Sewnoma

I like the Quilters Dream battings - they make cotton, poly (in white and in black), green recycled poly (yay!) and wool battings - I've used them all and they are all my favorites. I like them better than Warm & Natural/Warm & White, or Hobbs.

Fabric.com carries them, although unfortunately they don't seem to be carrying the black battings anymore. (booo!)

Craftnut

Warm and Natural makes several weights of battings. I used the denser one in my winter quilt, and a lighter weight one in my summer bed coverlet. I just like the way it quilts up, and my show quilts come out nice and flat but with good quilting definition. Quilter's Dream is the same, not just one option. I hate poly loft batting, it may look lightweight, but it is a b*tch to sew through and it is hot because it doesn't breathe the way cotton does.

RosaSharon

NJ --Thanks for your suggestions. I am leaning toward the 20/80 cotton poly blend, mainly 'cause I am of the polyester generation -- those clothes wouldn't and couldn't wear out. They were too warm in the summer though.

RosaSharon

craftnut --There are lots of women here who don't like the polyester batting. I am glad I asked this question, because I probably would have fallen for it. I am leaning towards a poly/cotton blend to prevent shrinkage -- but I am holding out for a little while longer to research it a little more. Thanks for your input.

Prism99

RosaSharon, it's not necessary to reply to everyone individually on a forum like this one. The thread itself is reward enough for everyone interested in the topic.

In my opinion, Hobbs 80/20 is a very good batting to start with for a new quilter. It is just a great multi-purpose all-around great batting that holds up well over time. I don't like Warm and Natural as much. The needlepunching through scrim results in a very stable batting (quilting lines can be 10" apart!); however, the disadvantages are that the batting is relatively dense and heavy compared to other battings. The quilt is heavier and has a stiffer drape. Although the batting does soften up eventually, it takes a lot of time and a lot of washings.

I also want to mention that not all 80/20 battings are the same. Hobbs brand 80/20 is the best of the best, IMO, and is often on sale at Connecting Threads online. I don't think you would be unhappy starting out with this batting.

RosaSharon

Prism -- whew, thanks for saying I don't have to reply to everyone. You have helped me make up my mind -- it will be 80/20 for me. I was leaning towards that because poly doesn't shrink. Have you ever used Quilters Dream? Lots of people love it.

Reba'squilts

I use warm and natural. I would be willing to try some of the others that have been mentioned. Have to use up what I have first. I do not have any complaints about w&n!!

Jeanne S

Just a comment about shrinkage; many like a little shrinkage to give the quilt that crinkly look. If you don't want that, as I don't, you can easily preshrink the batting. I put mine in a sink of warm/hot water for an hour, let it drain and press out excess water then put in the dryer on a delicate tumble setting to dry. Works great on 100% cotton batting.

Svenska Flicka

I've been quilting for many years and only use Quilter's Dream. It is made in the USA, is all natural, and
comes in so many varieties and loft. You can not go wrong. After putting in the time and effort to create
a quilt, you should not scrimp on the batting. Good luck.

feline fanatic

This is a somewhat misleading statement. The Warm Company which makes Warm and Natural makes several different types of batting but Warm and Natural only comes in one weight and one weight only. Please visit their website to familiarize yourself. http://www.warmcompany.com/products.html

It is not a fun batting to hand quilt but many swear by it, I think because they have not tried other products for hand quilting. I like it OK when machine quilting but have found other products I like better. I use many different battings and I have no problems with Hobbs Polydown polyester batting. It gives beautiful loft and definition to the quilting and is most definitely not a b**tch to sew through. In my experience the needle glides through like butter in both hand and machine quilting. My summer quilt contains a very low loft poly batting. I have no idea what brand, I made the quilt eons ago and it is all hand quilted. It is lightweight and very cool. Have you ever tried Quilters Dream polyester? It is unlike any other poly on the market and can easily be mistaken for a cotton blend, the hand and drape is very nice. And when it comes to kids quilts that will be "loved to death" with lots of dragging and untold amounts of laundering a poly batting could definitely put less stress on the quilt because it does not get as heavy when wet and dries very quickly.

So unless you have tried every poly on the market, please don't paint all poly battings with the same brush. Some are indeed very VERY nice and they are an affordable alternative to other fibers. Rosasharon, please don't write of poly because of other peoples opinions. You need to find what YOU like to work with.