pamelor

Hello all, I have found old threads related to this question but wondering if anything's changed since 2013! My boyfriend is insisting on cotton batting complaining that 80/20 "doesn't breathe." I found Pellon all-cotton and Fairfield all-cotton at Joann's, both retailing at $199.00 but the Farifield is on sale for $89 for a bolt. Both are 20 yards by 90 inches. Has anyone tried both and have any opinions on Pellon vs Fairfield? The Fairfield bolt weighs MUCH less, odd for the same advertised content and same dimensions. I would love to pay half-price but am suspicious that it's on sale while the Pellon isn't. Any opinions on the quality of either of these would be appreciated.

sloscotty

The thickness (loft) of the Fairfield may be less?

Stitchnripper

I haven't tried the Fairfield but I use the Pelion all the time and like it

Onebyone

I use Warm and Natural Cotton batting when I thought I had to use all cotton. Honestly I can't tell any difference from cotton and 80/20 and neither can anyone else unless they know what I used, which in my opinion, that they will hear, is none of their concern.

pamelor

If anything, the Fairfield seemed loftier. ?? Like there was more "stuff" in the Pellon.

thimblebug6000

Are you able to see the specifications on both of them? Is the required quilting density the same?

pamelor

Thimblebug, good question. The Fairfield says quilt at least every 8 inches and the pellon is every 10. So guess the pellon must be denser.

sloscotty

Pamelor, if the Fairfield you are talking about is the "Toasty Cotton", we bought a roll recently and it has been fine. My partner and I have used it in 3 or 4 full-size quilts so far, and are satisfied with the feel of the finished quilts. (We also bought it because it was on sale at JoAnn's - this was a couple of months ago, but it was about the same deal. Hard to beat the price for sure!)

peaceandjoy

I got a great deal on the Pellon over a year ago. One of those that was so good I could hardly believe it. $15 for 96" (8 yards) x 9 yards. I just checked, it's currently $56. At that price, it was worth a try; I figured if I didn't like it, I could donate it someplace and not be out a ton of money. I still have over one of them left. It's worked well for me, I asked the person who LA's my quilts what she thought of it, she said it was fine, no problems. Pretty much like W&N. The polypropylene scrim in the Pellon is 7%, where W&N is 12.5%. I don't notice the dark flecks in the Pellon as much. Highly recommend it. I have not used Fairfield cotton, but do use their Tuscany wool. It's a reliable brand. There is no scrim, so 100% cotton, I believe - but also needs closer quilting than cotton with a scrim.

pamelor

Thank you for the replies! It sounds like there won't be any major issues with the Fairfield. I also have a concern about shrinkage. The Fairfield says "we recommend using the batting straight out of the package, no need to presoak" but also says "estimated shrinkage 2-3%." Pellon says "presoak as necessary, shrinkage 3-5%." I prewash all fabrics and just prefer to have my materials shrink BEFORE quilting if possible. I've presoaked Pellon before, and though it was a little bit of a pain, it turned out fine.

I was a little nervous about whether the Fairfield would hold up to presoaking, since it wasn't "recommended," but I think I'll just try doing a small piece of it and compare to a small piece of Pellon I already have, and see what happens. At this price I can afford to experiment. Way, way overthinking this, time to just buy it and move on with life