A picture of a sheep being shown at the Wayne County Fair in New York, August 2014
I couldn’t resist.
This furry friend had his picture taken at the Wayne County, NY Fair, which is held in Palmyra, NY, hometown of both Sue and I. I thought, what better way to talk about quilt batting then with a big wooly sheep.
About a month ago, Quilters Dream Batting sent me samples of their batting. I’m not sure why. I think I got on their mailing list when I went to Quilt Market, and also I design/make quilts. So I suppose that’s my answer. Anyway, there are some battings that I particularly like and some, not so much.
I must confess, I rarely do my own quilting. Margaret Leuwen, Sue’s sister and owner of Miss Marker’s Quilts, does almost all my quilting. She also provides all the batting. So I really can only tell you I like a particular batting because of its feel. I love the feel of a cotton batting and I’m quite sure that’s what Margaret uses for my quilts, which are wall hangings. Sorry Mr. Sheep. Of course, if we are speaking simply of softness, Quilters Dream has something called Quilters Dream Orient, which is a blend of bamboo, silk and botanic Tencel. It’s such a fine softness that it’s almost unfeelable, if that makes any sense at all. It’s silky.
I checked with O’Susannah’s to see which battings they offered and I spoke to the incredibly talented Sharon Bristol. She gave me some guidelines on selecting batting so I thought I would share those with you. From Sharon:
1. What do you want the end result to look like?
2. Will it hang on a wall?
3. Will it be used on a bed?
4. Will it be used by a child?
Those questions should give you a start.
A few of the battings that Sue carries are:
1. Warm & Natural
2. Quilters Dream Cotton
3. Quilters Dream Poly
Each of the above can have options such as different lofts.
Sharon offers these suggestions:
“If you are looking for a vintage look, use the Warm & Natural. It will shrink just a bit. If your piece is for a child, use the Quilters Dream Poly for washability. It really depends on the finished outcome of your quilt.”
I have provided a couple pictures of the sample card I received from Quilters Dream. A little further down this post I explain what each one is. I for one, really want to try a couple of these battings and just see how they work. Let me know if you try any of them and how you feel about them.
Quilters Dream Batting sample card
Quilters Dream Batting sample card
The following information was taken from the Quilters Dream sample card.
Quilters Dream Cotton. 100% pure cotton batting.
Beautiful 100% pure cotton batting.
Proudly grown and made in the U.S.A.
Incredibly soft yet strong, stitch up to 8″ apart.
No scrims, glues, or resins.
No need to prewash–minimal shrinkage.
Carded, crosslapped & needlepunched for strength.
Dreamy for hand & machine quilting.
Available in four lofts: 1. Request 2. Select 3. Deluxe 4. Supreme.
Quilters Dream Poly
Newest fine denier microfibers
Thoroughly modern choice with no shrinkage and very wrinkle resistant.
Stitches up to 12″ apart. Can be tied.
Not polyester as usual–silky & soft.
Wonderful for hand & machine quilting.
No resins, glue or binders.
Breathable and comfortable.
Also available in Deep Midnight Black in the Select Loft.
Available in three lofts: 1. Request 2. Select 3. Deluxe.
Quilters Dream Angel. Heavenly batting made 100% of flame retardant fibers.
Special engineered man-made fibers are inherently flame retardant–NO chemical added.
Fibers will not melt or flow when in contact with flame.
Passed California 60 test for open flame resistance.
soft and beautiful.
Stitches up to 6″ apart.
May be machine washed & dried.
Heavenly for hand & machine quilting.
Available in two lofts: 1. Request 2. Select.
Quilters Dream Blend for Machines.
70% cleaned natural cotton and 30% silky fine denier polyester blended in perfect harmony and then needlepunched onto an ultralight scrim base.
Perfect for machine quilting and tied quilts.
Strong stable yet soft drapeable.
Stitches up to 12″ apart.
no prewashing required.
Will not stretch, pucker or bunch. Perfect for short and long arm machines. Available in Select Loft.
Quilters Dream Green. Truly green batting made from 100% recycled plastic bottles.
New generation of soft cozy polyester fiber made 100% from recycled plastic bottles.
Clearly pro-environmental in both its raw materials and in the close-the-loop manufacturing process.
Each pound of Dream Green equals 10 bottles saved from burdening our landfills.
Except for the light green “natural” bottle color, the quality , function and drape are indistinguishable from virgin polyester batting.
Dream Green may be machine washed and dried with little to no shrinkage. Resists wrinkles.
Excellent for hand & machine quilting.
