Batts Can Make You Batty

by Steffani McChesney

I’ll bet you thought buying a batt was the easiest part of quilting. Just when you thought you had it made, you are suddenly confronted with a dizzying array of choices. Yup, batts have gone high tech. Nowadays, picking out a batt can be a daunting experience.

The quilting guru Harriet Hargrave says, “No one batting is appropriate for every quilt.” Oh good, that narrows it down a little. She goes on to say that there are several factors to consider when deciding which batt to use. These factors include:

1. Surface texture. Will it be heavily quilted or just tied?
2. Weight and warmth. This will be determined by its intended use. Will it be a bed quilt? A wall hanging? A baby quilt? A dog bed?
3. Loft and drape (wearability). Some people like the fluffy comforter look while others like the flat antique look.  Drape is important if you are making a piece of wearable art. You don’t want it to stand away from your body like Charlie Brown in a snowsuit. 
4. Shrinkage. This is more important than you might think. To get that antique puckered look found in 19th century quilts a batt that shrinks when washed is necessary. If you want your appliqué to stay nice and flat don’t use a batt that shrinks unless you preshrink it.
5. Fiber content. You have a huge variety to choose from. Read the package for content.
6. Washability. Is this quilt going to be used constantly requiring frequent washing or will it be a pampered work of art hanging on a wall?
7. Bearding properties. Polyester tends to migrate through the quilt top leaving little wisps of fuzz, which is very unattractive on dark background quilts.
8. Ease of needling. This is an important consideration if you are going to hand quilt. Also, how close are you willing to quilt the quilt. Be sure to read the recommendations on the package. This is very important for looks and durability. You don’t want the batting in your masterpiece to migrate into big lumps in the unquilted areas of your quilt after it’s washed for the first time.

Got all that? Well, get another cup of coffee because we aren’t done yet. Now we have to consider the fiber content of the batt we want to use. We can choose from cotton (bleached and unbleached), cotton/polyester blends, cotton flannel, wool, polyester in several different lofts, silk, and a new wool/polyester blend from Australia. Add to all this fusible batts made from either cotton or a cotton/polyester blend (my personal favorite) and dark charcoal gray or black batts for dark background quilts. Your choice should be based on the list of attributes listed above.

Some batts offer another set of problems. Some cotton batts might need to prewashed to remove oil from seed particles left in it during processing or the oil could stain your quilt top. And some cotton batts need to be preshrunk before use to preserve the size of the quilt. Flannel definitely needs to be preshrunk or your wearable art will only fit your Chihuahua.

You need to ask yourself these questions to help narrow down the final choice:

1. Do I want natural, synthetic, or a blend?
2. Do I want a thick and fluffy or flat and thin quilt?
3. Do I want to hand quilt, machine quilt or tie the quilt?
4. How close do I want to quilt or tie the quilt?
5. Do I want an antique puckered look or a contemporary flat look?
6. How often will the quilt be cleaned based on its usage?

These are all important things to consider to ensure the success of the final product. You have spent lots of money and time to make a great looking quilt top. Don’t let the choice of the wrong batt spoil all your hard work. To assist you in making the right decision you can order a packet of samples of the different types of batting available from Hancock’s of Paducah for $5.00. Call toll-free 1-800-845-8723 or order online at Hancocks-Paducah.