Are you a crafter that likes to get creative? Or perhaps you are a retailer that requires wadding in bulk to meet the demands of your customers. Whether it’s your next sewing and quilting venture or if you’re simply meeting the demand, we have a wide range of wadding that you can choose from. There are numerous different types of wadding that we will explore in this post.
What is wadding?
Wadding is used as a layer of insulation between fabrics – typically used in quilt making. Essentially what it does is fill the quilts enabling them to keep you warm.
Different types of wadding include cotton, polyester, wool, cotton/poly blends and even fusible batting.
How should I choose a wadding?
It’s important to choose wadding based on:
- Loft – the weight and thickness of the wadding. If you want your wadding to have a flat finish, it’s best to choose a low loft. For a quilt, it’s best to choose wadding with a higher loft.
- Warmth – if the wadding is designed for a quilt, it would be best to choose a wadding with good thermal properties.
- Colour – if your project is dark in colour, it would make sense to select a black wadding, so it is not highly visible through the fabric once it is made.
- Time – if time is an issue for you, we recommend selecting a wadding that is not overly time-consuming.
Now, let’s dive into the benefits of each one!
100% Cotton Wadding
Cotton is the most traditional choice for quilting due to its natural form. It is preferred for its soft, breathable texture and overall comfort. Cotton remains ideal for machine quilting and is also a natural fibre, meaning it is more flame resistant than synthetic products. Remember to wash and thoroughly dry a cotton wadding first, as it will shrink slightly after washing!
Polyester Wadding
Polyester is a more cost effective alternative and has brilliant washable properties. It holds its shape and provides a thicker finish but without any added weight. It is easier to be sewn by hand, and therefore ideal for hand-quilting.
Wool Wadding
Wool is typically known for its amazing insulation properties. Due to its warmth, it best lends itself to bed covers and lap quilts but also remains ideal for hand, machine and tied quilting.
Cotton/Poly Blend Wadding
There are a wide variety of blends available that are designed to combine the best properties of the different fibres, for example, a cotton/poly blend allows the durability of the polyester, but also provides the loft and ease of the cotton.
Fusible Wadding
Fusible wadding is double-sided and iron-on which means it is perfect for craft projects or children’s quilts where frequent washing is required. When making bags, we recommend using fusible wadding as it adds stability to the bag structure and keeps the layers together because it effectively eliminates the need for pin or spray-basting and is a huge time-saver.
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