first silk quilt
 

I am finishing the all-silk top for my daughter's Christmas present. It is all dupioni. If you have done one of these, what backing/batting do you recommend? I have enough silk to do a full silk backing. One detail- my daughter likes minky-type fabrics, but does not like velvet.
would a soft corduroy be too heavy? should I stick with prewashed cotton? HEEEELP!

Someone just finished a silk quilt made for her brother out of his silk shirts. Look for it in the picture section. She would probably be able to help you with questions.

You will have to keep washing in mind. Corduroy is incredibly heavy when wet and takes a long time to dry. I do not think it would be a good match for a silk top. A silk back would be divine, but might slip right off the bed.

Since you have some extra silk, make a sandwich with the different backing fabrics, quilt them and wash them. See what results you get.

For me if the sample works the thought of Minkee on the back with silk on top wounds wonderful.

Will it be hand quilted or machine quilted? If machine quilted, will it be on a domestic machine or a longarm?

I would back the quilt with cotton. Silk backing would be too slippery.

I have also heard of silk tops being created with a flannel backing, as the flannel will not slip and slide around. Flannels are wildly variable in terms of pilling over time, so I would definitely prewash at least samples of flannel to make sure the quality is there before using as a backing. If quilting will be moderate to heavy, then it is not necessary to preshrink the flannel as the batting will determine shrinkage. However, I would probably preshrink the flannel anyway (washing and drying twice).

Silk batting is wonderful for both hand and machine quilting, but pricey. It is soft and lightweight too. You don't have to use silk batting though. A thin 100% cotton batting is good because it will continue to get softer over time. Quilter's Dream request or select would be good, as would Mountain Mist Blue Ribbon 100% cotton. I would stay away from battings with scrim, such as Warm and Natural, because of the added stiffness. With a silk quilt top I think you want to stay with something thin and soft for batting, and a backing fabric that will not be slippery or too heavy.

You might be interested in the gorgeous cotton sateen fabric from http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/ultra_sateen/#tabs

It is 100% cotton, (called Ultra Sateen) but has a nice slight shine, wonderful drape, luscious "hand", and might be just the ticket to back a silk quilt.

Jan in VA

This site has Ivory Ultra sateen for a great price. http://www.beverlys.com/ultra-sateen...ric-white.html

Doesn't the sheen in sateen fade with drycleaning or with washing?

Silk backing would probably walk off the bed lol

The sheen is lost only a bit in my experience. It seems to come more from the high thread count and the weave than chemical finishes.

Jan in VA