Irishrose2

I am far from a purist. I use cotton for my quilts, but will use a blend if the color works. I prefer quilt store fabric, but will buy from the infamous JA or HL if they have what I want. The quilt I'm finishing now has some JA fabric and it is terrible, but the color/print is good. For thread I will use anything that doesn't break except the new C & C - my only spool is stiff and odd feeling. Connecting Threads is linty, but usable. My favorite that is readily available to me is Superior Masterpiece. I have quilted my last two quilts with Hobby Lobby's better cotton variegated and it has been nice to work with.
Instructors; I've only had one - an hour and half long FMQ class. The instructor was adamant that you never cross a line of stitching. I break that rule all the time making loops, so I am definitely not a purist in my FMQ.

copycat

When I took a beginner class on how to learn to quilt, the teacher told us to use 100% cotton for everything! (2009)

Well fast forward to today. I use both cotton and polyester threads and all types of batting. What matters to me is the quality of the materials I put into making a quilt.

As for fabric, I use mostly cotton, but have tried the minky backing and satin poly for ruffles around a quilt. I often think about crazy quilts that mix up all types of fabrics. I love to use a variety these days.

juliasb

I use 100% cotton fabrics but am not a purest on other things I use poly threads a great deal and poly bats too from time to time. I love W&N. Since I am only quilting for myself and no one else that would be paying for a quilt I leave to quilters choice mine .

maminstl

I use cotton and sometimes linen fabric almost exclusively, but use various threads, whatever is the right color or weight for the project. I do not life puffy quilts, so no high loft anything for me, and hate to touch poly - so warm & natural is my go to, although have no objection to bamboo, silk or wool if I find it at a price I'm willing to pay. I also haunt the thrift shops for good quality cotton sheets to use as fabric either for the top, or more typically for the back.

Rob The HOAQ

I asked Cheryl and she said that much of the way she quilts now is how she learned from her mother and grandmother. They used whatever they had at hand. However, after she joined her quilt guild and got exposure to other ideas she realized that not everything they taught her held true. Right now she only uses 100 percent cotton fabric, high end cotton thread, but she still likes Polyfil batting, although she wants to see if Hobbs makes a difference.

SallyS

Bearisgray, your mother was right. Mercerized cotton thread is stronger and less linty. For many years it was the best thread available to quilters. Now I use Glide thread almost exclusively. It's polyester, thin, strong and has very little lint. It also comes in a great array of colors.

For fabric on quilts I use cotton. On art quilts, like rryder, anything goes. Sometimes I interface polyester sateen to help it behave and limit ravelling. On art quilts I often use Sulky rayon thread because of it's beautiful sheen, but I don't use it for piecing or longarming because it's not strong enough.

For batting I generally use Warm & White on art quilts, and if they're large, an additional layer of felt to help the quilt lay flat. Sometimes I interface the backing, too. On bed quilts I prefer polyester batting because it's lighter.

Bearisgray, thank you for another interesting topic!

Railroadersbrat

100% cotton thru and thru, I've had some nightmares with trying to do cotton/poly on a quilt top and as much as I like polyester batting for some things, I'd prefer to use cotton batting for my quilts.

My sewing machine is extremely picky when it comes to thread, it has to be 100% cotton or I have to forget about sewing at all. I was trying to piece a table runner for a friend with polyester thread, no matter how many times I changed the needle, stitch length, tension, my machine would just shred the thread to literally nothing.

bearisgray

Thank you for all the interesting responses!

quiltingshorttimer

while I usually will go with 100% cotton, not always! And as far as thread, I don't like the lintiness of cotton --to piece I usually go with C & C's poly/cotton blend or just found Superiors Sew Piece (??)--it's a poly #50 and really like it. On the long arm I use SoFine which is poly mostly, but will use a trilobal (poly) or Omni (poly) or sometimes either Superior's King Tut or YLI--though honestly once those are gone I won't be replacing--too thick for the heavy custom quilting I do and too linty. For Bat--Love,love,love washable wool--but usually use 80/20 Hobbs. If I plan to only use on the wall and plan to enter into local shows, I will go with a poly bat as it doesn't hold the wrinkles as tightly.

ClairVoyantQuilter

My quilt tops and backings are 100% cotton, pieced with Aurifil cotton thread. But I carry a lot of different battings, from cotton, cotton blends, to wooo, silk and bamboo.

But for my personal quilts, and those I gift family, my preferred choices are, in this order, wool, silk then cotton.