5 Budget Friendly Quilt Batting Alternatives
In this post, I’ll share my favorite alternatives to store-bought quilt batting. These options are easy on the wallet and easy on the environment.
Quilting is an expensive hobby and batting, especially for large quilts, can get very pricey.
Thankfully there are plenty of second-hand alternatives that can save us some money and connect us to some of the older traditional quilting values of make-do and re-use.
Table of Contents
Old Cotton Towels
Old towels were the first batting I ever used when I started quilting in 2020.
I didn’t know at that point about the overwhelming amount of store-bought options for quilt batting, I just knew a quilt was three layers and there was meant to be something warm and soft in the middle.
The first two quilts I ever made were a quilt-as-you-go quilt that I made block by block, and a baby quilt.
For the baby quilt, I used one large threadbare bath sheet and for the quilt-as-you-go quilt I used a couple of different cotton towels that I cut up.
Depending how thick your towels are your quilt may end up a bit heavier than if you used a commercial quilt batting product so that is worth keeping in mind, but they certainly do add that key layer of warmth.
As far as cost, old towels are a great option as you might be able to source old towels for free from family and friends if you don’t have any of your own.
You can join multiple towels of the same thickness with a zig-zag stitch to make a larger batting or use them quilt as you go style for individual blocks or rows of your quilt.
Tips for using Old Towels as Batting
- Use 100% cotton towels that have previously been washed. They’ll be nice and warm and they shouldn’t shrink any further.
- Test your quilt top against the towel to see if you can see any color or pattern from the towel through your quilt top. Use light colored towels for light colored quilt tops, etc.
- Cut off any decorative trim so that the thickness of your towel is consistent throughout your quilt.
Flannel Sheets
Flat flannel sheets are my new favorite type of batting. I buy second hand slightly bobbly old flannel sheets from ebay or in thrift stores.
Flannel sheets provide the warmth factor but they are slightly thinner than most store-bought batting. This makes them great for summer quilts or for use in denim quilts (which I make a lot of!) or quilts with fleece backings.
One benefit of flannel sheets of course is that they already come in bed sizes so nothing needs to be pieced together.
You might be able to get old flannel sheets from family and friends for free but if you can’t there is also a booming market for sheets like these on ebay & facebook marketplace.
I have started to use flannel sheets as batting in denim quilts as it is that little bit thinner than store-bought batting. I used it in my ‘Can we change our spots?’ quilt that had a denim quilt top and an ikea curtain for the backing fabric.
Tips when using Flannel Sheets for Batting
- Buy flat sheets rather than fitted sheets. You can cut away the elastic from a fitted sheet and use it, but it is an extra step that you probably don’t need.
- Keep in mind the color of your quilt top and the color of your sheet. If your quilt top is light in color and the sheet you are using has a pattern or dark color on it you may be able to see it through your quilt top.
- Your quilt may feel thinner than you are used to so you might prefer to use a thicker fabric for your quilt backing.
Fleece Quilt Backing & No Batting
I love a fleece quilt back and I’ve written about that in my post about how to use fleece as quilt backing.
Many quilters who share my love of fleece choose not to use quilt batting when they use fleece for a quilt backing as they feel it is thick and warm enough without it.
You can piece fleece fabric for backing or use an old fleece blanket – either way you might be able to skip the expense of batting altogether.
I do like to include batting with a fleece back – as I like heavier quilts – but going forward when I use fleece I think I will opt to use a flannel sheet for the batting rather than a store-bought thicker batting.
Below I am going to talk about using other types of blankets as batting. I wouldn’t use a fleece blanket for the middle layer as the batting, because fleece is so soft and cozy that it would seem a shame not to have that layer touching your skin as the backing.
Old Blankets
Back when quilting was more of a practical and functional pastime, rather than a creative hobby like it is today, old blankets and even old quits were often used as the batting layer in a quilt sandwich.
When the old blanket started getting holes in it, it would get quilted over with another layer so that it could continue to give a family warmth.
We can do the same.
I have used old wool blankets in a couple of my quilts and I found they gave lovely quilting definition and because they had already been washed many times they didn’t cause shrinkage.
In the photo below you can see my ‘My Scrappy Heart’ Quilt top laid out over a pink wool blanket which is what I use as batting for this quilt.
You could also use thinner types of cotton blankets.
Depending on the type of blanket you choose to use your quilt may be heavier and stiffer than a quilt made with store-bought batting.
I particularly like thicker wool blanket batting for art quilts designed to hang on the wall but they are also good for any quilt you want to be extra warm and hard-wearing like a picnic or car quilt.
Tips for Using Old Blankets as Batting
- Choose a blanket that is the same thickness and texture throughout rather than a loosely woven knitted blanket that might be different thicknesses.
- Be aware of the color of the blanket in relation to your quilt top.
- Use a walking foot on your domestic machine as your quilt sandwich may be thicker than you are used to.
Batting Scraps
Franken-batting is a fun term used by many quilters that describes the process of joining up leftover pieces of batting to make a piece that is big enough to be used in a quilt.
I do this often and I have another tutorial about how to join your batting scraps.
This can reduce the amount of store-bought batting you need to buy on a yearly basis if you are able to piece together enough of your scraps to make a few additional quilts.
If you like this idea you can also source other people’s batting scraps and skip store buying altogether. You can sometimes find listings for batting scraps on eBay and facebook marketplace and you might even be able to get some for free by offering to help your quilty friends to de-clutter their sewing space and taking the batting scraps they aren’t going to use themselves.
Tips for using Batting Scraps
- Make sure you are joining batting scraps of the same type so that all your batting behaves the same throughout your quilt
- Experiment with different joining methods to see what you like including zig-zag stitching, fusible tape or just butting your batting pieces next to each other and quilting in place.
