kuntryquilter

I have bought fleece when it is on sale at Hancock's and used it as batting. Also on baby quilts as the backing with no batting. It quilts very well.

beckyw

I have used mattress pads in my kids quilts and they stand up will. They are very nice and warm.

Rettie V. Grama

Yes, I have used many blankets for filling of a quilt. I make youth sized quilts for the veteran's hospital near me. All my friends, when they have a worn, faded blanket donate them. When I run out, I go to a thrift store. The quilt pattern on the top and the colorful lining, along with the blanket makes a wonderful addition for the totes I place them in for carry home.

So far in the last 3 years, I have made and donated 179 quilts. Working on one a day now for Christmas. Have lots of fabric. Am moving and can't take it with.

Rettie V. Grama

Wool blankets can be very difficult to work with. They are usually too heavy for traditional quilting. If you want a comforter, that would be great, exceept tie it with carpet worp thread which won't un-tie.

AllyJo

Thank you for the feedback. I wasn't sure how they would work. I figured at the least, I could use them in coasters, wall hangings or doll quilts. They are older cotton ones, not polyester, so it seems a shame to throw away good cotton.

Thanks again.

Rettie V. Grama

I also use mattress pads rather than buying batting for the quilts I make for the veterans hospital. Just be careful about the fabric of the mattress pad. Some have a webby fabric. I find that is not good. They tear apart with use and ruin the quilt.

illinois

My thinking is that it depends on the look you want on your finished project. If you like puffy, then you need a real batt. One of the first quilts I made, I put a flannel sheet inside and I'm now so disappointed that I did that. But that was before I "knew what I was doing" and I didn't have much money then either to put into a quilt. I had put a lot of time into embroidering blocks for a quilt for my little girl and they really deserved better quality for finishing. As with all of our quilt projects, it depends on the use you have for the quilt and whether you want to put a lot of time and money into it. If it's a utility quilt, you may enjoy the blanket inside but, if it's likely to be handed down as a family treasure, you might decide to use the real thing.

frogella

I have used blankets, sheets, old quilts and thin mattress pads for batting. My quilts will never be artistic in value but they are warm, and hold up wonderful. I made one out of peiced sheets for the top and backing and a mattress pad for the batting. Tied it together with embroidery floss. Washed it every two days for 5 years and it still wouldn't die. The dog finally chewed a hole in it!

Debbie1

I received 30+ years ago a quilt from my grandmother who used a blanket as the batting, the quilt was tied and it was used to death!

Bev

When I first started quilting I had noone around me to give me advice, so I just used old blankets that family donated. I did that for quite a while until I started getting magazine subscriptions and learned that "real" quilters used purchased batting. Since then that's what I've always used. But I can absolutely swear to you that the ones I made with old blankets are still in heavy use after all these years. My daughter and her family live in Ohio where it can really get cold, and they use those quilts on their beds in the coldest of weather and swear they are the warmest things they have.
Bottom line is, use what you want to use, old blankets or whatever. As long as nothing is falling apart.

8-)