meyert

I was given a few partial bolts of monk cloth. It says its 100% cotton, but I have never heard of it. Is anyone here familiar with monk cloth?

Could I use it for quilt backing?

What is monk cloth used for?

Barb in Louisiana

I used it for Swedish embroidery, aka as Huck Weaving. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/289497...47210/?lp=true

I used a bodkin to create the embroidery https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Metal-Bod...item23968aa977

quiltingshorttimer

I seem to remember it being a looser weave. Not sure I'd want it as backing

Barb in Louisiana

It is a very loose weave and has to be double sewn on the edges with no raw edges not to ravel. Athough a lot of the Huck embroidery does call to pull the horizontal strands out and leave a fringed edge. I machine sew several lines of stitching to keep the raveled edge the length I want it. It doesn't shrink, so, if lined, might could be used for the back of pillows or such.

meyert

Thank you for your responses. That huck weaving is just beautiful.... no sure what I will do with what I have. hmmmmm

QuiltE

Huck weaving is quite beautiful and can be quite intricate.

It was used for baby blankets.
However, these would not be your drag-em-around-take-abuse types.
Think delicate, showy, use with caution heirloom type.

I agree with the others, that it probably would not be a good quilt backing.
However, you could try washing a piece in hot water/dryer to shrink it.
You could determine if the shrinkage did the job to make it quilt-worthy!

If it were I .... I would take relish in my acquisition and use it for some fine handwork.
Yes, a new obsession could come your way!

meyert

I thought of that.... because the pictures I looked at on the internet are just gorgeous. I just have to decide if I need a new obsession ha ha ha

QuiltE

It's a good balance with quilting.
So go ahead and start that new obsession, as one won't defeat the other!!

I got back into hand embroidery work last year.
I didn't think I would do much of it because of quilting.
Yet, I have found that the two work well together.
There are times I don't really feel like working at the machine, and this let's me be productive.
Then, the two get combined, when I finish off the embroidery piece, and quilt it up.

Nesie

https://www.bing.com/images/search?v...xph=518&expw=7


Don't know if this link will work but Ill try. I have made gift towels using kettle cloth which I'm not sure is the same thing as monk cloth but does have a loose weave. I fold the edges over and I've actually bound them and added a wide strip of regular cotton fabric matching the binding to jazz them up a bit. I love the way they come out. This is not my pic but it gives you an idea of some things you can do with it.

maviskw

I don't understand using a bodkin for Huck weaving. We used a tapestry needle. It is a very large needle like one you would use for wool and heavy yarn but it has a very dull point so it can slide under a few threads without piercing anything.