Stitch up to 10″ apart. Can be tied.
Available in Select Loft.
Quilters Dream Orient. Luxurious blend of bamboo, silk & botanic Tencel.
East meets west in this exotic blend of bamboo, silk, cotton and botanic Tencel.
Stitch up to 8″ apart.
No resins, scrim or binders-luxurious fibers only.
Incredibly soft, silky and luxuriously drapeable.
May be machine washed and dried.
Incredibly dreamy for both hand and machine quilting.
Available in Select Loft.
Quilters DreamWool.
A beautiful, consistent batting with the rich natural qualities of wool.
Made with a blend of fine domestic and merino wool.
Scoured & super-washed for superior cleanliness.
May be machine-washed and dried. No shrinkage.
Stitch up to 8″ apart. No scrim or resins.
Light and luxurious with wonderful warmth and a lovely soft drape.
Exceptionally comfortable and breathable.
Carded, crosslapped and thermally bonded for uniformity, loft, strength and resiliency.
Excellent for hand & machine quilting.
Perfect lofts for all of your quilted projects.
Quilters Dream Puff. Light as a feather and warmer than down.
Lusciously light & lofty batting. Dream Puff imparts volume and definition without adding weight.
Superior insulation with amazing warmth and breathability. Dream Puff’s special silky soft fibers are 1.5 times warmer than down.
Stitches up to 10″ apart.
May be machine washed & dried. Dream Puff will not shrink. Will not hold a crease.
Excellent for hand and machine quilting and for tied quilts, trapunto, comforters and wearables.
Resilient loft of 1/3 inch. Can be easily layered for even greater loft.
Quilters Dream Fusion. Fusible dream cotton batting.
Exceptionally soft and drapeable. Natural Dream Cotton Batting is infused with the softest fusible fibers.
The beauty in Dream Cotton with the convenience of a built-in fusible web.
Simply layer with fabric-iron-and your quilt top or bottom is layered seamlessly with your Dream Fusion Cotton Batting.
You can stitch or tie up to 8″ apart.
Finished quilt may be machine washed a& dried using cool water & cool dryer.
Excellent for machine quilting, embroidery, tied quilts, clothing, purses, bags and all your craft projects.
May also be hand quilted.
Available in Request and Select Lofts.
Quilters Dream Fusion Fusible Dream Poly Batting.
Exceptionally soft and drapeable Dream Poly Batting is infused with the softest fusible fibers.
The quality of Dream Poly with the convenience of a built-in-fusible web.
Simply layer with fabric-iron-and your quilt top or bottom is layered seamlessly with your Dream Fusion Poly Batting.
You can stitch or tie up to 12″ apart.
Finished quilt may be machine washed & dried using cool water & cool dryer.
Excellent for machine quilting, embroidery, tied quilts, clothing, purses, bags and all your craft projects.
Available in Select Lofts.
I would love to hear how you use battings like these, and what your experiences have been. –Betsy
Quilt away! Don’t forget to comment, share, pin and post!
Sew, O'Susannah! 
BETSY, I have used many of these battings. My batting of choice is the Dream Green when I want a polyester batting (less shrink). It is the same polyester fibers as the 100% poly batting but it is good for the environment. If I am doing a modern quilt, or a child’s quilt or something utility I always use the green. I have a number of quilts which have been washed multiple times and are awesome with that batting inside.
If I am doing a more traditional quilt where a bit of shrink is okay I choose the dream cotton. It washes well but shrinks quite a bit more.
I have used the dream angel in a number of bats y quilts. It works up really nicely, and is soft and supple after. It is very thin and light weight when finished. A really nice soft, lightweight batting.
I have also used the Wool batting a number of times. It is a higher loft, beautiful batting. I use it, for all my show quilts. At times I double batt with a coton or polyester batting to add a bit of strength but I am currently working on a series of 3 wall hanging go which have just wool batting and they hang just beautifully. I have used this batting with very dense quiltind and lighter softer quilting with wonderful results. I have washed some quilts and blocked and soaked others all with good results. I choose this batting when I really want to highlight either applique or particular quiltin designs.
I have a piece of the Orient batting but I have not quilted it up yet…..
I have also used the black polyester batting with no complications what so ever, it acts just like the Virgin poly batting or the green poly batting.
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Mandy – thank you so very much for your in-depth response. I loved hearing how you use all the battings. It has really educated me and I’m sure others, as well. It’s good for us to hear from quilting experts like you and Margaret Leuwen. Thank you, thank you, thank you. BTW – I can’t wait to see your new work.
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