Swifty

Hi, I am new to quilting and have had a few lessons from an English friend. In order to practise quilting before converting my nine patch blocks to cushion covers she gave me a "sandwich" of cotton material and wadding. I am now looking to source my own wadding and received some cotton wadding but it is not like the one she gave me which looks like polyester. I undestand ideally everything should be cotton but will it really matter if I use polyester for these cushions.

ckcowl

Polyester is a good choice for cushions. Polyester holds up well, is washable, doesn't shrink like cotton. I have been using polyester battings in kids quilts for years. I use many different batts, there is such a great variety now, you can find the perfect choice for every project. I use blends, 80% cotton/20% poly is a popular blend, I love wool batts, there's silk, bamboo, dream green- which is made from recycled plastic bottles, orient blends, lots to choose from. Try different ones as you get the chance and find what you like as you continue on your quilting journey

DOTTYMO

As Ckcowl says there is aplethora of waddings/ batting. Only problem with polyester is you have to be careful not to let a hot iron near it. I have dogs who prefer the poly to cotton wadding for their quilts.

Tartan

I find 80/20 batt easier to free motion quilt than polyester. Polyester tends to shift more and I get wrinkles on the quilt backing. If you are just practicing on pillows though, use what you have. Since you are a beginner, find out for yourself what works for you.

newbee3

every thing does not have to be cotton it's your quilt do as you please it all seams to work

ManiacQuilter2

I use mostly Hobbs 80/20 batting but that is my preference. If you go into a quilt shop, they should be able to show you what the best batting is for you to use. There is a variety of battings for various purposes.