ohmisslizzie

My pattern suggest that I use a natura fill bamboo/cotton or warm and soft or warm or white, do you think the kyoto bamboo filling would be as good as the natura brand? They say the bamboo ones are softer??

shaverg

This is where I buy most of my batting. I find her at most of our Quilt Shows here on the West Coast. You can give her a call too, she is really helpful and runs a lot of battings on special. You will get it quickly too.

ohmisslizzie

Where??

shaverg

Whoops, sorry, here is her web site.
http://www.battylady.com/

Prism99

Batting choice has *so* much to do with personal preference and the end-use for the quilt.

Is this a wallhanging, lap quilt, bed quilt? Are you planning to hand quilt, machine quilt, or tie the quilt? Are you looking for a fluffy result, a flat contemporary look, a very soft quilt, an antique look (softly crinkled)? All of these things can make one batting better than another choice.

If you go to the "search" feature at the top of the website and type in bamboo, you will find a lot of information about bamboo batts that has already been posted. That my help you decide if you want to use bamboo and if brand makes a difference.

butterflywing

i think you should go somewhere that lets you touch and feel the various battings and decide what you like. if the loft is right, that's the one to use.

just remember that the more cotton used in a batting the more it will shrink in washing. there are mixed opinions here on whether or not to prewash battings because some like the wrinkled antique look that shrinking gives you while others do not. prewashing is difficult and messy, imo, but others disagree. read directions on various packages and see what you think.

cotton and other natural fibres breathe, which means they let excess body heat escape. they're much more comfortable in the summer. but if you're a person who's cold all the time, you need less cotton and more poly which traps heat.

you also have to read the label to see how closely quilted each batting should be, according to the manufacturer. if you don't like the quilting part, you may want a batting that allows you to spread the stitching further apart.

lastly, every batting manufacturer has a website. they provide a ton of info even though you may not buy their product. then you have an idea what to look for in the next website and are able to compare.

fairfield bamboo batting is probably the one most available today. you see it everywhere. no one has been able to explain to me what the advantages are over cotton except that bamboo is a much faster renewable source, therefore greener. the price is only a small bit higher, so if you get a 50% coupon, that's the time to try it if you want to. i've used it and it's lighter in weight than cotton and doesn't shrink. but it's also not quite as warm. personally, i wouldn't go out of my way to use it again, and i try very hard to buy green, but i want to be warm. if i had two of them, i would be comfortable. i have one batt i haven't used and when i use it, i will pile them together and be happy. in their defense though, fairfield makes a 50% bamboo and 50% cotton that i haven't seen yet, so maybe that's better than what i used.

tell us what you decide. if you do use the bamboo, i'd like to hear another opinion.

MadQuilter

I use Warm and Natural or Warm and White and I get it at Joann with a 50% off coupon. Love the way they handle and feel. Check out and touch the battings and see if you can see a sample of how well they drape. Then make your selection.

watterstide

Warm and natural is my choice..love working with it, and being under it!
i tried the bamboo batting, joanns had it all clearanced out in my area, got a great deal on it..but was not happy with it..so that makes it not such a good deal... :(

shaverg

I think you should feel the batting too. If you check out batty ladys site, she give a lot of info on batting, she also has samples. She does not carry any of the really cheap stuff. She has Hobbs, Thermore, Fairfield, she also carries wool and silk battings, you name it she has it and know everything about batting. She can tell you what you need depending on if you want it for warmth or just a wall hanging. It is just a really good site for information.

butterflywing

that's what i use. fairfield used to send you a teeny sample for free, just to touch. now i think they send you sample pack to make a comparison and i think they charge a few bucks. at least they did with me two years ago, when i wanted to see their highest loft.