Old 01-05-2012, 07:19 AM
  #9  
Lori S
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
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I have used decorator fabrics in quilts. First make sure they are all able to be washed, some are dry clean only. I use large designs or a small scale design enlarged . The bulk of the seam allowances of home dec fabric can be very problematic in smaller work. Additonally alot of seams will add to the weight.
Since many home dec fabrics are larger scale prints, work with the larger scale pattern. A nice simple one can be a dissapearing nine patch but start with a larger square. Some of the most beautiful I have seen are just simple squares sewn together. My sister did a log cabin , but used 2.5 inch logs. It came out beautiful.
One last note do test the fibers to make sure you can iron/steam them during construction.
Home dec fabrics use paints and dyes that are rated for longer exposure to sunlight before fading than quilting cottons. The other side of that coin is.. most home dec dyes/paints are not rated very high for very much washing before fading.
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