themadpatter

Is it possible? Specifically prohibited? All the prettiest Hawaiian shirts are rayon. Its made from wood pulp, so not plastic. I know the process uses a ton of chemicals, so I really only need to know about how it would affect a quilt.

PaperPrincess

People make silk quilts, so why note? If it's a bit too flimsy, you can use an iron on stabilizer. Choose one with a low temp adhesive. The only other thing would be that it may not wear as well as cotton, so a light use/decorative quilt would be just fine

Tartan

I would iron a piece on low heat and see how it reacts. If it didn't shrink up or crinkle, I would piece with larger seam allowances since I find it frays more then cotton. It might be kind of slippery to cut and sew with also.

dunster

The rayon clothing I've worn has shrunk very unevenly if accidentally put in the washer. Because of that I would be sure to wash it before using it in a quilt.

cathyvv

Good advice, Dunster.

quiltingshorttimer

I think it depends upon what you plan to do with it. I used a rayon shirt and swim trunks in a memory quilt that wasn't going to get much wear & tear (or washing). It can be fussy when cut due to fraying issues.

themadpatter

Thanks all. I was definitely planning to prewash, iron and starch heavily if I used rayon. Good to hear that someone else went there before me.

cashs_mom

I used rayon batiks to piece a jacket. I chose a simple design because I knew that the rayons tend to shift on you. I didn't want to put an interfacing on the back because I wanted to preserve the hand of the rayon. It worked well.

Rayons do tend to react weirdly when washed. Some are fine and some shrink or get way too soft and flimsy so I would make sure the fabrics were washed before using.

ILoveToQuilt

A lot of the rayon garments I have had over the years say to dry clean only/do not wash or machine dry.

MaggieLou

Authentic Hawaiian shirts are made of 100% cotton. Check out stores like Goodwill and check the labels. They will say if they're cotton, silk, rayon or a blend. My ex used to sell them at shows. Unfortunately, I can't remember the names of the ones he sold. I think Tommy Bahama was one but I'm not sure.