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Lofty Decisions
Choosing The Right Batting
Part 1, Natural Fibers
Cotton and Cotton/Polyester Blends
Cotton will be warmer and heavier than
a polyester batt with similar loft, which can be positive or negative depending on the
quilt's intended use. Now available in bleached white as well as natural, either color of
cotton is more opaque than polyester batting, so a printed or colored backing will not
show through a light-colored top as readily.
The early cotton batts demanded quilting as close as 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch intervals to
keep the fibers from shifting, but new manufacturing techniques for the cottons and
cotton/polyester blends help keep the fibers in place, allowing the quilter to hand or
machine quilt up to 10 inches apart. Even so, if you are planning to use a cotton batt in
a quilt that is to be tied, consider placing the ties more closely than you would with a
polyester batt as the cotton will soften over time.
We've heard many times that cotton does not beard and that it adheres to the quilt top and
backing, but we found evidence to the contrary in some of the batts. Neither occurrence
created a real problem in our samples, but they prove that few rules can be applied to a
whole class of batts. According to one manufacturer, the sulphur-based dyes used to
produce dark-colored cotton fabrics, such as the navy-blue we used as our backing fabric,
can create a static charge that attracts the batting fibers, causing them to migrate more
than with lighter-colored fabrics. To reduce some of this surface static, a small amount
of fabric softener can be added to the rinse water when a quilt is washed.
Though they are, in general, slightly harder to needle than similar lofts in wool or
polyester, the cotton and cotton/poly blends have a loyal following of quilters who love
the appearance, drape, and wearability. For them, cotton is king.
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