Batting Comparison
I did a demo for VTMQG last week comparing different types of batting I’ve used. I volunteered for purely selfish reasons—I needed to clean out and organize my scraps, and also take stock of which ones I like, and which I might not care to buy again in the future.
The demo was very hands on and doesn’t translate well to the web, but here’s what I found.
The Process
I created three quilt sandwiches of each batting (large enough to cut down to 9″). I used fabric from the same manufacturer to try to keep things consistent, but used a different design for each for ease of visual comparison. The back is a solid. I quilted one of each set with a rough 1.5″-2″ grid, another with feathers and pebbles, and and the third with both.
I trimmed them all down, then overcast stitched the edges of the gridded and feathered squares to keep them from fraying in the wash.
Then, I washed the two overcasted blocks from each set (basic cotton wash, normal dry) to see how they ended up compared to the unwashed third block.
![Dried and pressed](http://raevenfea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/batting-comparison-2-1024x683.jpg)
The Results
Batting choices can be very dependent on the project type, and this is certainly not an exhaustive list. I imagine different brands react differently even with the same fiber content. But, knowing how the batting will react to quilting and washing is helpful in making that choice.
![Just out of the dryer](http://raevenfea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/batting-comparison-1-1024x683.jpg)
Fiber | Demo Brand | Shrink* | Loft | Max Gap | Binder |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
*according to the manufacturer | |||||
Wool | Hobbs Tuscany Collection | minor | medium | 4″ | resin |
Polyester | Soft n’ Crafty Extra Loft | minor | high | 2″-4″ | resin |
50/50 Bamboo/Cotton | Nature-fil | major | low | 8″ | resin |
70/30 Cotton/Poly | Pellon Eco Cotton | minor | low-med | 8″-10″ | scrim |
80/20 Cotton/Poly | Soft n’ Crafty 80/20 | medium | low | 2″-4″ | scrim |
Cotton | Warm & Natural | medium | low | 10″ | scrim |
The least affected by washing and drying was the 100% poly. However, it was not much fun to quilt, and the loft is higher than I personally like.
![Poly shank due to the fabric shrinking, but is otherwise unchanged](http://raevenfea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/batting-comparison-10-1024x683.jpg)
The most affected by washing and drying was the 50/50 Bamboo/Cotton. There was an extreme amount of shrinkage. A different wash type might reduce that, but be forewarned. It is gorgeous before washing, though.
![Bamboo/Cotton shrank drastically](http://raevenfea.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/batting-comparison-11-1024x683.jpg)
Personal Preferences
I’ve used all of these for various projects, but the two I use most often are 100% Cotton and an 80/20 Cotton/Poly blend. The former is great for all-cotton projects that I want to wash up all crinkly and soft, while the blend is perfect for baby quilts that I back with Minky, as the slight poly content reduces the shrinkage a bit.
What is your favorite batting type?