mi

What is your feeling on useing used dryer sheets for the base of a block instead of muslin? It seems to me it would work pretty good.

Leslee

Sounds like something that could work. You mean like iron them flat, draw the pattern on them and paper piece w/o paper?

mi

No, I mean to make like a string quilt. Sew the strips on the used sheets, they are limp (the dryer sheets) from the dryer anyway, iron them and then sew. What do you think? I think they would work and also you would be recycling.

Leslee

Hey...why not? You may be on to something there! The sheets are super-thin. They could stand the heat from the iron. They wouldn't damage a rotary cutter or scissors. As long as they didn't stretch or tear...why not? One block wouldn't be a big loss of time or fabric to find out. I don't do laundry 'til Sunday, so if you get to this experiment before I get a chance, let me know!

athensbabe

Dear Girls;
Did you know that if you got fusible web on your iron to clean your iron you use a sheet (dryer sheet) then put your iron cleaner on this sheet and it will clean your iron off of it.

Let me know if your idea works or not.
Hope to hear from you again.
athensbabe

Lucia

I don’t know why not. I have been using them in an appliqué quilt that has some very difficult leaves. I tried every single method and end up using them instead of interfacing. I just place them in the dryer a few times to get the stiffness out of them.
On the other end, I use a new one to hand quilt. After I thread the needle, I make a few stitches through one sheet and the thread goes through the quilt much easier and without ever making knots. I prefer this to the wax.
Lucia

Lucia

I never get fusible web on my iron. Before I heat it up, I wrap the bottom of the iron with aluminum foil. If I mess up, I just toss it away and use a new one. Got the idea from the aluminum foil box! :mrgreen:
Lucia

kathy

now that's a TIP

Norah

Hey, Lucia!
You need to tell us more about yourself. How did you get so good at making do? You have a great talent and so much useful knowledge. We could all learn to be more like you. :?: :-)

Betty

Hi Mi, I have not had any experience with this but can tell you of a story that was in our local paper about a year ago that I just love & have saved. Seems this fella up in his 70's wanted a king size quilt, but what he wanted was $500 and up so he could not afford the price of having one made.He picked up 2 boxes of material at a flea market for $5, to cut into strips,bought filling and cloth for the front and back sheets for $27. He had no sewing machine, found a used $300 one for $150 & taught himself to sew. He asked all his friends to save their used dryer sheets for him & very well ironed them till they were perfectly smooth, sewed his little strips onto them till he had 160 rectangles, then sewed the rectangles to a top cover sheet, pinned the rectangle filled top sheet to the filler and backing & tied each of the rectangles in each corner & the middle,then added a border. Experienced quilters told him it would take a year to finish, he worked 7am to 6pm everday. He had a quilter next door he could ask questions if he had a problem. And he finished his 16 ft by 10 ft quilt in about a month. The picture in the newspaper is black & white but it looks like it is very colorful & is a lovely quilt. So I would say dryer sheets work just fine, huh? Plus it has to smell great as an added bonus. 8) Betty