Sandy Ellison wrote:
Howdy!

Has this been your experience, Anne?

I'm thinking of the quilts I love to cuddle, how they turn out
soft w/ the cotton blend, quilted w/in 2" all over. I've never
known of a cotton batt that yields a "stiff" quilt, but perhaps
it's the wonderful 80/20 blend that solves that problem.
Loose quilting often leads to a shifting batt, more wear on the
quilt top & back. At least that's what I've noted in 30+ yrs
of quilting, and seen in many of the older quilts I've repaired.
(I do not believe the pkgs that say may be quilted 6" or 8" apart;
sparse quilting doesn't usually yield long-lasting good results.)
Good quality products make a big difference in the outcome.

I've only got one quilt with polyester batting inside, it definitely
started out softer than any with I've handled with cotton inside. My
daughter was given a baby quilt and whilst it wasn't unpleasantly stiff
it was definitely stiffer and less soft than either the aforementioned
one, or any other bedding she was used to, it's only taken a couple of
washes to soften it as well as a lot of use! I've just basted a quilt
with a cotton wool blend and that does feel softer, the packet says 3
inches as the quilting distance, which is a non issue as I like to quilt
fairly densely, I'm yet to start quilting it though, so I don't know how
it will feel when done.

Cheers
Anne