Originally Posted by
eunicehx
Hi, Back in the late 50's and 60's, I think much of the fabrics were polyester/cotton as was thread. I noticed that quilts given me for my wedding came apart at the seams after a few years of use. The thread seemed to 'cut' the seams at the seam line rather than the thread breaking. Has anyone else noticed this? Also my husband's poly/cotton handkerchiefs seem to lose the cotton after many washings and all that's left is the thin polyester (which isn't much good as a handkerchief anymore.) I assume that is what will happen with the polyester/cotton fabric in quilts. And your polyester/cotton sheets get really thin after a lot of use. The cotton gets abraded against the stronger polyester threads and falls out. That's my theory. Am I wrong? Eunice
That's been my experience & also what I've read on the topic. Of course, fabrics & threads, in general, have improved quite a lot since the 50's & 60's. Unfortunately, some of that is due to chemical processes. So I'm finding myself having to spend time researching even on the 100% cotton fabrics to see what has gone into/onto them. That is also why some threadmakers recommend using the "weaker" 100% cotton threads over stronger blends. I know some of the designers for Aurifil have said they use Aurifil even though it can break easier than other threads because it is designed to be roughly the same strength as most cotton quilting fabrics -- resulting in something that almost weaves together with the fabric, rather than pulling and fighting it. That said, there is a time & a season for everything. I have used mono thread when I was in a rush & didn't want to have to keep changing threads for a small table runner. Poly & poly-blend threads & fabrics can hold color better than cotton & you can get special effects with synthetics that you would never find in a pure cotton. I'm sticking to all cotton for my baby quilts, but can imagine someday maybe creating an art quilt using all sorts of synthetic fibers.
Finally, the detergents we have in this decade are far better than those in the past. In earlier decades, detergents were much harsher & many people believed it was best to wash in warm/hot water & dry in warm/hot temps as well. That treatment will certainly cause fabrics to degrade much faster than washing with a mild detergent (no dyes or perfumes), no bleach, in cool/cold water on the gentle/handwash cycle followed by drying on low heat or laying flat to dry. In the 70's, 80's & 90's, people also seemed to store items in plastic bags a lot. While plastic bags can keep some things out, they also can keep other things
in. So I'm not sure everything can be blamed on the material. There are advantages & disadvantages to each type of fabric. The most important thing is that it results in a happy quilt recipient in the end. If someone is super happy with a quilt that lasts 20 years versus moderately happy with a quilt that lasts twice that time, it's hard to make a case against the fabric even if it does develop some issues over the years.
Quilt with what you like. Synthetic fiber artists aren't lazy & 100% cotton fiber artists aren't snobs. We all have our favorite choices & there's room enough in the quilting world for every one of us.
