Can I combine linen & cotton fabrics in a quilt top?
01-10-2013, 05:34 PM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Jackson, MS by way of Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 7
Can I combine linen & cotton fabrics in a quilt top?
Can I combine light-weight linen with quilting cottons in a quilt top? I assume the fabrics would have to be pre-washed. Has anyone successfully combined linen and cotton?
I am new to the Quilting Board and have already found much helpful advice.
Kathleen3
I am new to the Quilting Board and have already found much helpful advice.
Kathleen3
01-10-2013, 06:04 PM
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 11,276
Welcome to the board. I've made several quilts out of recycled shirts. I mixed cotton with washable linen and cotton/linen blends. Since the fabric was recycled, it had been washed (some many times). Didn't have any issues.
01-10-2013, 07:13 PM
#4
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
I have used linen and quilters cotton in the same quilt. I can tell you I was not all that happy with 100 percent linen when it was washed , it wrinkled and stayed more wrinkled than the other fabrics in the quilt. A linen blend is better suited... and some linen ravels .. and ravels! I ended up stay stitching my strips.
01-10-2013, 11:56 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: England Alton Towers
Posts: 6,674
Quilt police don't recommend it but it is your quilt. Use what ever you want to use but wash all fabrics before if mixing. This does show up if they will wash evenly and what wrinkling and ironing problems.
01-11-2013, 03:51 AM
#6
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
you can use any fabric you want IN YOUR QUILT! it is best to choose fabrics that can all be (cared for) the same...but some of us mix, regular cottons, flannels, wools, silks, linens, corduroy, denim, velvet, t-shirt knits....all in the same quilt---with great success!
pre-wash, stablize flimsy/slippery/stretchy fabrics, secure fraying edges (by zigzaging or stay-stitching) and do what you want
pre-wash, stablize flimsy/slippery/stretchy fabrics, secure fraying edges (by zigzaging or stay-stitching) and do what you want
01-11-2013, 09:16 AM
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: central florida
Posts: 69
I have a newbie horror story..when I started quilting I made a beautiful sunflower dresden quilt..one of the 'blades' was a linen....needless to say every time I washed the linen frayed more and more,so now I have to replace each linen blade before I use the quilt again!
01-11-2013, 12:06 PM
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Piedmont Virginia in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns.
Posts: 8,562
I have a family quilt that The Textile Museum at Colonial Williamsburg dated as ca. 1780 or before. It was made of linen that is from flax grown, spun, and woven on the plantation in Hanover County, Virginia, and it is combined with cotton chintz fabrics.
I don't know if this quilt was ever washed, I certainly did not do so when it came into my care when it was already more than 200 years old in 1989. The chintz is 'rusting' in many places from the iron mordant 'set' for the dyes, but the linen is in great shape.
It is my intention to remake this quilt "someday and I'll be using linen and cotton to do so.
Jan in VA
I don't know if this quilt was ever washed, I certainly did not do so when it came into my care when it was already more than 200 years old in 1989. The chintz is 'rusting' in many places from the iron mordant 'set' for the dyes, but the linen is in great shape.
It is my intention to remake this quilt "someday and I'll be using linen and cotton to do so.
Jan in VA
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