Understanding Quilt Batting

You know that point in a quilting project when you’ve finished a quilt top and you’re ready to quilt. You go to the store (or online) to get some batting and you’re met with this unbelievable amount of choices. Which batting should you choose? What does each one do? Why would you need one type over another? It’s all so confusing.Well, I’ve been in that same place, too. After spending a ton of time making a quilt top I don’t want to do my project an injustice by choosing the wrong batting. Let’s face it, there are now a ton of different batting products out there and their differences can be overwhelming.

What works best for a baby quilt and why? What if you’re making a quilt that will hang on a wall? How about simple projects – do they need a special type of batting? And, then there are the exotic blends like bamboo, silk, and cotton. When would you use a batting blend?

In doing my research for this post, I found this awesome video by Rob Appell of Man Sewing. I love his casual style and simple approach. The video is a great source because he has stitched out every type of batting AND then washed it. You get to see the before washing and the after washing.

The video is about 14 minutes long and really answers any questions you may have about batting. I’ve included links to the different battings below the video.

Below are affiliate links to the different battings discussed in the video. I’ve included them so you can access the information quickly or add items to your Amazon Wish List for future reference.

• Quilter’s Dream Natural Select Mid-Loft 100% Cotton Batting
• Quilter’s Dream Natural Deluxe High-Loft 100% Cotton Batting
• Quilter’s Dream Orient (Bamboo, Silk, and Cotton) Batting 
• Quilter’s Dream 80/20 Poly Blend (this is a specialty blend, the 70/30 is readily available)
• Quilter’s Dream 70/30 Poly Blend 
• Quilter’s Dream Green
• Quilter’s Dream Select Mid-Loft Poly
• Quilter’s Dream Deluxe High-Loft Poly
• Quilter’s Dream Wool