It depends on the fabric. I use linen a lot - both in my clothing and in quilting. You can use it for all of the things that you mention. fabrics-store.com sells linen by the yard at a very reasonable cost. I wash and dry the yardage several times to preshrink and soften it. It has a pleasing texture to me, and it isn't really what I call wrinkled. I've used it in piecing and also as quilt backing. I recommend you check out the site where customers post photos of their creations. You will get a good idea of how it makes up. I love the stuff and have a hard time not letting myself "collect" it.