Beating Your Batting Average or How to Use Quilt Batting

Quilt batting is one of those things that are invisible when a project is finished and so it’s human nature to deem it of less importance than the front of the project.   Just like quilt backing, another so-called “secondary” concern which is actually very important. 

We often ask the wrong question, “Why bother spending time on something no one sees?”

Instead of asking, “I want my quilt to be the best it can be, and so I need to know how to use quilt batting to its best effect in my work of art.”

However, quilt batting matters greatly because it’s that foundation thing again – if you don’t get your foundation right the whole thing goes to rack and ruin very quickly.  Quilt backings and battings are MAJOR foundations, so you need to consider your batting choices.  And there are a lot of choices out there!

Like everything else in quilting there is no one right answer because quilting is an artistic endeavor and not an exact science – which is very lucky for me since I had no luck with the sciences in school. 

How to Make the Best Product Choice when Selecting Quilt Batting

NOTE: 

Here’s a trick that comes in real handy when your project is a bit catawampus or your quilt top doesn’t want to lay flat no matter how much you starch and iron it.  To correct this, use 2 layers of batting in your project – I recommend cotton since its lighter.  The extra batting helps to take up the extra slack in your quilt top and lays it down flat.

100% man-made polyester quilt batting

There’s nothing ‘natural’ about this option.  And to be honest polyester batting has a lot of problems and it’s not my favorite.  Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have its proper place in the spectrum of artistic options.

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Pros:

1. It’s very light – actually the lightest batting available
2. Very cost-effective.  If cost is an issue for you, then this is the cheapest way to proceed.
3. I find this batting a good choice for children’s soft cuddle toys, poufy baby quilts, etc.  I keep some on hand to use for ‘Trapunto’ – which is when you put batting behind an applique to make it ‘pop out’ from the rest of the design.
4. This batting is also ideal for baby and young children’s quilts because it is so light-weight and yet warm.  You don’t have to load your precious little one down with heavy quilts to keep them warm.

Cons:

1. Polyester batting can be pulled apart quite easily which means that it has to be quilted much more tightly than other battings so it won’t pull apart inside your quilt and make lumps.  This takes more thread and time.
2. For want of a better word, polyester batting is fluffy and poofy, even the low-loft stuff which is much flatter than the high-loft batting.  This makes it harder to quilt and also makes keeping your quilt surface flat a considerable challenge. 

100% Natural Cotton Batting

If the thought of manufactured goods bothered you, and you prefer to keep a connection to natural ingredients than this is probably the most natural choice for you.  Most cotton battings are now 100% natural. 

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I really, really like cotton battings and use them in most of my quilting projects.  In my opinion there aren’t that many cons to using cotton, or mostly cotton, battings.  Here’s why…

Pros:

1. Cotton battings are thin, lay flat, can be easily ironed and are mid-weight which makes them a superior choice for quilts that will be used on beds. 
2. They are also warm for being so thin.  If you have never constructed a full size quilt, you will be amazed at how heavy they can get when all 3 layers are sewn together.  The front, batting and backing are not heavy by themselves, yet quilt them together and boy howdy, that sucker gets heavy real fast!  This is an important consideration if you’re planning a king or queen quilt and plan on quilting it yourself – the thicker your batting, the heavier the quilt gets – exponentially.
3. These battings are much harder to pull apart manually and will not come apart with repeated washing.  Therefore, the quilting does not have to be that dense to keep it in place.  Most of these battings can be quilted 8” – 10” apart, which cuts down on the amount of thread you use and also the time it takes to quilt your project. 
4. Because they are lightweight, they work very well for panels that will be displayed on walls because there is very little drag.
5. If perchance, your batting piece is not large enough for your project, it is simplicity itself to sew 2 or more pieces together.  Just lay the pieces side by side and sew them together with beige thread and a zig-zag stitch.  I have seen special joining tape that can be purchased for this purpose, but it’s not necessary. 
6. Cotton batting will lay flat and straight if you sew the seams with a tight enough stitch.

Cons:

I’m not a huge fan of wool quilt batting, but it does exist, and it is, occasionally, a good choice for a great quilt.   Since I seldom use it, you may want to take my advice on it with just a little grain of salt.

Pros:

The main usage for wool batting in my world is when I really want to define some aspect of the quilting. 

