I was in an antique shop yesterday and there was a Beautiful antique quilt on a bed and the hand stitching all over it was with such tiny stitches and intricate patterns. When I picked it up to feel it, it felt as if there was no batting whatsoever in between the layers. Is that possible? Were there ever quilts made with no filler? Or is there batting so incredibly thin you can't tell??

Maybe the batting was so thin that you could not feel it.

I've heard that the ones with no batting referred to as a Summer Quilt...Naomi

That's what i heard also and i have a few quilts without batting for the hot weather.

Yes my mother made a summer quilt with no batting.

I've never heard of a summer quilt before. I'm always so cold, and still am even under a regular quilt with cotton batting. I couldn't imagine a quilt being thinner. That's why we keep our flannel rag quilts (with a layer of batting in between) in the family room! So we can wrap up in the warmth!

They are called summer quilts and we had them growing up! I still make them too.

I'm making one now! I did the French Rose quilt & have decided to just put flannel on the back of it with no backing so it will be "A summer quilt'. But I've saw with old qults too that the batting almost discentigrates (sp) with age. they use to use cotton somehow....thank God for new age quilting!

This is interesting. I have never heard of summer quilts. What we can learn here.

I have a very old quilt. My grandmother had it but didn't make it and she isn't sure who did. She died last year at 101. Anyway, it has a cotton batting but it's so thin you wouldn't know it was in there. I had a woman at guild who dates and appraises quilts tell me there was no batting in it. I showed her it was where the fabric was coming apart and she was very surprised. She said it was pre-1900 but that's all she could tell me.