Choosing batting for a king-size quilt is a scale problem as much as a fabric problem. The quilt is large, will be washed and used hard, and any bunching or uneven thickness will show. A pre-cut king package solves the first part: Pellon® Polyester Batting in the 120" x 120" King Size Package gives you a single full-size layer, with no piecing of batting scraps and no seams in the middle of the quilt to work around.
What This Batting Is
This is a 100% polyester quilt batting. According to Pellon, it adds loft, body, softness, and definition to quilted projects — the four things batting is there to provide between your quilt top and backing. The loft is 1/8 inch, so this is not a high, puffy batting, and it is not paper-thin either. That modest loft lets your quilting stitches show with clear definition, while keeping the finished quilt even and manageable to fold, wash, and lay flat on a bed.
Polyester behaves differently from cotton in one way quilters notice right away: shrinkage. This batting has a shrinkage of 0–3%, which is low. A finished quilt made with it should stay close to its intended size after washing, rather than drawing up noticeably. That matters on a king quilt, where a small percentage change affects how far it drops over the sides of the mattress.
What It Is Best For
The king size makes this package the natural choice for king-size bed quilts, and for any oversized top that needs a full 120" x 120" layer. Because it provides body and softness as well as loft, it suits quilts where you want the quilting pattern — straight lines, cross-hatching, or free-motion designs — to read clearly on the surface, rather than disappearing into a very flat sandwich.
It is also practical for quilts laundered regularly: it is washable by hand or machine and dry cleanable.
How to Use It
Lay your backing wrong side up and smooth it taut without stretching it. Center the batting over the backing, smoothing from the middle outward, then lay the quilt top right side up on top. Check that you have an even overhang of batting and backing on all four sides before you baste.
Baste thoroughly — pin, spray, or thread baste — working from the center out. A king quilt is heavy under a domestic machine, so good basting keeps the layers from creeping.
Most important is the quilting distance. Pellon gives a recommended maximum stitch distance of 4 inches apart for this batting, to ensure strength and flexibility. No unquilted area should be left wider than 4 inches in any direction. Dense quilting is fine, and so is a simple 4-inch grid — just do not plan wide, open quilting or tying at wider intervals, or the layer can shift inside the quilt over time and with washing.
Prewashing, Tips, and Care
With shrinkage at only 0–3%, prewashing is a matter of the look you want rather than a necessity. If you like a quilt that stays crisp and close to its finished measurements, use the batting as it comes. If you prefer a softer, slightly crinkled finish, most of that texture will come from your cotton top and backing, not from the batting itself. Handle the batting gently when you open the package, smooth it rather than pulling it, and let it relax flat if it has fold lines from packaging.
Check for wrinkles on the backing before you start, and support the quilt's weight as you sew so it does not drag. For care, wash by hand or machine, or dry clean, and dry with the quilt's weight supported so wet batting is not pulled out of shape.
For a king quilt you want to finish true to size, show its quilting clearly, and hold together wash after wash, this low-shrinkage polyester batting is a straightforward, dependable layer to build on.
Shop the Pellon® Polyester Batting 120" x 120" King Size Package. at Linda's Electric Quilters.
