Wool Batting Compared: Hobbs Tuscany, Hobbs Heirloom Wool, Quilters Dream Wool, and the Blends

Table of Contents

• Why Wool Makes Quilting Look Better
• What to Know Before You Buy Wool
• The Contenders
  • Hobbs Tuscany Wool
  • Hobbs Heirloom Wool
  • Quilters Dream Wool
  • Hobbs Tuscany Cotton Wool Blend
  • Bigelow Wool
• Side-by-Side Comparison
• Wool Prices: Packages and Rolls
• Caring for a Wool-Batted Quilt
• Which Wool Batting Should You Buy?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: October 11, 2026

Why Wool Makes Quilting Look Better

Walk the winners' row at any quilt show and you will find wool batting under most of them. Wool fibers are springy, so the loft stays up between your quilting lines instead of flattening like cotton. Every stitch throws a small shadow, feathers and fills look sculpted, and a quilt that was merely well pieced starts to look expensive. Wool is also the warmest batting for its weight, which is why it is the right choice for the person in your life who is always cold.

It costs more than cotton or 80/20, it needs a little care in the wash, and it is creamy rather than white. This is the fourth post in our batting series, and it compares every wool and wool-blend batting Linda's carries so you know exactly what the premium buys you.

What to Know Before You Buy Wool

Modern wool batting is washable. Every wool on this page has been scoured and either resin-bonded or thermal-bonded so the fibers do not felt or shrink in a cold, gentle machine wash. The horror stories about wool quilts shrinking by a third come from raw or hand-carded wool, not from Hobbs or Quilters Dream.

Loft is high, weight is low. Wool battings run about 1/3 inch thick but weigh less than a cotton of half that loft, so a king wool quilt is easier to handle on a longarm than a king Deluxe cotton.

Bearding is the risk to manage. Wool fibers are fine and can migrate through loosely woven fabric. Use a quality quilting cotton for the top and back, a sharp needle, and avoid batiks with very tight weaves on the back (they trap heat) or very loose homespuns on the front.

It is cream colored. Wool reads warm white, not bright white. Behind a true white fabric it can show as a faint ivory cast. For all-white show quilts, consider a bleached cotton such as Linda's Choice instead.

The Contenders

Hobbs Tuscany Wool

Tuscany is Hobbs's premium line, and Tuscany 100% Washable Wool is the show-quilt standard: superwashed wool, lightly resin-bonded, about 1/3 inch of loft, rated for quilting up to 4 inches apart, and safe for a cold gentle wash. It is sold in throw ($19.79), twin ($34.64), and king ($57.74) packages. If you have one wool quilt to make and want the most stitch definition available, this is it.

Hobbs Heirloom Wool

Heirloom Wool is Hobbs's working wool: the same washable, resin-bonded construction as Tuscany at a slightly lower loft and price, in queen ($37.95) and king ($51.55) packages and a 108-inch roll ($314.41). It is the wool most longarm studios load when a customer asks for wool, because the 108-inch width clears a queen without a seam and it behaves on the frame like Heirloom 80/20.

Read the full guide to the Hobbs Heirloom Wool 108-inch roll →

Quilters Dream Wool

Quilters Dream Wool blends scoured, superwashed domestic wool with fine merino and bonds it with heat rather than resin, which gives it the softest hand of the three major wools and a loft of more than 1/3 inch. It is rated for quilting up to 8 inches apart, machine washes cold, and comes in the widest range of sizes on the page: craft ($11.32) through king ($68.19), including a 121-inch Super Queen, plus 93-inch ($343.74) and 120-inch ($358.41) rolls. Choose it when you want wool with no resin, or when you need the 8-inch spacing for a tied or lightly quilted project.

Hobbs Tuscany Cotton Wool Blend

Tuscany Cotton Wool is 80% cotton and 20% wool, and it is the answer for quilters who want some of wool's loft and warmth without the full price or the cream color concern. It quilts like a slightly fuller 80/20, shrinks 3% to 5% like a cotton, and shows more stitch definition than cotton alone. Linda's carries it as a 96-inch roll ($295.16) and in twin packages ($35.99 and $28.04 depending on packaging).

Bigelow Wool

Bigelow 100% Wool is Brewer's house wool in a single 90 by 94 inch package at $28.04, the least expensive way to try wool on a full or small queen. It is a straightforward washable wool without the loft consistency of Hobbs or the merino softness of Quilters Dream, and it is a good first wool quilt.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Stitch-spacing and loft figures are the manufacturers' published ratings. All wools above are machine washable on cold, gentle; lay flat or tumble dry on low.

Wool Prices: Packages and Rolls

Prices are Linda's current prices as of October 2026. A queen wool quilt costs roughly $15 to $20 more in batting than the same quilt in 80/20. For a quilt that took sixty hours to piece, that is the cheapest upgrade you can buy.

Shop Hobbs wool battings →

Caring for a Wool-Batted Quilt

Wash cold on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, no bleach, no fabric softener. Dry flat if you can; if not, tumble on low or air-fluff and pull it out slightly damp to finish flat. Store it loosely folded or rolled, never compressed in a vacuum bag, and keep moths away with cedar or lavender rather than mothballs, which leave an odor the wool holds. Treated this way a wool quilt will outlast the fabric around it.

Which Wool Batting Should You Buy?

Choose Hobbs Tuscany Wool if:

• You are entering the quilt in a show and want maximum stitch definition
• You want the classic Hobbs loft and are happy with 4-inch stitch spacing

Choose Hobbs Heirloom Wool if:

• You longarm and want a 108-inch wool roll that behaves like Heirloom 80/20
• You want the best-value queen or king wool package

Choose Quilters Dream Wool if:

• You want wool with no resin and the softest possible hand
• You quilt sparsely or tie, and need 8-inch spacing
• You need a crib, throw, or Super Queen size no one else makes in wool

Choose Hobbs Tuscany Cotton Wool if:

• You want some of wool's loft and warmth at an 80/20 price
• You prefer the slightly crinkled look cotton shrinkage gives

Choose Bigelow Wool if:

• You have never used wool and want to try it on a full-size quilt for under $30