I find if I am using a cotton or 80/20 to hand quilt it is much easier to quilt through if it is needle punched. I use to use polyester all the time for hand quilting until I tried the needle punched, it really makes a difference. I seldom use polyester anymore for hand quilting.
Originally Posted by Prism99
Originally Posted by msoop
Some of the battings reference "scrim"......what is this?
It's a very thin but strong layer of fibers through which the batting is needlepunched. As far as I know, this layer is nonwoven rather than woven. It is a very fine layer, but strong. When batting is needlepunched through it, the batting stays put and the batting becomes very stable -- no migrating, no thin and thick spots.
Warm n Natural is an example of a batting needlepunched through scrim.
Its biggest problem is that the scrim tends to make the batting more difficult to hand needle. In the case of WnN, it also makes the drape of the batting a little more stiff. The advantage of a batting needle-punched through scrim is that it is very, very stable and does not need to be closely quilted to retain its shape through many washings.
Quilters Dream is an example of a batting that is needlepunched, but not (to my knowledge, anyway) through scrim. I think this manufacturing method keeps all the advantages and eliminates the disadvantages of needlepunching through scrim.
However, I'm not an expert on batting by any means! This is just what I understand from reading information here and there about batting over the years.