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Because wool batting is approximately twice as thick as cotton, the quilting lines go in much deeper than with cotton batting.  This causes the un-quilted portion of your project to pop up and appear much closer than it is.  In effect, it causes a 3-D illusion.  I used this technique in my Night Guardian panel.  The night sky portion of that panel was quilted with wool batting and therefore appears much closer than it actually is.  I also used this same quilting on the background of my dragon panel to help the dragon itself pop off of the panel.

Wool batting, however, does have its good points.  One of these is that, like cotton, it is natural so that there is less worry about allergy and health issues. 

Wool quilt batting’s also densely constructed, so the quilting doesn’t have to be that heavy. 

Also, washing is not a problem – it goes through washers and dryers without pilling, pulling apart, or shrinking.

Cons:

Wool batting, by its very nature is WARM.  Very warm.  Unless you live in an unheated house, or Antarctica, you may want to re-think using a wool batting in your quilts.  They are HOT!

Wool batting is also very heavy.  For these reasons I don’t use it in quilts, especially NOT anything larger than a lap quilt.  Remember that once you layer all 3 entities of a quilt sandwich together, a quilt gets heavy very fast.  If you use wool batting, the weight will become almost unmanageable.  I had to have help pulling a quilt sandwich through my machine, and that was just the middle panel of my dragon quilt.  Imagine, if you will, the weight of a full-sized quilt! 

These are the 3 main types of batting available in quilt stores.  The come in different weights, thicknesses, and percentages.  The choices seem overwhelming when you look at the shelves and shelves of batting choices. 

But my number one recommendation is:

Warm’N’Natural Mostly Cotton Batting 

This stuff is amazing.  Its 80% cotton, and 20% some man-made fiber I can’t really pronounce.  It combines the best of both worlds, and is warm but much lighter than any other option. 

You can double-down on it without causing your house to sink into its foundation, and you can also use it in combination with wool or polyester quilt battings when you’re going for poufy applique techniques. 

My final recommendation is to use warm’n’natural mostly – but if you want or need to use a different quilt batting for some reason, here’s Princess YellowBelly Design’s final word.

Match-Up of Desired Finish to Functionality

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1. Functionality – Cotton batting either 100% natural or a blend – it really doesn’t matter.
2. Showpiece – If it’s small enough and you really want to create a 3-D effect use 100% wool batting.  If it’s larger use cotton.  Sometimes, I’ll use 2 layers of cotton batting so that I get the 3-D effect without the weight.
3. Competition – If you’re entering your work to be judged, then use the best batting you can afford and get it professionally quilted.  Weight doesn’t matter so much in this instance, but quality does.
4. Decorative – Use cotton batting and quilt thoroughly – you don’t want it to lose its shaped and definition while it’s hanging.
5. Gifts – Depends on size and function but use the best batting you can afford so that the gift will endure.
6. Heirlooms – This is where quality is the most obvious.  If you are planning for your projects to be passed down to future generations, you have to use the best quality materials available and this includes your batting.  I would recommend warm’n’natural, of course, but if not then you should go for 100% cotton at the highest quality available. 

Purchasing Batting

Like everything else you need to consider your needs and shop around. 

Packaged quilt batting comes in specific sizes – twin, queen, king, etc.  If you are only going to be sewing one project then buying a pre-packaged size is the cheapest way to go.  There will be little waste. 

Also, if you’re purchasing online, then this is the cheapest option to ship. 

However, if, like me, you sew constantly, and – unlike me you live close to a JoAnn’s Fabric store – then I would recommend buying your batting by the yard from rolls.  And when I say yard it’s not a 45” wide yard like it is for fabric, but a 90” yard. 

Especially if you have a bulk coupon it’s much, much cheaper this way too, and art stores carry a lot of different brands to boot. 

A Final Note of Caution

I have seen packaged batting that is made from 100% recyclable materials. 

Now, I like recycling and saving the environment as much as the next quilter, but I can’t help it…I’m EXTREMELY leery of these. 

My thinking is this…whatever they were recycled from you can bet it was chemically constructed, manmade, and unnatural.  Then they recycle it with more chemicals and reconstruct it with even more processing and chemicals. 

This is certainly not something I want to put close to my face in a bed quilt – especially for babies or young children – or in a heirloom quilt will it start to break down after 10-20 years?   I would urge caution if you want to go in this direction and start with something small.