To see detailed photos of quilted and washed samples of each fiber batting tested, see QNM issue 318 (December '99).
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Lofty Decisions
How Our Results Stacked Up
By Jeannie Spears
I've used the same tried-and-true batting for many years, so I looked forward to the opportunity to see how it would stack up against the others in our testing. I hand and machine quilted all the of the samples so that the test results would be consistent.
In establishing our testing criteria, we decided to use all-cotton fabrics, a navy blue on the back so we could tell whether bearding was a problem, and pastel fabrics for the tops, so that the stitching would be visible. We used one color per manufacturer to make brand identification easier. We chose a simple hand-quilting design, straight machine stitching, and meandering. Hand quilting was done with thread made for hand quilting, and machine quilting was done with regular cotton thread except on the silk sample, which was quilted with silk thread as recommended by the distributor.
I was somewhat surprised to find that the batting is a major influence on the quality of hand stitching that is possible. If you are making quilts for competition, select your batting carefully. Look for one that will permit even stitching on the back. In general, the polyester batts performed better in this respect than the natural fibers, but if you prefer cotton, the lowest-loft batts will give better results. The ratings charts in this article and the previous one indicate which battings are suggested for hand quilting.
Conversely, both natural and polyester battings with high lofts are not recommended for hand quilting. Most of them machine-quilted with ease, although the ultra- or super-loft styles are suitable only for tied comforters.
Cotton seeds can stain. If the batt you plan to use has pieces of seeds, we strongly recommend that you quilt a sample square, wash it, and let it sit for at least a week to see if stains appear.
If you plan to use a dark fabric or a large print on the back of your quilt, the opaqueness of the batting may be important. The lighter weight polyester battings (except for the Dream Poly brands, which are constructed like cotton batts) will let dark fabrics shadow through.
The method of construction of the batts also makes a difference in the ease of hand or machine quilting. All but one of the cotton brands are stabilized by a scrim or needlepunching, resulting in a pad-like texture. This kind of construction is helpful for machine stitching, since the batting is very stable, but is more difficult to hand stitch except in the lowest loft. (The exception was Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon batting, which is stabilized with a soft glaze on the top and bottom.)
A characteristic of batting that is important for ease of machine quilting is how well it clings to fabric. This determines how closely you need to baste. In general, the cotton battings do cling, polyester does not, except for Hobb's Thermore. The silk batt was very difficult to move on cotton fabric, but did not cling to silk at all.
As mentioned previously, there probably isn't one all-purpose batt that can satisfy all your needs. For ease of hand stitching, use a polyester batt. To support machine quilting, use a cotton batt. For tying a quilt, you'd want one of the loftier polyester batts. To see detailed photos of quilted and washed samples of each batting tested, see QNM issue 317 (November '99 for natural fiber batts and QNM issue 318 (December '99) for synthetic fiber batts. However, please remember that the best way to determine the stitching, draping, and sculptural qualities of any batting is to try it out yourself.
The photo details of our washed samples give some indication of the three-dimensional look you will achieve, but the best way to determine the stitching, draping, and sculptural qualities is to try them out yourself.
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