Hobbs 80/20 vs. Pellon Legacy 80/20 w/scrim

[Matt Sparrow]

We just received our latest order of batting and they were out of hobbs so we ordered Pellon instead. The bolts are considerably heavier than the bolts of Hobbs (same width and yardage)???

Have you tried the Pellon 80/20 Batting and how did you like working with it?

[meg_marsh]

Matt, I have tried it and not been happy. It was inconsistent in loft and had slubs in it. That was quite awhile ago so maybe they have improved their quality control. I now stick with Hobbs or QD when it comes to a blended batting.

[Guest Linda S]

Hi Matt - I get the smaller bolts of the Pellon Legacy at EE Schenck in Portland and I've really liked the 80/20 with scrim. I mistakenly brought home a bolt of the 80/20 without scrim once, and it was very stretchy and not good for the long arm. I do, however, really like the stuff with the scrim.

[Zora]

I bought a small bolt of it quite awhile ago. I will not buy it again. It produced a huge amount of lint. I started using it on a quilt, and had really bad bearding on a medium-dark backing. When I frogged the small bit of quilting I had done, and pulled the quilt apart to replace the batting, both surfaces were really covered with lint. Made me wonder how well it would stand up to use and washing. I gave the remainder of the bolt away.

[Matt Sparrow]

thanks for the feedback!

I busted a bolt open this afternoon and sold a couple metres to a renter. As she was quilting, I noticed a lot more lint than I am used to from the Hobbs. I will give it a try tomorrow during class but I'm already convinced I don't like it

[Quilting Heidi]

I had bought some and still have a little left. I can't say I'm a huge fan either. It does have a lot of lint and it isn't as lofty as 80/20 Hobbs. It also doesn't soften as much after washing as 80/20 does. I didn't order it again.

[jimerickson]

Matt: I used Pellon Legacy off the roll quite a bit.and thought it was OK. My supply dried up and I started to use Hobbs, When I first got the Hobbs I notice that the 30 yd roll was larger in circumfrence than the Pellon. (Hobbs apparantly has more loft) I thought the Pellon had a smoother feel when you touched it. Mine did not have scrim, it was simply needle punched. I have notice that Hobbs probably produces a bit less lint. The Hobbs seems to beard a little less than the Pellon. Because of the bearding, I perfer the Hobbs, but I don't dislike Pellon Legacy. Jim

[Butterfly]

I would like to know how a quilt with Pelion looks after you wash it. I have stopped carrying Hobbs. While I like how it looks when quilted, it flattens out so much after washing that I just don't like it. QD looks better after washing and so that's what I use now. I would like to know more about Pelion.

Jess

[CindyT]

I have used the Legacy 80/20 and find not only does it have more lint, but it is flatter than Hobbs 80/20. It's just different.

[JBQuilts]

My experience was like Cindy T's. I've had two occasions to use pellon, both packages and both were fine for quilting, linty and beardy, but one was very uneven; could see right through one end of it. If it had not been bigger than was needed I would have had to get another. About 18 inches at one end was so thin and uneven you could see through it. I gave that back to the customer to report it to the company. She paid $40 for it. It reminds me of W/N in how it handles and texture but it is thinner in loft. I would have thought it was hard to get any thinner than the battings are these days. Hobbs, to me has the same loft as W/N but it is not as soft.

[Matt Sparrow]

very consistent feedback...

I am feeling the same way so far. A bit more lint, a bit less loft, a bit less happy.

Thank you all for your confirming my suspicions. I'll have to try a bolt of QD now. So far Hobbs 80/20 is still my goto batting.

[epprog]

I don't have much experience with the Pellon as I have only ever had one bolt and that was a long time ago. I love the way Hobbs 80/20 quilts up and love it after you wash the quilt too but sometimes have a bit of trouble with pokies. I have quilted with it upside down and right side up, doesn't seem to help. If you use a 3.5 needle it is better. Some backings seem to be worse than others. Anyone else have this trouble? Anyone have a solution?

[Merryjo2003]

I have quite a bit of experience with a number of the Pellon products. I had a distributor close and I could pick it up, thus allowing me to keep my batting prices reasonable because I didn't have to pay shipping. There always was a lot more lint! OK, I can deal with that as long as the product was good. Then came the inconsistences. Especially with the blends. First the 80/20 was too thin. They got complaints so they thickened it some and it was fine. Next time I bought it, it was thinner again. Then they said they got complaints so they thinned it down again. All this is according to my distributor as she had called them so many times. In fact, the distributor called them so many times on my behalf (and others, I wasn't the only one questioning the products) she said they stopped returning her calls. At some point she found out they had changed the formula again! They never notified the distributor so they could let us (the customers) know.

