@ CaraRose, good to hear both you and your fishies survived your ponding misadventures and all is restored. A few years ago, a late spring storm deposited a huge tree limb across my puddle where it remained for the better part of a week due to the weather. It was so large, dh & I together could not lift it & so we had to get creative about removal. We (read that 'I') was left with a muddy, murky mess and a wee waterfall that was now leaking. Not fun. In the end, it was quilt batting to the rescue. @ butterfly4u, with a nod to Horton who was kind enough to provide specifics, here's how I cleared up my pond in a day....I bought a tall kitchen trash can at the dollar store & drilled holes in the top 2/3 of one side. I filled the trash can with batting & placed it securely at pond's edge. Note: take care to level it & secure it - it's heavy when it fills & will easily tip over (don't ask why I felt to include that warning) I disconnected the supply line from the pump to the skippy & secured it to the trash can so the pump is now filling the trash can filled with batting. The batting filters the water which now flows through the drilled holes back into the pond. KEEP AN EYE ON IT. I did this during a day of yard work & checked frequently. Twice the batting clogged and I had to stop, rinse & repeat. But at the end of the day, my water was clear. That was my first experience with batting. Next day, I added it as the top/final filter in my skippy. I replace the batting in the skippy twice a year, in spring & fall. My water has been gin clear since. Hope something here helps.

The "risk" of machine-drying cotton batting is that it *will* shrink... 2%?, 5%?, more?! Not much of a problem for those who like the wrinkly look, and also not a biggie if the shrinkage is 2%. But 5% is the same as squooshing a 100" quilt down to 95" or a 50" lap down to 47"... read the label carefully and if potential shrinkage isn't mentioned, assume it will be rather high. I was taught to air-dry by spreading a sheet [or two] on a level grassy area; spread and smooth the wet quilt on it (and you know how easy it is to spread HEAVY wet fabric); cover with another sheet or two. Every few hours, uncover, flip underside to top, cover, and repeat until dry. Depending on the thickness of the batting and how hot the sunshine, this can take several days, with you hauling it in each evening and trotting back out every morning because you for sure do not want morning dew or a surprise overnight shower to re-wet it. Purists will have a frame and tack the quilt to it so that it remains squared and is easier to flip. Remembering all this sure brought my childhood summers back :)

I second CMC's description of the layering process: 1) quilter's cotton (Perhaps use a print to represent the "hand" side.) 2) one layer of regular batting 3) one layer of Insul-Bright, with the shiny side facing toward the "hot" side 4) quilter's cotton (Perhaps use a solid to represent the "hot" side.) You don't want an extra layer of batting between the hot stuff and the Insul-Bright. You want the Insul-Bright to be able to reflect the heat back from where it came. Putting a layer of batting between the Insul-Bright and the heat would trap the heat inside the layers of the pot holder, so it would gradually build up heat. So that is why I recommend that you create a no-brainer way for people to know which side is for their hand. Perhaps a busy print on one side, and a solid color on the other might work. Since the item is to be used around heat and flame, I'd avoid anything with synthetic fibers, which would melt and flare. 100% cotton will smolder for a long time, unless it is directly in the flame. Be sure that you use batting that says "100% cotton" right on the package. Warm & Natural is actually 12.5% polypropylene. That's the scrim that makes it possible to place quilting lines up to 10" apart. Oh, and I think it is a good idea to tell the recipient to never put the item into the microwave. Sparks would fly!

It could be enough, depending on the quilt. But instead of cutting a straight edge and joining the straight edges, overlap the batting by a few inches, and imagine a wavy line WITHIN that overlap. Cut both layers at a time in a wavy line. Don't move them. Remove the excess piece from above, and the excess piece from below. Then join them securely as they lay. Try it with 2 overlapped paper towels so you get the concept. The batting in the finished quilt is much less likely to shift or gap, especially if the quilt would ever be folded along that joined edge inside. Top and backing seam lines as well as quilting lines are also less likely to cross that "join" in same way at any point (hope that makes sense). BlueBars