Well David,
When I first started I used bump (curtain interlining, I believe) for my first few projects .. it was available, it was cheap and I knew diddlysquat about anything!
Basically wadding is a personal choice.....
There is 100% polyester wadding which gives a very
stiff boingy and puffy feel/look to a quilt .... I have used it, but dont like it
There is 80/20 (cotton/poly) which a lot of people like
There is 100% cotton (my preferred choice)
there is Bamboo (which is deliciously cool in the summer) but more expensive than the ones listed before
There is Silk ££££
and Wool ££££
These last two I have no experience of but would (for me) be used for heirloom projects
These waddings can come in natural (a beige)
Ultra clean/white (very white/bleached but useful under majority white or pale tops)
and black
You can also use cheap fleeces from Ikea, the Range etc as a wadding
or fleece just as a backing ... useful for kiddies quilts as they are soft and dry quickly once washed.
You can buy wadding precut, in specifically sized (usually American sizes) packs ...
crib, single, twin, double, queen, king
or off the roll in metres ..... Several Online and inshow suppliers do offers on 3+ metres and
you can also purchase wadding by the whole or half bolt ...
These are called Ducks and need to be kept behind your sofa (
@rubywishes )
If you are making a kingsized quilt you may have to get extra wide wadding tho' there is nothing to stop you joining wadding but if you QAYG (The Darkest of the Dark Arts) you just have to have something you can cut into squares an inch or so bigger than your block size.
I have made several Tuts which are available here in TSP and Google truly is your friend with regards to how to get started.
If you are a complete novice I would strongly suggest Craftsy's FREE Block of the Month 2012; Leah Day takes you through all manners of different blocks and techniques starting very easy and increasing (mildly) in difficulty as you go along .... This is a great way to try out different styles of piecing to see what floats your boat or sinks your battleship!