Batting is like the middle child of a quilt sandwich – outshined by the top and hidden by the backing, usually forgotten. But batting is a very important part of the quilt! It is what gives the quilt structure and warm. It is quite literally the heart of the quilt.

There are many types of batting (polyester, cotton, poly/cotton blends, wool, bamboo, etc.) and choosing the right one for a quilt can be daunting. For an excellent rundown of batting types, check out this wonderful diagram on Fabric Depot.

My preference has always been for a natural fiber batting. When I say natural fiber, I mean pretty much anything except polyester. I have just never enjoyed how polyester feels while quilting.

My go to batting is Warm and Natural Cotton Batting. It has a low loft and is easy to work with. A few months ago, the Joann’s near me had a moving sale and had discounted their queen size Warm and Natural batting to $14.99 (normally $50)! So currently, I am very well stocked on cotton batting.

Bamboo batting is incredibly soft. I love quilts with this type of batting because they feel very snuggly – it is like having a quilt poured onto you. Bamboo batting can be expensive so I usually purchase it online and/or wait until I have a coupon.

I have a love/hate relationship with wool batting. It is great for quilts, especially those winter ones that you need when temperatures dip. It has a high loft so it gives quilts a little bit of a puffy look. However, that puffiness is a pain in the rump to quilt with anything other than a long arm machine. Trust me, I have tried to machine quilt with wool batting on my regular machine and it is just not worth the frustration. I save the wool batting for when I have access to a long arm machine.

For my Country Charmer Christmas quilt, I am trying out a new brand of cotton batting called Mountain Mist Cream Rose. This batting promised to feel soft as a rose petal and it sure does! It basted well and I am hoping it quilts well too. I will keep you posted.

Happy Quilting!