Cotton or Polyester? What a loaded question...

So, in the quilting world, there are a lot of opinions about cotton versus polyester, both in fabric and in thread. Here is some information, mostly annectdotal. And, then, I will weigh in with my experience.

Many say it has to be all cotton to be heirloom, or that quilt shows require it to be all cotton. It has to be all cotton to last. Just not true. I love to read about the history of quilt making and I have yet to come across a resource where an all cotton quilt lasts forever. Have yet to find a resource that says all old and antique heirloom quilts are 100% cotton. Quilt makers were often the people who recycled, upcycled, made-do. Battings could be anything from old wool clothing to even newspapers! As far as longevity? In a group I'm in, someone's sister worked for the Smithsonian, and the quilts that were rotting? It was the cotton thread that was rotting. How were they being repaired? With polyester thread. Quilt museums are also suggesting the use of polyester to promote longevity. The cotton gives out long before polyester.

Now, polyester thread, once upon a time, could be too much against cotton fabric and could cause it to "cut" the fabric. And polyester batting in the 1990s? Oof, that stuff looked and felt horrible. But, the advances in quality, drapability, and feel has come leaps and bounds!

This is polyester batting. It is as thin and soft as my 100% cotton batting. Added bonus? I can get it in black for those very dark quilts where you might not want any batting peeking through needle holes. It happens...

Here are my two most popular battings, side by side. Polyester and cotton. I also have 80/20. The higher content of cotton, but enough polyester to make it more consistent and durable. The 80/20 is shy, she's hiding behind the other two.

Then there is thread. Did I mention that longarming is a messy business? I have lint elephants, not bunnies, ELEPHANTS! Everything generates lint...except polyester thread. I love how my machine runs with polyester thread. It has a fraction of the issues because of the lack of lint in my machine and the strength and consistency of the thread. Can you tell in the picture which threads are cotton? (Trick question...they are ALL polyester, all slightly different manufacture and content and provide different sheens.)

So, my weigh in...to quote Angela Walters when she was still airing The Midnight Quilter on YouTube, and she was quoting her husband's grandfather... "done is done". I will use whatever you would like to get your project done...except 100% cotton thread. I don't have that.