Jagsd3

Many of my customers prefer the 80/20 and I have used the 50/50 quite a bit too. I do like the wool but there again it is abit more expensive but it sure quilts up nice. I do have the poly also that use for a few here and there.

AnnieF

I use Warm and White for my hand quilting and machine quilting. It holds together well, is warm when I need it to be and when I made a floor quilt for my new grandson, I doubled the batting so I could make it cushy for when he was crawling. The last time I went to JoAnn's to buy the Warm & White, I noticed it had gone up $2.00 a yard in price. I usually buy 12 to 15 yards so the price even with a coupon was an issue. I saw that the 100% cotton Pellon product which looked and almost felt like Warm and White was $3 cheaper a yard so I gave it a go. I have never been more disappointed in a product....it was pilling on my quilt top before I finished machine quilting it. I used it up on unimportant quilt tops but will not buy it again.

hperttula123

I love Warm and Natural and warm and white. I only do long arm quilting, and it quilts up so nice. I tried a high loft poly and I'm still trying to make myself like it. Not sure how I like it over all.

kheliwud

Interesting coincidence. I teach free motion quilting (on domestic sewing machines) and have a running conversation about batting with my students. I have been making samples with the same stitching designs on quilt sandwiches where I am using cotton batting, wool batting and polyester batting. I did not have the polyester so I bought some of the low-loft from JoAnne's. Won't buy it again.
Love the puff of the wool will use it for wall quilts due to its recovery and memory (less creases when folded), use cotton 99% of the time because I like the crinkly look. The polyester was uneven, lumpy and very slippery.
I understand why some use the poly due to its cost or availability, but if I am putting the hours in on a quilt, I am going to buy the best materials possible, and IMHO, polyester batting is not it!

dunster

I usually use Warm and Natural or Warm and White because I bought two rolls from JoAnn's (before the big price hikes) and I like the way it feels. I have used Hobbs Heirloom wool and loved it. I have a KS Heirloom silk batt that I'm saving for a special quilt. I used Hobbs 80/20 recently and liked it too. The only batting I have really hated was some that the guild provided me for comfort quilts. I don't know what it was, but it felt almost scratchy and was thin and uneven.

lakekids

I have used polyester batting, Hobbs 80/20, Warm & Natural, and Hobbs Wool. I find polyester batting more difficult to FMQ on my domestic machine - too much poof! I have also used various other 80/20 blends.

I find that I like different batting for different purposes. If you quilt Warm & Natural very densely (think Diane Gaudynski or Harriet Hargrave style heirloom quilting), then the quilt becomes very stiff.

In general I prefer the Hobbs 80/20 (fusible when I can find it) or the Hobbs wool. The nice thing about the wool is that it does not keep creases. So if you have quilts that you store and do not use all the time, the creases do not remain once you use it (at least if you are hanging the quilt).

I do find it a little more difficult to pin baste the wool because it has more loft than the 80/20. I have to be very careful that I pin it closer together so that I don't get tucks when I free motion quilt on my domestic machine.

A few years ago I did a demostration for my quilt group where I compared different types of batting and various combinations of pre-washed and non-prewashed fabric. All of the batting and fabric squares started out the same size.

I then layered and quilted them and washed/dried all the samples. This provided examples of the shrinkage and puckering encountered when using pre-washed vs non pre-washed fabric and different types of batting.

It is really personal preference as to what you like the best.

Wintersewer

I use Warm&Natural exclusively, and have not had any problems with it. I see no reason to change at this time. I bought a bolt of it a few years ago and still have plenty on hand. I also bought several queen size pkg. when Joann Fabrics had it on sale. I like sales.

Jan in VA

After 30 years of quilting I have narrowed my preferences to 2 companies and 2 fibers.
Wool because of its light weight, easy of needling, warmth, washability. My favorite bed quilt is wool batted. I've used both Hobbs and Quilters Dream.

Cotton Select from Quilters Dream and Hobbs Organic Cotton because they wash well, wrinkle just enough to create the vintage look I prefer, needle well for handquilting, and can be quilted just far enough apart for my taste. Quilts made with these fold and store beautifully for me.

Jan in VA

mpspeedy

As a handquilter who has been at it for more than 40 years I like good quality poly or a poly blend. It gives my handquilting defination, is usually easy to work with and lighter weight to handle. I make approximatley 20 Simple Linus Quilts a month. For them I use the 10 yard by 48" rolls of poly batting from JoAnns. I always stock up when there is a sale. I machine quilt them simply using a decorative stitch. I assume that children's quilts will be washed frequently and the poly does not shrink. I find that cotton batting tends to get very heavy with larger bed quilts. The king size bed quilt I recently won had cotton batting and it is a chore just to fold it up.

Just my two cents.

Murphy1

I love wool batting. I have used bamboo too, but wool is my favorite for adult quilts. I use cotton in those I give to young ones. I don't use poly at all.