luvstoquilt

I love muslin and it feels wonderful. I prefer the unbleached with the specks in it and I only buy premium and I wash it before I use it. I love the muslin Moda has created in colors...I am actually in love with the Garnet color. It looks hand dyed. I agree with Tallchick, the quilting really shows when used on the back of a quilt and it feels wonderful. Good grade muslin also works when used on the tops.

Onebyone

Have you tested the temp of the 'hot' water in the washer? I was surprised the hot washer water was only warm in my machine. The new machines that have water sensors do not fill long enough to get the water hot unless connected to instant hot water or directly from water heater. For me to get true hot water I have to fill and drain the washer and then start over. Wet fabric will shrink in a hot dryer so using hot water isn't necessary for shrinkage. I like Pellon premium muslin. I've never had a problem with it and some of my used quilts with the muslin are decades old.

Iolo

I think it depends where in the world you are tooI’d only use muslin as a like a sheer curtain or to wrap cheese

juliasb

I actually prefer the cool touch to a good muslin. I buy it by the bolt! It is primarily used for backing. I pre-wash and press. Get a good muslin. I buy the 120" bolts. It is also great for dying fabrics which I do in 3-1 yard segments. If prepared correctly there is little fraying and it is cool and comfortable.

ppquilter

This is my go-to backing, love it with the civil war quilts I make and the 30's quilts. Love the big coupon at JoAnns too, so I buy a whole bolt.

Iceblossom

Linmid, not too forward and I'm sure other people are wondering as well. I've just ended a period of stash reorganization and sending out fabric. I started reducing my stash about 10 years ago when I got my vision issues diagnosed so all the easy stuff is gone by now. I was faced with the very true reality that no, I wasn't going to be able to use all my fabric before my eyes failed me.

I think right now I'm in a sewing and re-messing up my organization mood. I've sent out most of my "unwanted" fabric and basically I do want everything I have... but I do still have things I'm willing to give away or can give away once I'm done with an on-going project so I'm keeping my eyes out. Turns out I had a whole bunch of homespuns that I was done with and Pam casually mentioned she wanted to do something but they weren't as easy to find as they used to be (or something like that).

So unfortunately, I don't have anything really suitable in mind to send for your use. I do have a box going to a similar cause that is already spoken for. I have a crumb quilter friend on the boards that I periodically send my cutting scraps to, I keep a box at my cutting table for her. I do a number of donation quilts each year and have been using my more kid-friendly fabrics for that.

I do have a fairly large, fairly well organized stash that goes back from my own purchases to the late 70s/early 80s, plus I collected vintage fabrics for quite awhile although I sold most of those. Maybe because I collected "true" vintage I never got into the 30s prints, have close to zero. Most of what I buy now comes from thrift stores, I buy very little modern fabric. I've been told I have the "Humane Society of Fabric" and would agree with that -- a lot of what I have left has character more than beauty maybe, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Anyway, I am willing to share but I am best asked for very specific things, like do you have any Coca Cola fabric (no) but I think I still have a piece of Elvis... I also need to know how much in terms of size or pieces, most of my yardage is in rather small cuts (under 3 yards and most smaller). I usually don't charge, sometimes postage is nice, other times it is just the cost of setting my fabrics free. But I don't want to turn my thrift store shopping into a business and sometimes, no it just isn't convenient for me to get to that box of pink right now or whatever.

I've been sharing fabrics with people on Missingfabrics.com for years, and really recommend them especially for more modern (last ten years) yardage amounts -- the sort of thing I don't have. I'm mostly fulfilling "collector" requests like there was a person once looking for fabrics with blue roses.

bearisgray

I like the feel of some muslins better than the feel of some "quilting" cottons.

WMUTeach

I have been using JoAnn's best/highest quality muslin for years and LOVE, love, love it. It is crisp and dense enough to compare favorably to quilting cotton. I have bought it by the bolt. Their "best wide back" is not quite the same but I have used it often and not had any problems. I always to a quick finger test to get a sense of the quality and then hold it up to the light to see what I can see through it. I even lay a corner over a piece of dark fabric to see if I can "read" the pattern or color through the muslin. I have found a variation in quality even under the same label information. But to use a good coupon on a bolt of something I use often, it is worth the fuss.

Aurora

Walmart at one time carried a heavyweight muslin, I love using it for embroidery as the thread doesn't show through. When they got a new bolt, I would purchase 5 yards. Unfortunately, I have not seen it at Walmart for a few years. Fortunately, I have approximately 15 yards in reserve. It was also a great backing fabric.

bettyC

Homespuns shrink also.