Choose the Quilt Batting

How to Choose Quilt Batting

To find the right batting for your quilting project, you’ll need to consider a variety of things, including:

Quilt Use: What will the quilt be used for? Will this be a wall quilt, a baby quilt, bed quilt, child’s quilt or a garment?

Polyester is often chosen for crib and bed quilts, while silk is a popular choice for garments.

 How the Quilt Will Be Washed

Laundering is another concern, as some types of batting break down more easily in the washing machine.

Will you be washing the quilt often? When you do wash the quilt, will you be washing it by hand or in the washing machine? Do you want the batting to shrink in the wash?

•           Bamboo will shrink in the wash.

•           If you plan to use wool batting, you will need to wash by hand.

•           Bonded batting holds up best when washed.

 Loft and Fibers

Loft refers to the height of the batting. Low-loft quilts are flatter, while high-loft quilts are “puffier.” The loft you choose will depend on how you want the quilt to look. When using high-loft batting, the quilting lines will be more apparent. When using low-loft batting, you will get a flatter finish.

Quilting Method

Will you be quilting by hand or by a machine? High-loft batting is often not a good choice for hand quilting, but may be a perfectly suitable choice for machine quilting. Cotton batting is also ideal for machine quilting.

Finding the right batting for your project can be a challenge at first, but once you find one that you like, you can continue using that type with similar projects in the future.