Quilt Class 101 - Week 7 - Batting

When I went to the quilt shop to buy the batting/wadding for my very first quilt, the lady behind the counter got the roll and laid it out.. and i thought..."What is that?? That's not what i want.. its too thin!!"
Then, the next question?? What type do I want?  "I don't know.. they all look the same!"

So for those of you new to Quilting, Let me tell you a little about the different types of batting, their characteristics and what each one is best suited for.

Firstly, Thickness or Loft. Batting comes is different thicknesses.

 Low loft, is thin, (most popular for quilting) and 

High Loft is thick.

Most batting's have a Scrim. The scrim is fine non-woven fabric that the fibres are needle punched into. The scrim locks in fibers to prevent bearding/piling. The Scrim also gives the batting strength and firmness. Excellent for quilting.

100% Polyester is the high wadding you may be used to.. This is the wadding that i thought i initially wanted. Its breaks down in the quilt very quickly and is really difficult to quilt. Your best not to use it for Quilting.

100% Cotton is my favourite choice and i use it 95% of the time. It is a low loft, it drapes beautifully, soft, cuddly, warm and natural. Cotton batting tends to stick to the backing and top fabrics well so it doesn't shift around as much and easy to make your quilt sandwich. It is available in bleached white, great for your white quilts, natural in colouring or grey for your darker quilts. 95% of the time I use this batting in the natural colour. I love it.

70%Cotton / 30% Polyester - This Batting has the same characteristics as 100% cotton but is lighter in weight. You may prefer it if your making a large quilt.

60% Cotton / 40% Silky Wool. All natural, very soft and luxurious. Med Loft.

100% Wool is a great wadding if you want the extra warmth. It has a scrim on both sides to prevent the fibers piling out of the top. I used it for a Quilt for our bed. It is heavier in weight than 100% cotton. Can be heavy to Quilt and hand quilt.

60% Wool/40% Polyester. It has the warmth of wool batting but a lighter option. Quick to dry after washing and lighter on the bed. Its great for wall hangings and also available in grey. High loft.

60%Wool / 40% Cotton. This batting is soft to touch and drapes better than the wool/poly batting. It has the warmth of wool with the softness of cotton. Low - Medium loft.

Bamboo Batting is amazingly soft, drapes beautifully, low loft so its easier for hand quilting. Bamboo batting dries 3 times faster than cotton batting and will not allow mold or mildew to grow. This is my next favourite choice.

Fusible batting. There are a few different ones I have tried recently. You can use it doubled over for a high loft, or pull it apart into a thin low loft batting. Its popular with the quilt as you go techniques and I have only ever used it for small projects.

Insul-Bright.  This batting has a thin foil insulating layer in the batting. It is needle punched polyester fibers that reflect the hot/cold back to its source. I use this batting for making projects such as ironing board cover, insulating bags, hot pads etc. It is a bit noisy/crinkly. Don't use it for your Quilt.

Now the next most important Question... How to buy???

Most of the time Batting is sold on the roll. You will find that they vary in their widths.. The cotton Batting I use is 240cm wide. If your quilt wont fit into that size... you may need to order a piece bigger.

How much to buy??? Measure the width of your quilt top. Add 4-6 inches to the measurement to give you the amount you need. For eg, The width of the QC Quilt is 50". So buy a piece of batting 56" x the width of the Roll.

I hope this helps you...

If your QC top isn't fully complete (like mine) keep sewing and we are close to putting our quilt sandwich together...