Using sheets for backing???
03-23-2011, 06:37 AM
#32
Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: ohio, amish country
Posts: 74
i use sheets ALL the time, the cost for that sheet is much more affordable for me then also buying more backing fabric. i try to choose higher thread count fabric that will not pill i generally find this at walmart. I agree with the 1 statement made above my quilts r not of high quality, i do it for fun, creativity outlet, gifts, im not the best far from it. if someone wanted me to make them 1 & if they wanted professinal results they shouldnt look to me in the 1st place. as i do understand what ur saying. there r several reasons ppl quilt & several reasons for which 1 chooses the fabrics they do, final cost is a good factor. it is each of our creations & whatever 1 chooses to finish or start a quilt is up to them & in now way makes them a better or worse seamtress. quilting to me is about creativity & outlet & like any other medium 1 should not be told thier is a right & wrong way to create. HOWEVER with that being said: If 1 is selling at perfection market prices then the purchaser should be getting ALL they are paying for which would require supirior start products. i use sheets a good bit of the time & have never been dissapointed with the results. i have used fabric, the piecing & cost has left me bewildered. blessings
03-23-2011, 06:38 AM
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 7,529
I use sheets & I hand quilt. I have had no problems with them. If they are new I wash & hang outside to dry ( no dryer). I have made with flannel backing, but the person that wanted the quilt bought all fabrics needed ( T-shirt quilt ).
Basically I use what I have. ;-)
Basically I use what I have. ;-)
03-23-2011, 06:55 AM
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: LOUISIANA
Posts: 925
My belief is use what you have or can afford..No one should think little of anyone because they like to use sheets...My grandmother never had the option of going to a store to buy specific fabrics for a quilt..She always used what she had or what someone gave her...
03-23-2011, 06:59 AM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Idaho
Posts: 422
I personally don't use sheet material because the thread count is too tight for me. When I do crazy quilting the only machine work is the laying of pieces onto foundation, after that, it's all hand work. Sometimes the needle just doesn't want to go through the tight thread count of sheets...so I gave that up years ago...now I only use muslin or linen.
03-23-2011, 07:21 AM
#37
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Odessa, Washington
Posts: 1,872
Originally Posted by echobluff
2) Using polyester thread when piecing/quilting cotton, the polyester filaments act like a knife and will cut cotton fibers...not something I want after everything that's gone into making a quilt to be loved/used.
I use poly and cotton-wrapped poly to quilt my quilts, as well as 100% cotton, depending on the colors I want to use. Usually piece with 100% cotton just because it's what I have.
If you are ever feeling rich, use silk or bamboo batting...ooohhh so nice. Makes W&N cotton feel so harsh!
03-23-2011, 07:27 AM
#39
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Full Time RV'er
Posts: 485
I really believe this is one of those topics that did not need to be. If you do not want to use sheets, then do not. But do not make those that do seem like idots or lessor quilters. If you want all cotton, then fine. Many do not. I use sheets for backing and also for plain fabric in the quilt. Works fine, have had no problem.
03-23-2011, 07:30 AM
#40
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: now live in Chandler, AZ, but a Boston native
Posts: 87
Originally Posted by feline fanatic
Originally Posted by echobluff
reasons: 1 2) Using polyester thread when piecing/quilting cotton, the polyester filaments act like a knife and will cut cotton fibers...not something I want after everything that's gone into making a quilt to be loved/used.
From Superior threads:
Will polyester thread really tear the fabric in my quilt?
Thread will not tear through a fabric solely due to its fiber content. If a thread ever tears through a fabric, it is because it won the strength contest. In a battle of heavy use and high stress placed on a quilt, the strongest component will always win. It is not accurate to say that a polyester thread is stronger than cotton. I have a spool of thread on my desk labeled 100% cotton quilting thread. It is a very well known brand, widely available, and is one of the top selling machine quilting and piecing threads. It is twice as strong as a comparable polyester thread. Although it isn't labeled as such, it is coated with a glaze which strengthens the cotton fibers and makes the thread rather wiry. In a strength test, it beats a comparable size poly, rayon, and metallic every time. In a heavily used quilt, this stiff, wiry cotton thread could do more damage than a soft polyester thread. And it is 100% cotton.
The point is this: The traditions, myths, and rumors that polyester thread will tear the quilt are not true
Source: http://www.superiorthreads.com/educa...dition-or-myth
I would never, ever use a bedsheet for a backing.
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