Cotton or Poly?

[ren29]

Good afternoon, all!

I am approaching the end of my first quilt top so I'm thinking about the next step - backing and batting. I expect that this quilt will see a fair amount of use for snuggling so I want to be sure to use a durable batting. One that will hold up in the washing machine and being wrapped around little feet when they get cold.

Is 100% cotton batting better than the 80/20 or do you prefer 80/20? From searching the posting threads on the subject, I see that Hobbs and Warm & White/Natural are popular. But, I wasn't sure how much use the quilts were getting that these battings were used in.

Thanks in advance for any opinions you can give.

[K. McEuen]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

Either one of those battings work out great. I usually use the Warm & White because I buy it by the bolt and it's what I have. MSQC uses the Hobbs 80/20 and I have tried tht, plus have it in a quilt that they quilted for me and I really like the way it feels.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

[pcbatiks]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I like them both.........but Hobbs seems to have a "drapier" feel to it.

[GinnyKNC]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I think everyone has their own idea of what they like to use. I mainly use 100% cotton 'Warm and Natural' or 'Warm and White' but I will use poly if I want a quilt to be 'puffy'. I personally don't like poly, but again everyone has their own preference.
Poly is going to be lighter and poly doesn't breathe (in my opinion lol). Cotton is going to be heavier and does breathe.

[Lindagie]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I handquilt baby quilts with the 80-20 and love it. I also use the warm and natural or warm and white for larger quilts and it works well. You probably wouldn't go wrong with either of them, although I think the 80-20 might be a little softer after washing and drying.

[ren29]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

Thanks! It's probably just another area that I'm overthinking but I just had to ask. Maybe I'll try one brand in this quilt and the other for my next project . . which I already have rattling around in my head. Is it possible to be addicted to piecing quilts? LOL

[Claire Hallman]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

Another thing to think about, with the 80/20 Hobbs you should quilt about 3" apart or less and with the W&N you can quilt further apart 10" I think. I am giving the inches from memory, you should check the package before you decide how you want to quilt a project

[JCY]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I use Hobbs 80/20 & have been very satisfied with it. It's softer & lighter than the warm & natural or white all cotton. It works very well for FMQ. JCY

[Quiltfreestyle]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

Another consideration might be the look you're going for. Sometimes I want the old fashioned crinkly vintage look so I use 100% cotton & quilt it pretty heavily. If its for a kid I often use a cotton/ poly blend. I think they hold up better to heavy use & lots of washing. I usually do medium to heavy quilting so I don't have much problem with the batting shifting in the wash.
As mentioned in an earlier post, it's best to check the package for the amount of shrinkage to expect & how close you need to quilt it.
If you ever want to do winter quilt, try the Hobbs wool batting. I've used it & it is really nice. Not too thick, quilts easily, and it's oh so warm without being heavy..

[ren29]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

Another consideration might be the look you're going for. Sometimes I want the old fashioned crinkly vintage look so I use 100% cotton & quilt it pretty heavily. If its for a kid I often use a cotton/ poly blend. I think they hold up better to heavy use & lots of washing. I usually do medium to heavy quilting so I don't have much problem with the batting shifting in the wash.
As mentioned in an earlier post, it's best to check the package for the amount of shrinkage to expect & how close you need to quilt it.
If you ever want to do winter quilt, try the Hobbs wool batting. I've used it & it is really nice. Not too thick, quilts easily, and it's oh so warm without being heavy..

Very helpful information - thanks! I love this forum. I try to Google these things but find it's better to ask those who have real life experience. Thanks for being patient with a newbie . . . you've probably answered these questions a thousand times by now.

[Hulamoon]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

You can look into this too. It's what I can get locally.

batting.jpg

If you go to their website they have lot's of types and weights.

[coffeebreak]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I can't keep track of all the brands and content! Polyester is a warmer and cotton is cooler. Polyester is thicker, cotton is thinner. Polyester is more puffy than cotton. Other than that (and I hope I have that much right!) I buy what is on sale at Joann's. If I want the quilt for a warm climate, I use the thin cotton. If a colder climate, poly with a bit of puffiness. A quilt to toss over my legs while watching TV..thin cotton. But I will watch for the 80/20 to go on sale..kind of the best of both worlds and a good generic "for anywhere, any use" batting.

[ren29]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

There just so happens to be a "big sale" at Joann this weekend and I think there's some good choices of batting included in the sale. DH might have to hand over the moolah this weekend I definitely want something that will wear/wash well and be really warm . . . . of course that could have everything to do with the fact that it's -8 outside right now and chilly in the house. Our poor furnace is begging for Spring.

I'll check into the Quilter's Dream, too! Thanks for the suggestion.

[auntiemern]

Re: Cotton or Poly?

I use 80/20. It is just my preference. I think the little bit of poly in the blend gives it just a little more definition. Plus that little bit of poly makes it warmer.