, and a lot of weight does not guarantee warmth. Some people like heaviness in a quilt; this usually comes from a childhood growing up sleeping under heavy quilts. Weighted blankets are also soothing to some people. This is especially noticeable in autistic children.

Does your son understand how heavy a quilt can be when saturated with water? A heavy quilt can be a bear to wash, not only because of its weight, but because of the length of time it can take to dry. Only laundromats have the capacity to handle a large, heavy quilt; their front-loaders and dryers are big enough to handle the weight and size.

If weight really is important, then I have no more to say. If, however, warmth is what is important, then I would recommend double-batting Hobbs or QD wool. If weight is important, then I think a double-batt of Warm and Plush with wool be enough.

A wool blanket would be fine as batting if you could find one. Unfortunately, the days of wool blankets are long gone. Even in the U.K. I think they have become prohibitively expensive.