Muslin Dear Jane
03-31-2011, 07:07 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 523
I have a great older lady that I work with and would not call her a sewer.. she is more of a collector... (hoarder)
Anyway she walked in today and handed me a bag of material this morning... Holly Smokes.. there were about 15 yards of great fabric. She then proceeds to tell me she has tons more and she will go thru it and pull out the cotton stuff for me because she will never do anything with it.
I will have to wait till I get hom to post pics
Ok.. so here is my question
I have really been tossing around my Dear Jane color choices and with my budget right now I have really hesitated to buy that 1st piece .
Now with all this great free fabric I now know what I will be using for the patches.
I really would like to use a good quality muslin for my background and sashing... Does anyone see a problem with that over time ?? I have seen so many pics on the internet but it is hard to tell if muslin is what was used or if it is just small print fabric.
Thank you for all the Advice... this board is Great...
Anyway she walked in today and handed me a bag of material this morning... Holly Smokes.. there were about 15 yards of great fabric. She then proceeds to tell me she has tons more and she will go thru it and pull out the cotton stuff for me because she will never do anything with it.
I will have to wait till I get hom to post pics
Ok.. so here is my question
I have really been tossing around my Dear Jane color choices and with my budget right now I have really hesitated to buy that 1st piece .
Now with all this great free fabric I now know what I will be using for the patches.
I really would like to use a good quality muslin for my background and sashing... Does anyone see a problem with that over time ?? I have seen so many pics on the internet but it is hard to tell if muslin is what was used or if it is just small print fabric.
Thank you for all the Advice... this board is Great...
03-31-2011, 07:11 AM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: My favorite place in the world is Lake Erie Region USA
Posts: 2,743
muslin is what dress makers use to make the mock up dresses. needles for hand work goes in easily. but we tend to wash our quilts.
my vote. not very washable over time. but then. if your piece will not be used as a quilt. sure.
Long arm quilters here have said don't use sheets for the back of quilt.
so, you have a delema. Up to what you will be using your Dear jane for. the Dear Janes are so very much work. I would hate for you to use a fabric as sparce as muslin.
OK.. here is the can, opener and label says WORMS ! Good luck with your topic.
Ell
my vote. not very washable over time. but then. if your piece will not be used as a quilt. sure.
Long arm quilters here have said don't use sheets for the back of quilt.
so, you have a delema. Up to what you will be using your Dear jane for. the Dear Janes are so very much work. I would hate for you to use a fabric as sparce as muslin.
OK.. here is the can, opener and label says WORMS ! Good luck with your topic.
Ell
03-31-2011, 07:13 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Ohio... wanna build a cabin in the woods and live off the land... and quilt all day!
Posts: 990
I have been playing with the Kona Premium Muslin lately ~ its nice high thread count, and would hold up beautifully ~ I believe its at least 200 ct. and has a nice hand from what I've bought... I got mine at JoAnn's, used my coupon because it doesn't ever seem to go on sale.
I'm in Ohio too ~ so if you don't have room, I can give you extra storage of your overflow goodies haa haa ~ seriously, that is wonderful she gave it to you instead of tossing it out! Enjoy
I'm in Ohio too ~ so if you don't have room, I can give you extra storage of your overflow goodies haa haa ~ seriously, that is wonderful she gave it to you instead of tossing it out! Enjoy
03-31-2011, 07:16 AM
#4
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Front row
Posts: 14,646
Moda makes a muslin that is good quality. But a good quality muslin will cost about the same as any good quality fabric will that you can find on sale. There are too many online sales for fabric to decide to use muslin for budget reasons.
03-31-2011, 07:20 AM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
There is a 200 ct muslin, but do keep in mind that most ( even the premium ) quilt fabrics are not that high a thread count.
I have done many projects in high quality muslin , as I wanted the anitque appearance, they have stood the test of time.
I have done many projects in high quality muslin , as I wanted the anitque appearance, they have stood the test of time.
03-31-2011, 07:21 AM
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Cheap muslin is bad, but premium muslin can be very nice. Saw some premium muslin at JoAnn's and hesitated to purchase until someone here mentioned that it is very good quality. The price is similar to other quality quilting fabrics.
03-31-2011, 07:25 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Ohio... wanna build a cabin in the woods and live off the land... and quilt all day!
Posts: 990
yes ~ the Kona Premium is made by Robert Kaufmann ~ I was thrilled when my store started carrying it last year :) many widths available, I buy the 108" wide and cut it down, use my coupon for savings, and now usually have a few yards in my stash for impulse projects :)
03-31-2011, 07:38 AM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central Ohio
Posts: 523
Originally Posted by fabric whisperer
yes ~ the Kona Premium is made by Robert Kaufmann ~ I was thrilled when my store started carrying it last year :) many widths available, I buy the 108" wide and cut it down, use my coupon for savings, and now usually have a few yards in my stash for impulse projects :)
Thank you for all your help
03-31-2011, 07:47 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Dayton, OH
Posts: 661
Hi Familyfun and welcome.
