I was super stingy on one of my first quilts and got the cheapest batting they had, aka, a low-loft polyester and it is wonderfully cool in the summer. I am the kind of person who sticks my nose up at polyester but I live in LA and I love that I can keep a quilt on my bed year-round. The poly doesn't hold in body heat worth a flip!

I was able to find the wool batting here so now all I have to do is finish the quilt top sigh. I need to spend less time reading forums and more time quilting. Too bad work gets in the way.

Hobbs also makes a washable wool batt that I have used and like a lot. I have a roll of it that I bought at Hancock's of Paducah last year. I have trouble finding Quilter's Dream wool locally.

I think Hobbs 80/20 is a nice all-uses quilt batt, and it isn't real warm.

OK so I think I have it now all I need to do is find the Quilters Dream wool on a roll here in Portland and I am all set. Well there is the small think of finishing the quilt top.... hmm I guess I'd better get busy.

I like Quilters Dream Wool, it has a nice loft, but is soft and easy to hand quilt (and lightweight). I prefer to buy off the roll as it's less likely to be crinkled and distorted, but if you leave a packaged bat to relax (and even give it half an hour on a cool tumble dry cycle) it should be fine.

Hi Snowplow ........... I am also in Minnesota and also have a quilt from my greatgrandmother. I treasure it. I love cotton batting. But after reading all the great reply's about wool. I may consider that down the road.
Where in MN are you ? I live in central MN ..... but travel often to the metro area to see the kids.

Oh snowplow, it must be wonderful to have old family quilts. I seem to be the first in my family to enjoy the crafty things.
cjtinkle brings up another question- is it better to buy batting off the roll or packaged? Ah so much to learn.

I love all this information! I read that the cotton fabrics on the top and backing make the wool batting safe from bugs. Is this true?

My great grandmother was a quilter in Minnesota. dang cold in the winter and in those days with no air conditioning in the summer in was HOT HOT HOT. I have two of her summer quilts. (I am 70 yrs. old) so these quilts are old. They were done with a flannel sheet as the batting. The one that I still use at times is wonderful in the hot weather. Since I wouldn't use a flannel sheet these days, I do use flannel that is designed for draperies. Usually available in wider widths at JoAnn's or Hancock fabrics and probably other places that have drapery fabric. I wash it first because some of it shrinks but love it for "summer" quilts or wall hangings where I want a very thin batting. I like Hobbs 80/20, cotton batting and other thin battings. Have not used wool but think it would work too. Just wanted to add a different option which has been proven over at least to more than 100 yrs. Ann the traveling quilter, currently in Minnesota where it has been hot this week.

No, not at all. I buy it on the roll, but even the packaged batts come folded and not rolled, and you can simply shake it out and use it. Once quilted, I wash in warm or cool water on the gentle cycle, and tumble dry on low heat, but it's even okay on regular heat.

Thank you, cjtinkle. Do you pretreat it in anyway?

patternqueen wrote:
Quilters Dream wool is awesome. It does nicely in the wash machine and dryer, and is hands down my favorite batting and used in all my personal quilts.

I made it clear they better use it every second of every day! Believe me this will not be an award winning quilt by any stretch of the imagination. By the way is there a "best wool batting" out there? Any special treatmen? I did prewash the fabric. Do I need to preshrink the wool or say dry clean only?