Cotton batting for a tied quilt
 

Hello,

I am trying to make a tied baby quilt and was hoping to use the cotton batting that I had (Hobbs Heirloom 100% organic cotton batting). I have been told that polyester is best for a tied quilt to prevent bunching. Has anyone had any experience with cotton batting? Thanks!

Jean

Review on the packaging how close the quilting needs to be. I think some of the organic battings requires the quilting to be pretty close together. Any ties need to be placed that close together. As for the poly , the thicker poly battings are best /or easier tied , as the thickeness make them tough to hand quilt or machine quilt on a regular machine.
A cotton batting can bunch if not quilted/ties placed as directed on the package. I'm not sure if your batting has a scrim. A scrim is what holds the cotton fibers in place and is often made from a polypropolyne for strenght.
I believe your organic cotton batting does have a poly scrim and requires quilting 8 inches apart, that would mean the furthest distance from one tie to another should not exceed the 8 inches. Do double check your package.

the batting package will tell you if it is appropriate for tied quilts- warm & natural is one that is ok for tied quilts- most of the hobbs batts need to be quilted every 2"-4" making them the wrong batt for tied.
some poly batts allow up to 10" between quilt line- and if the batt is a recommended for tied quilts the package will say so.

I haven't used the newer cotton batts but the old Mountain Mist required very close quilting. Now-a-days when I'm doing a tied project I have used the good parts of old 100% cotton sheets for a very flat look. I've gone the old-time route and used an unattractive comforter as filler, though I'm sure you wouldn't want to do that for a baby--too puffy. For a baby you might cut a new 100% cotton flannel sheet into layers and use that for your filling. Then you could enjoy the tying process without worry about spacing. Do be sure that the ties are secure enough and/or cut short enough that baby cannot 'mouth' them or tangle little fingers.