I have quite a bit of fabric I bought to make some clothes for my DD's. It is cotton but has texture, plisse, I think. Can it be ironed out and used for quilts? The patterns are so pretty and I would love to finally use them.

Hold it up to the light - Can you see through it? If so, it might be too thin. Some textures can be stabilized with a light iron-on interfacing to make easier to work. Keep in mind that some fabrics inappropriate for bedding make great wall hangings.

You can use any kind of fabric to make quilts. Cotton is usually preferred because it is the easiest to work with and holds up well over time.

I would probably consider using the plisse fabric just as it is. Just be aware that it may be more difficult to cut and sew accurately, so I would choose a forgiving pattern.

Plisse is chemically created by applying caustic soda to shrink the fabric and cause puckers. Some plisse can be ironed out. Seersucker, which is produced by weaving, cannot be ironed out. If you really want to iron out the plisse, I would test a sample piece first and make sure that it will stay ironed out after washing. If not, I would use it as is.

Moonpi is right about using an iron-on interfacing if the fabric is very thin. You could try a sample on the plisse both with and without ironing it out to see if that will give you the results you want. The only iron-on interfacing I would recommend for this project would be fusible tricot, although there may be other light interfacings that would work well too that I just don't know about.

You may have to experiment a bit to figure out what approach will be best for using this fabric in a quilt.

I know that textured fabrics in quilts are being used for Alzheimer patients. The textures seem to stimulate them and create a tangible connection to their otherwise foggy environment.

Ironing plisse most likely will not give you the result you want.

I think they would add a lot to quilts. Why not use them.