Narrow-minded for material selection for quilt making
10-07-2013, 11:10 AM
#31
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Location: Jozefow, Poland
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I think you summarized it well. Quilting companies and fabric companies want us to believe that THEIRS IS BETTER. Using anything else, or doing without will make your quilt inferior. ;0
10-07-2013, 11:15 AM
#32
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Location: Jozefow, Poland
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I know that is what they say, but why?
I've seen beautiful quilts on the internet and some use a combination of cotton and linen even! It/they are beautiful.
Also poly thread works great---I know that some say it is too strong, it will "cut through the fabric"...which I think is really just nonsense. I'm not sure where that came from. I'm sure that the thickness of the thread would determine whether it would cut through the fabric or not, much more than the actual fiber content.
I've seen beautiful quilts on the internet and some use a combination of cotton and linen even! It/they are beautiful.
Also poly thread works great---I know that some say it is too strong, it will "cut through the fabric"...which I think is really just nonsense. I'm not sure where that came from. I'm sure that the thickness of the thread would determine whether it would cut through the fabric or not, much more than the actual fiber content.
10-07-2013, 03:56 PM
#33
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Some of the prettiest quilts I've seen are crazy quilts from the Victorian era. I don't believe that the fabrics in them were 100% cotton. They used what was available to them - upholstery fabrics, velvets, satins, sateens, silks, shirtings, etc. any left over remnants from dressmaking. I try not to mix fabrics in one quilt (unless I am making a crazy quilt), but I have made poly/cotton blend quilts and they have stood up quite well. JMHO...
Anita
Anita
10-07-2013, 08:53 PM
#34
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I prewash all of my fabric just to see what is going to happen in the washer. I them press it to see if the wrinkles come out and if the fabric can take the heat. If it doesn't pass both tests, I do not use the fabric in a quilt.
10-08-2013, 05:59 AM
#35
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Location: Missouri
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This is a very wonderful story, showing selflessness in giving, as well as teaching we can use what we have without dipping into that "rainy day" jar. Quilting started out as a necessity to give one warmth, and a little comfort to the eye. Somehow, this art has become so competitive in sizes, stitches, colors etc., the true meaning of this art form is lost by some. This story of the couple in the church group, I think they were trying to bring back the meaning of what quilting is really all about....without spending a lot of money.
10-08-2013, 06:12 AM
#36
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Location: Oklahoma City, OK
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I think your creativity increases by leaps and bounds when you throw away those misconceptions. I use all kinds of fabrics, big store, LQS, thrift. I also make a lot of different type of quilts: scrap, modern, art, innovative. Different fabrics speak to different moods.
10-08-2013, 06:18 AM
#37
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Location: Saratoga, Arkansas
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I've enjoyed this discussion and I will certainly be more open to the possibilities of other fabrics. In the past I have used a cotton/poly blend fabric to get a certain color combination. But I haven't been quilting long enough to know how well they'll hold up over time.
10-08-2013, 06:19 AM
#38
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But I digressed!
10-08-2013, 07:20 PM
#39
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I think I didn't make what I was trying to say very clear -
They are just more innovative and creative n what will work than I am/was.
They use cotton interlock and single knits - for example - for backings - (Probably no more bizarre than using t-shirts in a top?)
They will use used blankets (that are not wonky) as fillings/battings.
She mentioned several times how varied textures can be appealing.
I had a chunk of a weird green of interlock - and another cotton with a rough finish - she put the two pieces together and it was BEAUTIFUL!
They are very particular about what looks good - and is NOT sleazy.
So after being with them for a while - my horizons of what might work have been broadened.
Thank you G and R.
PS - Their group makes "love quilts" - not "charity quilts"
They are just more innovative and creative n what will work than I am/was.
They use cotton interlock and single knits - for example - for backings - (Probably no more bizarre than using t-shirts in a top?)
They will use used blankets (that are not wonky) as fillings/battings.
She mentioned several times how varied textures can be appealing.
I had a chunk of a weird green of interlock - and another cotton with a rough finish - she put the two pieces together and it was BEAUTIFUL!
They are very particular about what looks good - and is NOT sleazy.
So after being with them for a while - my horizons of what might work have been broadened.
Thank you G and R.
PS - Their group makes "love quilts" - not "charity quilts"
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