Next, they said they had come out with a 70/30 blend that was more suited to longarmers and they were going to keep the 80/20 thinner. Okay...first 70/30 roll....pretty good! I think I bought 2 rolls before they changed it again. Then I get another roll and it looks thinner again. Well, we go back to the warehouse and pull a 60 inch wide roll of the 70/30 (I use the 96 wide) and it looks like a completely different product. It has the nice loft I was used to, but the 96 wide roll of the same stuff is half as thin! I gave up and so did the distributor. They stopped distributing this brand.

I do like their wool. It's much thinner than QD and Hobbs wools, but I like that for show quilts as I'm using it on top of another batting. I get the loft to define the quilting without the thickness. For a quilt where I'm using only one wool batt, I still prefer the thicker QD or Hobbs (yes, in that order). I love the thin poly and the 50/50 Pellon blend for table runners and placemats as they are both thin and flat, work great for this purpose and don't shrink. Their thicker polys were too "stiff" for my tastes.

I really like the fact Pellon has the 9 or 10 yd "boards" of the 96 wide products. I didn't have to worry about storage and could keep many different types of batting on hand for different purposes. It was nice and less expensive to stock the ones I use occasionally without having to buy and store a whole 30 yd roll.

I didn't have problems with bearding, but I do usually buy batts with a scrim. This does seem to help with the bearding problem or so I've been told by a couple of different manufacturers. I have had to stoop to calling them and discussing "issues." I wasn't complaining, just trying to get information and order the right product so I didn't have issues.

Wow! I sound like a batting snob! I'm really not, I just don't like the inconsistences in the products. I do hope they get things straightened out and find another local distributor! But for now, I think I'll stick to my other products.

[Bonnie H]

I don't have much experience with the Pellon as I have only ever had one bolt and that was a long time ago. I love the way Hobbs 80/20 quilts up and love it after you wash the quilt too but sometimes have a bit of trouble with pokies. I have quilted with it upside down and right side up, doesn't seem to help. If you use a 3.5 needle it is better. Some backings seem to be worse than others. Anyone else have this trouble? Anyone have a solution?

I too have had pokies with Hobbs 80/20, just a little, not a lot, and it is more prevalent on backing that are a little bit thin (even though they are Moda or other brand names). Also, I have noticed it more with some rolls than others, and I have noticed that if I quilt it wrong side up it is better. And I have noticed hard little knots in a couple of rolls, all over the place, and I those knots have caused thread breaks on occasion. But I still love Hobbs 80/20!!

[NollR]

I don't get on here much anymore - too busy with my multi-faceted business and family, but I feel that I need to put my two cents in here. After all we do live in a free country where we're entitled to our opinions.

I have been a regional long arm distribuotr for central PA with Pellon since they have started in the batting business approximately 4 years ago. As you may not have known, the Pellon company have been around for over 50 years with their interfacings and other products. H.D. Wilbanks who was with Hobb's for many years left to develop a batting line for Pellon which now carries over a dozen battings. There have been glitches along the way and product inconsistencies which have been smoothed out. I think for being in the batting business for only 4 years, they have done a great job. They're always looking for ways to improve a product line that they believe in. Their battings are so soft. I haven't had many problems with excessive lint with their battings. Yes, some are a bit more linty than others ( the ones without the scrim binder seem to produce a bit more lint), but I don't feel anymore so than other well known battings. I'm not going to "bash" other battings here because I have used almost all of them in my business. I do have some others that I like less than most, but I'm not here to criticize.

If their battings so "so terrible" why are big name quilters winning "big shows" with their battings in their prized show quilts? I took classes at AQS Lancaster with one quilter who swears by the Legacy 80/20 as the base for her show quilts . She buys it from a local distributor in her area. I don't feel right mentioning her name here, but she did allow a picture on Pellon's Facebook page. I know that she is will be entering a wholecloth quilt in future shows (which I know will be outstanding) also made with Pellon battings.

I wish all quilts entered in shows would disclose their batting choices, so that we can not only admire the amazing talent of big time and "regular" quilter's but to make educated choices.

Many of these quilter's as you may know "double batt" show quilts. A popular choice is wool on top. I am not a famous quilter, but I do long arming as a living and my reputation is dependent not only on my skills but on my batting choices. I sell and use Pellon battings in my business, in fact the 80/20 with the scrim is my batting of choice for 90% of quilts. Does this mean I won't use Hobb's, Quilter's Dream and my least favorite Warm & Natural or other quality battings if brought to me by customers? No, but I am happy and proud to be a Pellon gal.

