Hello everyone
Have been going through some of my mother's stuff and I found 2 totes full of new polyester fabric........ any ideas as what to do with it........ don't want to make cloths.
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Hello everyone
Have been going through some of my mother's stuff and I found 2 totes full of new polyester fabric........ any ideas as what to do with it........ don't want to make cloths.
Is this polyester double knit? I saw a rag rug made out of it - doubt if you could wear it out.
Nikki in MO
Thanks for the idea.... as our needle group was thinking of doing rag rugs.
I have a friend who makes polyester quilts for all her grandkids going to college. Even they can't wear those out or ruin them in coin laundry.
Sounds like a wise grandma.Originally Posted by nanacc
nanacc - does your friend have a trick for sewing the blocks with the polyester because of all the stretch???
had thought of doing a quilt but didn't know if I wanted to deal with all the stretch. any help would be appreciated.
My friend has never mentioned an issue with the stretching. If I remember sewing polyester clothing(many yrs ago!) correctly; as long as tension is not applied to fabric as it is stitched, all is fine.
The "stretch" property is a plus in making seams fit. As you sew, just hold the fabric with your left hand behind the presser foot and one hand in front. Give the fabric a little stretch - only a firm hold will allow the fabric to stretch as you stitch which aids the seam from popping stitches in rugged use. The seam will bounce back when you release your hold. Back in the day, there was a technique called Stretch and Sew which taught garment sewing with the then new stretch fabrics.
One step at a time, always forward.
I do the little stretch thing when I sew the double knits. I try to make the pattern as simple as possible: like 6 inch squares. The quilts look really cute and they never wear out. My friend had one she wanted redone because the back had worn out, so she and I fixed it and then tied it. It was really old by this time, but looked fine.
By the way, I also do a little stretch whenever I am sewing two bias pieces together. Just put a slight pressure on the fabric in front of the needle and let the feed dogs work for their fabric. The bias will relax after the sewing, and the seam won't pop when five little monkeys are jumping on the bed.
Mavita - Square dancer and One Room School Teacher
i have an elderly friend that was making quilts out of double knit years ago. so i helped her piece a couple, i also machine quilted a few on my old necchi. easy to piece, be careful of stretch just like you would for making clothing you want to fit correctly. her quilts were beautiful. the quilting less so. i agree w comments that poly double knit quilts would be perfect for homeless shelters, especially now that winter is so severe so early. they are very warm ..ask me how i know
the rogue quilter - in from wandering in the sun and snow with camera in hand.
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