Tips on How To Choose Batting for Your Quilt

Batting is the soft, fluffy heart of any quilt. It will give your work depth and keep your loved ones warm. But even though it will be invisible once you’re finished, the batting you choose will give your quilt much of its personality. Use these tips on how to choose batting for your quilt.

A Resourceful History

Today, batting is a matter of preference. Good-quality batting can make a world of difference to your quilt. But historically, quilters have always made do with whatever they had. They often used fabric scraps for the outer layers and could be resourceful for batting, stuffing quilts with anything that would keep them warm in the winter. Insulation was the top priority; softness was a bonus. In past generations, quilters might have used:

  • Raw cotton with the seeds picked out
  • Feathers
  • Horsehair
  • Straw
  • Ground corn cobs
  • Old flannel diapers
  • Newspaper

Sometimes, they’d recycle batting from a worn-out quilt for a new one. Quilters weren’t too concerned about how the filling would stand up to washing, as it was more common to simply shake out quilts and hang them on a clothesline to freshen them.

Today’s Materials

Now we can buy batting based on any number of factors: thickness, weight, cost, aesthetics, ease of construction, and many more. If your budget will only allow for cheaper batting, that’s OK. It will still do the job just fine. But with some brands, you could run into a problem that quilters dread: bearding. That’s when fibers of the batting emerge through the fabric of the quilt. It can happen after washing, and it doesn’t look great. Help prevent it with a tightly woven top layer and extra-sharp needles. You can also help prevent bearding by using an anti-static spray on your quilt.

A quilt is a work of art. You put time, energy, and money into making each one, so it makes sense to buy the best-quality batting you can. It’ll stay inside the quilt where it belongs and hold up for many years to come. At Patchwork Plus, we’ve tried many different brands of batting, and now we only sell the Quilters Dream. It’s just a preference, but we find this brand reliable to work with.

When it comes to fiber content, these are your standard options:

Cotton Batting

Cotton is a good natural fiber. It stands up well to repeated washings, so if you’re planning to make a baby quilt, this is an excellent choice. Beware that cotton batting can shrink a bit in a washing machine and dryer, giving a quilt a “puckered,” crinkly look. Some quilters love this traditional look, while others don’t. It’s up to you!

In general, cotton batting is appropriate for any project. It’s breathable and snuggly. Cotton has the traditional look that many people love and is less likely to beard or pill. While this type of batting machine-quilts nicely, you’ll want to keep your quilting lines 8” or less apart to prevent shifting or bunching.

Polyester Batting

Our quilting community probably chooses cotton batting most often, with polyester as the next most popular choice. The key thing to know: if you run a quilt with polyester filling through the dryer, the batting can actually melt. If you’re careful to avoid a hot dryer, though, polyester batting has a lot of good points.

It’s less likely than cotton to shrink. If you don’t want a puckered, traditional appearance, you might prefer polyester. It’s the most inexpensive type of batting and drapes well. It’s warm, low-maintenance, and manageable for stitching. And it’s perfect for allergy sufferers.

Wool Batting

We love wool because it’s a warm, natural fiber. Wool makes for an extremely comfy winter quilt, whereas you might choose cotton for a lighter, summer quilt. While wool batting will cost a little more, it does help prevent creasing, shrinking, bunching, and shifting.

Bamboo Batting

One newer type of batting is bamboo. It combines bamboo with silk, Botanic Tencel, and cotton for an easy-to-stitch batting that can wick away moisture. Bamboo has excellent breathability and softness. You can machine wash and dry it in cool temperatures. Bamboo batting has a soft, silky feel and drapes beautifully.

Green Batting

If sustainability is your top priority, you can even find batting made of recycled plastic bottles. Yep—it even has a green tint to it. It’s environmentally friendly, and most similar to polyester batting. It’s surprisingly soft and can go through a machine washer and drier with little to no shrinkage.

Color Choices

Batting comes in a natural shade, bleached, and black for a reason. There’s always at least a slim chance that your quilt will beard. It’s not the manufacturer’s fault. The process of sewing and handling the filler combines with dryness in the air to draw little wisps of fiber up through the fabric. It happens—but you can disguise it by choosing the right batting color. Use bleached with very light-colored quilts, natural with cream and medium tones, and black with dark materials.

A Little About Loft

You’ll choose your batting’s thickness based on the purpose of your project.

  • Low Loft: This thin batting won’t stand out much from your stitches. You might pick it for a baby quilt, a table runner, or a wall hanging. Bamboo is the lightest.
  • High Loft: The fluffiness of this batting is great for whole-cloth quilts that show off stitching. Wool is usually the thickest.

If you have a longarm machine, it will be able to stitch any batting. If you’re using a regular sewing machine, though, you might want to stick with a low loft. Not all domestic machines can accommodate thick layers of a quilt “sandwich.”

Strategizing Size

Prepackaged batting makes it as easy as possible for you. These packages are cut for standard quilt sizes, such as crib, twin, full, queen, and king. Just make sure to add a little extra on all sides for quilting.

Scrim Stability

You might come across batting that features scrim, a light layer of mesh needle-punched into the filler. It adds strength and stability to certain kinds of projects. Scrim can be useful as it will prevent the quilt from distorting. It’s also helpful if your quilt is going to use wider spacing and big gaps. You don’t want the batting fibers to separate in the wash.

At this point, you’ve learned a lot of tips on how to choose batting for your quilt. Now it’s time to try it for yourself. With each quilt you finish, you’ll develop your own batting preferences. At Patchwork Plus, we’ll always give you our honest opinion. We’re happy to offer you supplies, patterns, and our expertise. Beginners might even want to try one of our quilt kits for sale online to help them dip their toes in. So don’t be afraid to make that first stitch. You can always find a quilter who’s willing to help.

Tips on How To Choose Batting for Your Quilt