Pellon is a major sponsor at many of the larger shows across the country. I am proud and looking forward to working next at the AQS show in Lancster, PA in March.

Knowledge and freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. It's great that we can exercise that right.

Keep on Quilting!

[whitepinesquilter]

Can't it be that any batting can have issues - related to the long arm stitch length, user stitch speed, needle used, fabrics, etc - and that I am not the only one that has problems with all kinds of batting at one stitching session or another? I don't think anyone is bashing any one brand - each of us is giving our personally experienced opinion. If a distributor happens to be on here please help the long arm community as a whole by taking the feedback seen on the forums (positive and negative) to the developers and factories so the product is as good as it can be. I don't believe in mean-natured criticism, but I wholly believe in constructive feedback even if it is a negative experience. I love reading people's experiences on here - it helps me decide what to try next. Even if it's just a crib size of a poorly reviewed batting, I sometimes I find it works wonderfully on my 23 year old Ulti I. So, please keep the constructive feedback, +/-, so I can keep learning!

[RitaR]

I'm still unsettled in what I will end up using in the batting lines.

I usually use W/N because of the cotton for wounded GI's,, ( Quilts of Valor).

I usually use it in any kids quilt I make, just makes it easier for parents to

take care of and the kids to wag around, plus if the child goes into the

hospital with it, the synthetics can cause problems, and that is with some

of the "occasionally used" equipment and/or the medications, breathing

problems.

I just don't know what to use in quilts for older people, mostly those battered

abusively, etc. when they so badly need the snuggle factor, which I don't

find with the warm and natural.

I have a roll of a synthetic batting, no idea where it came from or when.

I am going to try to use that a bit and find out how it works up. Will make a small

pillow cover to use ourselves and see how it works, and feels..

I just am in a real quandry, but think I'm going to lean towards the QD..

I had a bad experience with a Hobbs.. lint all over the house.. so bad it

would fly up as we walked by, and a real booger to try to clean up.

ROFL, also not awfully far from the QD factory, so it would make a nice

overnighter, which we do all too often.. Sneaky huh? LOL

Rita

[whitepinesquilter]

Rita brought up a point I always wonder about - I hear all the time that hospitals, homes, etc. want items made with cotton fabric and batting because synthetics cause problems. But the sheets they use for bedding are poly/cotton because they hold up to the rigid bleaching/cleaning demanded of them....

On topic here, I just purchased a roll of Hobbs 80/20 after hearing the opinions on here and trying one out and liking it. I've used Pellon battings and can say I didn't prefer them due to thinness, unevenness, and the last one used (brought by a friend) had little hard pieces of yellow sticker material all balled up and needle punched right in the batting - you could tell the sticker had gone through whatever washing/steaming process they have because they were dried up hard as a little rock and yellow as could be. I've happened to try a Fairfield classic cotton that I had around, and it was the most fragile, linty batting I've ever used, and I've found my machine quilts wonderfully using W&N and I like it after washing, too.

Because of all your positive comments, and because I am ready to make quilts with some lighter weightness and loft, I will be purchasing a poly QD product to try out next. I'm looking forward to making quilts with higher loft that actually feel like a 'quilt' and not a blanket. And that sentence IS just my opinion, and only mine.

[jimerickson]

I agree with Marci. Sharing of observations/expierences is one of the wonderful aspects of this forum. None of us quilt in exactly the same way, and probably don't even share the same opininon of what constitutes a really great quilt. We use different machines, have different preferences for thread, fabric, batting, tools, and design. A preceived benefit for one quilter might represent a problem to another.

I've used Pellon Legacy 80/20, Hobbs 80/20, Hobbs Poly, Fairfield Bamboo, and probably a couple of others that I don't remember. I like some better than others. I've had reasons for using what I used, some having nothing to do with the performance of the batting, I dislike any precut, bagged batting. Too many wrinkles to suit me. I try to use batting off the roll. I've taken the batting issue to the point of asking my customers not to provide batting, but rather let me provide it. I know some of the quilters here use bagged batting exclusively. They have their reasons. I won't critize them for that. I just doesn't work for me. To date my batting of choice is Hobbs 80/20. There are things I don't like about it, but on balance, it serves me best. That does not mean it is the best. I probably haven't even tried the "best". The point is that I have my reasons for my preference. Sharing our opinions and observations help us all become better professionals. I like to know what other quilters have experienced when using products that I both use, and don't use. My needs/preferences may be exactly the same as their's, or completely opposite. The shared opinion helps me make decisions.

Very few members "bash" other's ideas, or products. They have their preference, and probably a pretty good reason for that preference. Sharing expierences helps us all be the quilter we want to be. At least that's my take on it. Jim