Hitomi Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 I have several different variety of battings most from Quilter's Dream. Cotton, Cotton Blend Select and Request, Poly, Dream Green (recycled bottles), Warm and Natural, Midnight Black, and now I just orderded a roll of Wool. My problem is, I don't really know the benefits of each. I know the cotton will shrink a little more than the Blend. And Poly gives a little more puff when quilted. How do I know which one to use? Is Wool warmer than Cotton? Why would you use Wool verses Cotton? Why do you use Cotton verses a Blend? Can anyone give me some tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted June 12, 2011 Report Share Posted June 12, 2011 Hitomi, This link may answer some of you questions. The report originally was printed in Unlimited Possibilities (now Machine Quilting Unlimited) magazine in 2008/2009 in three parts. Sue http://villagequiltworks.com/image_info/UltimateBattingChart.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zora Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Wool gives very nice loft, nice stitch definition, and does not retain creases when folded and stored, like cotton does. Cotton is lighter-weight, does shrink some when washed, to give the aged, puckered look. Cotton is available in bleached for quilts with lots of white in the background. Warm and Natural is thicker than most cotton battings, and does get stiff with heavy quilting...plus the finished quilt weighs a ton. Its good for table toppers and wall hangings, though. The QD blend performs well, but if you do heavy quilting, it can get stiff feeling. The thinnest loft of QD (Request) is not recommended for longarm quilting. I don't think blend comes in this loft, but I could be wrong. The poly battings are good for quilts that will be washed a bunch, like baby quilts. Dream Puff (poly) is very nice for heavy quilting. It performs rather like the wool batting as far as stitch definition and not retaining creases when the quilt is stored. Poly battings will not shrink, so if you want the aged look, you need a natural fiber. Dream Green is nice, but it will show through on light colored fabrics, so its best left for darker ot mid-range colored quilt tops. QD Midnight Black is a poly batting and is great for anything with a black background. That's my experience with QD and Warm and Natural. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sams Mom Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I always recommend wool for bed quilts. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Wool is my choice for personal quilts, QD wool for competition quilts. Zora pretty much said it all. I like silk batting also, Hobbs Tuscany and I also started using legacy by Pelion. When I started long arming, which was 4 years ago, I decided to try all kinds of battings available on my own quilts, reason being is that I want to have first hand experience the looks and effects of each batting after quilted and washed. Based from my experience I could then educate and recommend to my clients suitable batting for each quilt. Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I love all battings QD (except request, to thin). It's a natural fiber. I love the wool because of how it quilts and looks. Another biggie is that wool will soon be cheaper then cotton.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hitomi it all depends on the look you want. For me wool is my favorite. It drapes beautifully, cuddles great and it really shows off your quilting. My next favorite is dream puff all for the same reasons really. Hobbs is nice once washed. I mostly use QD. I use the dream poly as a bottom layer in my show quilts. It really allows those quilts to hang straight. I use either wool or dream puff on top of the dream poly. I don't use warm and natural because it is too heavy and stiff. It also doesn't show the quilting very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butterfly Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hitomi, I'm still learning about and trying different battings and batting combinations when using more than one in a quilt. So far, wool is my favorite because it gives such great quilting definition. Love that! Most of my customers like thin quilts and prefer the QD Select. Thin is in around here and its hard to get people to try something with a little more loft. I do like to use Hobbs 80/20 from the roll. Its a bit thinner in the packages. The roll seems loftier. I like the look of that too, but not as much as wool. Jess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmland Quilter Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I love QD Dream Orient over the cottons. It is so soft and drapable. As mentioned it doesn't provide the loft like the wool but when clients feel it compared to cotton and the minimal price increase many are going for it over the cotton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hitomi, I forgot to put in my last post, some piecers/quilter's still believe that quilts should be 100 percent cotton. Those customers get cotton batting and cotton thread (King Tut, etc). That's the only time I use my QD cotton select. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seakitten Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I am currently using up the last of a roll of QD cotton "request" on some antique quilt tops. It is difficult to handle, as mentioned above, but it does give an authentically old-fashioned look. That said, I do not believe I will re-order it, and will quit selling all-cotton. All-cotton quilts are not as popular as they were a few years ago; the thin loft is difficult to work with; and wool is getting more affordable for those who like an all-natural quilt. In my opinion, the heavier weights of 100% cotton, and Warm & Natural, are too heavy for this climate. I will use W&N if a customer brings it (DFW sells it here) for a quilt that is going to the mainland, it quilts up nicely, but I don't stock it. The quality of synthetic fibers and the interesting blends such as Orient are getting better all the time. Try them all & see what YOU like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-Jane Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hitomi, Harriet Hargrove has a nice cheat sheet for battings and how they should be used. I did a presentation for my guild on battings and did a lot of research. The cheat sheet is a good start - but it still comes down to you trying the different kinds and seeing what you like. A friend gave me the cheat sheet - but you can find it on the web I am sure. I have found I really prefer the natural fibers for bed quilts - they breathe. As most have said the QD or Hobbs Wool is great. For table runners and wall hangings, I use W & N. For wallhangings where I want alot of stitch definintion - I use QD High loft poly ( Dream Puff). What we keep on hand: Packages of QD black poly, Hobbs 80/20, and wool rolls of: 122 wide cotton (right now QD, but has been Hobbs or Legacy) QD dream puff Warm & Natural Alpaca/wool combo ( will replace with a roll of QD wool) I love it, but people seem to shy away-- Bamboo (very thin) quilt needs to be flat to use this. This seems to be a good selection for everyone. Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I have just learned about 'batting bolts' from the Checker newsletter. It advertises QD so I looked it up. Comes in convenient sizes, can be ordered without minimum quantity, and since it comes on a bolt, rather than a roll, the shipping is much less. It even advertises a 'throw' size, but doesn't give the dimensions of that so I have sent for info on that one. Each bolt is 15 yds in length, and either 46" or 61" wide. Just wonder if anyone else might find this interesting info. Sounds like a good plan for me. Storage for rolls is at a premium for me, but the bolt sizes could be accommodated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi Grace! Waving from down here in Eugene. Are you sure Checker has QD? I don't see it listed on their website. I know they do sell the Legacy by Pellon batting in bolts. I've used the Legacy 80/20 and it was okay, but I just used a Legacy Wool batt that I bought at Schenck for a customer quilt and it was thin and difficult to work with. I will not buy it again. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi, Linda, Actually although it was on the Checkers newsletter, it is actually sold by Quilternatives.com. They have a nice site. I have already received a response from Terry, stating the 'throw' sizes are 60" x 60". This is my first contact with this company, but so far the response could not be any quicker. Grace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I just ordered a roll of QD Puff from Quiltbug.com. She has it on sale for a good price and since I ordered a couple other items as well it must have put me over the top as I got free shipping. That was a surprise ! 20% off on the rolls of batting. I have been looking at this for a while and decided to just bite the bullet. I am spoiled with using my 50% off JoAnn coupons for batting, but there is such a HUGE difference in quality that I decided to go with the QD for my personal quilts anyway. The cheaper stuff is fine for charity quilts when we try to save $$. At the moment the Wool is higher ($$) than the Puff. I like the wool too. I have a couple package batts of the QD Puff and really like it, but chose to get a roll as there is less waste. I can cut off just what I need. With the packages, there is always some to cut off. I do use up the leftover pieces for lap quilts or kid quilts, so it doesn't go to waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Grace, I have ordered from Quilternatives. They are great to deal with and as you found, quick to respond. The batting is shipped from QD. I don't have a business so can't buy wholesale. I found their prices to be the best around. I liked the fact that the cost shown on their site includes the shipping so there is no wondering about shipping costs. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Thanks, Sue. Good to know they are 'user friendly'. Grace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 Thanks for the tip Sue. I'll check them out next time I need batting. My order from Quiltbug.com comes directly from QD as well. I always wonder if some of these places don't have "knock offs" and claim it to be the real thing. Shipping directly from the factory settles that ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted June 13, 2011 Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 I am working on a 60X60 wall hanging now. I wanted it to puff out and show the texture really well so I put W and W on the bottom and Dream Puff on the top. I have laughed while quilting as the top is so tall I have to squish it down to sew. I may hate it once I am done but I hope not cause I love the pattern and the fabrics!!!! Jane and Dave, what do we google - cheat sheet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 I order direct from Quilters Dream. Their policy is that if you have a business you can order at wholesale and there's never a minimum. If you want one crib batt, it's yours. I love their batting and their business. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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