What a nice thing for your coworker to share some of her stash with you. I would certainly take any gifts of fabric that she brings you.
As for your Dear Jane quilt project, I would use the best possible cotton that you can afford from the beginning. It is very much a labor of love. It can take years for some to complete a Dear Jane quilt. You want this labor intensive quilt to last as an heirloom for your family.
When starting a Dear Jane it helps if you can have a color theme for your quilt unless you plan on having a scrappy look. Look at any and all Dear Jane quilt pictures and see which ones you're drawn to. Hopefully you won't be like me and like them all, as I like all colors.
Do you have a color most frequently used in your home, then use that as a starting point. Do you decorate in country colors, modern colors? These answers may help as you select a theme or color for your Dear Jane quilt.
There are some blocks that are very difficult and many end of doing them a second time as your second block generally looks betters than the first. You could use some of her muslin to make practice blocks when you feel it might be necessary. These would end up being orphaned blocks.
I would inspect any of the cottons that she gives you. Some of the older cottons are much better quality than the newer cottons from the LQS.
I would buy a large amount of your background fabric that you want to use. I've heard that some have even bought a whole bolt. Many like the Kona Premium cotton which I believe is the very best Kona that they make. When trying to decide, get a 1/4 yard of each that you're considering. Take it home, write on the end salvage area in permanent pen as to what each is, brand, thread weight, etc. Then wash, dry and iron the fabric in preparation for using with your Dear Jane. This will give you an idea of which cotton you truly wish to use in your Dear Jane.
Then, once you decide on which you want to use for your Dear Jane background fabric, I would get a whole bolt of the fabric. I would use a discount coupon for this. Most use a 50% coupon and save them for their Kona purchases.
Then as you're working on your Dear Jane you can then start to collect the other fabrics for the individual blocks. Some have made sure that each block is made with a different fabric. Others have used similiar or the same fabric in different squares throughout the quilt.
When in doubt, you can make more than one....block and quilt! Also there are several support groups for Dear Jane quilters. Some are virtual, such as those at Yahoo Groups. Some areas have groups sew-ins and meetings, and some are groups that meet at their local LQS. I would check out what is available in your area.
I'm also wanting to start a Dear Jane. I've decided to wait until after I get moved later this year before I start that project. I want to be able to start and keep organized as I get each block completed.
Enjoy your fabric gifts and good luck with your Dear Jane.
Pam M
What a nice thing for your coworker to share some of her stash with you. I would certainly take any gifts of fabric that she brings you.
As for your Dear Jane quilt project, I would use the best possible cotton that you can afford from the beginning. It is very much a labor of love. It can take years for some to complete a Dear Jane quilt. You want this labor intensive quilt to last as an heirloom for your family.
When starting a Dear Jane it helps if you can have a color theme for your quilt unless you plan on having a scrappy look. Look at any and all Dear Jane quilt pictures and see which ones you're drawn to. Hopefully you won't be like me and like them all, as I like all colors.
Do you have a color most frequently used in your home, then use that as a starting point. Do you decorate in country colors, modern colors? These answers may help as you select a theme or color for your Dear Jane quilt.
There are some blocks that are very difficult and many end of doing them a second time as your second block generally looks betters than the first. You could use some of her muslin to make practice blocks when you feel it might be necessary. These would end up being orphaned blocks.
I would inspect any of the cottons that she gives you. Some of the older cottons are much better quality than the newer cottons from the LQS.
I would buy a large amount of your background fabric that you want to use. I've heard that some have even bought a whole bolt. Many like the Kona Premium cotton which I believe is the very best Kona that they make. When trying to decide, get a 1/4 yard of each that you're considering. Take it home, write on the end salvage area in permanent pen as to what each is, brand, thread weight, etc. Then wash, dry and iron the fabric in preparation for using with your Dear Jane. This will give you an idea of which cotton you truly wish to use in your Dear Jane.
Then, once you decide on which you want to use for your Dear Jane background fabric, I would get a whole bolt of the fabric. I would use a discount coupon for this. Most use a 50% coupon and save them for their Kona purchases.
Then as you're working on your Dear Jane you can then start to collect the other fabrics for the individual blocks. Some have made sure that each block is made with a different fabric. Others have used similiar or the same fabric in different squares throughout the quilt.
When in doubt, you can make more than one....block and quilt! Also there are several support groups for Dear Jane quilters. Some are virtual, such as those at Yahoo Groups. Some areas have groups sew-ins and meetings, and some are groups that meet at their local LQS. I would check out what is available in your area.
I'm also wanting to start a Dear Jane. I've decided to wait until after I get moved later this year before I start that project. I want to be able to start and keep organized as I get each block completed.
Enjoy your fabric gifts and good luck with your Dear Jane.
Pam M
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Auntie V
Main
13
05-13-2014 09:24 AM
