I have recently tried out some of the online fabric shops, as my stash is woefully small due to my tight finances and the high cost of cotton fabric here in the UK. While browsing the online fabric shops (for any UK quilters just Google 'cheap fabric' and you'll find some good ones) I was amazed at how cheap the poly cotton is. £2-£3 per metre. Cotton is generally £7 per metre and above, it can be £10+ per metre for designer names in my LQS.

So I ordered some plain red and some red gingham, a metre of each. I am using it for a braided border for my 'Quilt for Me' at the moment.

What are people's views on using poly cotton for patchwork and quilting? I know it is not traditional really, but is it really frowned upon for a quilt that is not going to be shown or entered into a competition? Do you ever use it in your quilts? Will be interesting to see what you all think :D

It will be fine. The reason I know? Before I knew any better, which means back in the '80's, I used poly/cotton to make quilts and they have stood up nicely over time. Grant it I tied those quilts so I am not at all sure how they hand quilt.

Hope your quilt turns out nicely! :D

It will be fine. I have some poly/cotton that looks almost exactly like cotton. The only thing is, if you mix the fabrics, make sure that you prewash, especially the cotton. The poly/cotton won't shrink and the cotton will.

I'm so glad you asked, bc I have been strictly, an all-cotton-girl, for fear of quilts not lasting.
Had read so often, that different weights of fabrics in a quilt, would cause it to eventually tear or wear, at seams.
I know they can't last forever, but had a 'thing' about getting it right.
I do 100% cotton threads on all quilts too, bc they say, the others, will 'cut' your cotton material, over time.
So, basically I use poly-cottons, in grandbabies clothes. Can't find that many in my LQS...thanks for jogging my pea, about looking on here.
Clothes look a bit crisper, and wear a bit longer on kids, if not all cotton.
Good post! thanks! :D

Poly cotton is fine to use in quilts. It does have a few drawbacks, which is why quilters traditionally have preferred all-cotton. Here are the ones I remember:

Poly doesn't work as well for turned-under applique because it doesn't hold a crease the way cotton does. Poly is more slippery which makes it harder to cut and sew accurately. Poly frays more easily than cotton, which means seams can eventually pull apart easier.

Also, poly doesn't fade over time the way cotton does. Old cotton quilts often have a soft look. The fabrics have faded together over time, and the fading makes all of the colors look as if they go together -- brash or garish colors tone down, etc. If you mix squares of poly with squares of cotton in a quilt, 20 years down the road it will not have the look of an antique quilt because the poly colors will stand out.

I think one or two of the bargains I got at a fabric fair in Holland recently have some poly in them but I'm using them anyway! I've just put one in a lap quilt that I'm making for my neighbour, mixed with pure cotton and the blocks look OK - hope it wears well though!

K x

Hi,

Like many others I now usually use only cotton fabrics for quilting. The first 20 years I used anything that struck my fancy. I will say that cotton has improved over the years or else it is just the cotton sold by Quilt stores. One advantage of blends is that they don't require as much ironing and do hold their color better.
If I am making a quilt for a child or a person I know will not care one way or the other I can use a blend.
If you were going to enter your quilt in a juried show for "traditional" quilted items it would have to be cotton. In my experience about half of the work at today's big quilt shows is anything goes. Art quilts in particular can be made of anything even none fabric items.
I am going to the show in Lancaster PA tomorrow I will report back next week.

since some quilters use cottons and some quilters use wool i can't see why quilters can't use poly/cottons or anything else. i would just use the same fibre content for the whole quilt so it behaves the same.

If it works for you, then use it. I generally use cotton because that is what I have in my stash, but a bag of "goodies" revealed the perfect color blue (in a blend) so I used it. Most likely the blend would be a pain to hand quilt, but machine quilting or tying should not be a problem.

As someone already stated, make sure to prewash if your fibercontent s mixed.

I couldn't care less if the fabric that is prefect for the quilt I'm making is cotton or fake fur. Poly cotton, like the men's shirt blend is excellent for quilts. If you use poly blend then use a poly thread like the big cone thread for a serger. It's good quality and a great value.