How to Choose Quilt Batting: Cotton, 80/20, Wool or Polyester, with Size Charts

What are the different types of quilt batting?

Most quilts use one of five fiber types. Each maker's version behaves a little differently, so the ranges below come from published specifications for common products; always check the package you buy.

Silk batting also exists for garments and heirloom hand quilting, but we could not confirm published figures for its quilting distance or shrinkage. If you are unsure where to start, an 80/20 blend is forgiving and widely available, and a needle-punched cotton is the classic choice for a flat, traditional bed quilt.

What does quilt batting loft mean?

Loft is the thickness and springiness of the batting. It affects three things you will notice:

• How much the quilting shows. Low-loft cotton gives a flat surface where stitches sink in. High-loft wool and polyester puff up between lines, so feathers and motifs stand out in relief.
• How it handles under the machine. A lofty batting makes a thicker sandwich that has to fit under the presser foot and through the harp. Machines with adjustable presser foot pressure, like the Janome HD9 with up to 5 lb, and a walking foot help thick sandwiches feed evenly.
• How it feels. Low loft drapes and suits a bed quilt tucked around a mattress. High loft is cozy and warm on a throw.

Loft is not the same as warmth. Wool is lofty and warm yet breathable; polyester can be lofty and hold heat more; thin cotton is cool and breathable. For hand quilting, lower-loft battings without a heavy scrim are easier to needle.

How far apart can you quilt different battings?

Every batting has a maximum quilting distance, the largest space between lines of stitching the maker allows. Quilt farther apart and the fibers can shift, thin out or bunch after washing. The difference between brands of the same fiber is large, because construction matters: needle-punched battings with a scrim, a thin stabilizing web, hold together over longer distances.

The quilting distance also shapes what you can make. Wide-spaced straight lines and large edge-to-edge designs need a batting rated for 8 to 10 in. Dense custom quilting works with any of them. If you plan to tie a quilt instead of quilting it, choose a polyester or scrim-backed cotton with a long rated distance. For a head-to-head on two of the most popular options, read Warm and Natural vs Hobbs batting.

What size quilt batting do I need?

Buy batting larger than the quilt top on every side, just like backing. For quilting at home, 2 to 4 in per side is typical; longarm quilters usually ask for 4 to 6 in. Packaged batting is named after bed sizes, but the names do not match quilt sizes one to one, so check the dimensions.

Two surprises in that table. A queen quilt usually needs a king batting, because a 90 x 108 in queen package is only 90 in wide and a 90 in quilt leaves no allowance. And package sizes vary by maker: a Warm and Natural king is 120 x 124 in, a Hobbs 80/20 king is 120 x 120 in. The batting size calculator checks any quilt against the packages, and the queen quilt size page lists common queen dimensions.

Does quilt batting shrink?

Cotton and cotton-blend battings do, and polyester barely does. Published figures: Warm and Natural cotton shrinks about 3 percent in a cold wash and about 5 percent in warm water, Quilters Dream Cotton about 1 percent cold and 3 percent warm, Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 about 3 to 5 percent, and polyester from 0 to 1 percent.

Shrinkage is not always a problem. When cotton batting shrinks inside a quilt, the fabric puckers softly around the stitching and gives the crinkled, antique look many quilters love. If you want that look, do not prewash the batting. If you want the quilt to stay flat and exact, choose polyester, wool or a low-shrink cotton, or follow the maker's instructions for pre-shrinking. Plan quilt dimensions with shrinkage in mind: a 3 percent shrink takes nearly 3 in off the length of a 95 in queen.

Which batting is best for machine quilting, hand quilting and longarms?

• Machine quilting at home: low-loft cotton or 80/20. They grip the fabric, so layers shift less, and the thin sandwich feeds easily. A scrim-backed cotton tolerates wider straight-line spacing.
• Free-motion quilting: 80/20 or wool. Wool is light, so the quilt is easier to push around, and it shows motifs well. See free-motion quilting for beginners.
• Hand quilting: a soft cotton without scrim, a wool, or a low-loft polyester. They needle more easily than dense needle-punched cotton.
• Longarm quilting: nearly anything works on a frame, because the layers are held taut. Many longarmers buy batting on wide rolls and layer wool over cotton for show quilts.
• Tied quilts: polyester or a scrim-backed cotton with a long quilting distance.
• Baby quilts: a washable 80/20, cotton or polyester that survives frequent washing. Keep soft bedding out of an infant sleep space per safe-sleep guidance.

Is quilt batting on a roll cheaper than packages?

If you make several quilts of the same size, usually yes. A roll of Warm & Natural 40 yd Roll is 90 in wide and 40 yards (1,440 in) long, recently listed at about $300. The table shows how many batts it yields with 4 in of allowance per side, cutting the shorter length from the roll and using the 90 in width across. Prices change, so treat the per-batt figures as a guide.

Full, queen and king quilts need more than 90 in in both directions, so from a 90 in roll they require joining two pieces of batting. Butt the straight edges together and zigzag across the join, or use a batting joining tape, then quilt normally. A roll also needs storage space and a large surface for cutting; a folding cutting table like the Kangaroo Kookaburra opens to 70 x 40 in. For single quilts, a package such as the Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 King is simpler.