Whether you are a beginner quilter or a quilter with more experience, sometimes it’s good to take a look at the quality of the fabric we use for our quilts.

As we tighten our belts and start looking at using fabric from our stashes and fabric cut from clothes at thrift shops or from family and friends, it is helpful to be able to pick up a garment or piece of fabric and know whether it would be a good choice to use in a quilt.

When I challenged myself to use only fabric from my stash, I began to realize that some of the fabric I bought many years ago just isn’t what it should be for a quality quilt.

In addition, I have piles of fabric that my mom gave me.  In some cases, I have no idea where it came from or what the fabric content really is.

So how do you decide whether a piece of fabric is a good choice for a quilt?

First there is the weave.  Some fabrics are heavier and have more texture than others.  Chenille, chino, poplin, and velveteen come to mind.

These fabrics make great fabrics for crazy quilts, but may not be a good choice for a patchwork quilt with traditional batting and backing.

Then there is the thread count.  While it may be great to have 600 threads per inch in your sheet fabric, having that thread count in quilting fabric will make your hand quilting almost impossible.

Another consideration is the difference in color between the front of the fabric and the back.  I have fabric that is beautifully colored on the front, yet the back is pure white.

Early in my quilting days, I didn’t even notice. But now I pay attention to the back of the fabric as an indication of the quality of the dyes and fabric.  And, if you are making a rag quilt, the white fabric back will show in your seams.

That could be a nice touch of contrast.  Or it could distract from your quilt.

There are a few other things to watch for as you choose the fabrics for your quilts, and you’ll find them here:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/1008-quiltingfabric2.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny