DrosieD

I'm posting this mainly from a garment construction view but I do carry it into my quilting. All fibers should be of the same content, cotton fabric, cotton thread, cotton batting, cotton backing, cotton quiting. While the majority don't believe this reigns true and I argued the point with Rickey Timms. His response was "do you want all your beautiful quilting to disintegrate". My argument was, no, however what good is all that beautiful quilting if all the cotton has worn away from abrasion of polyesther thread. I piece with cotton and quilt with cotton, UNLESS I can't find what I need, then I go to rayon as it's also considered a natural fiber, then if all else fails for a small area I would consider trilobal poly. If I've spent months piecing, laying out, layering the sandwich and quilting if It's all going to fall apart it will do so at the same rate. As far as shrinkage, today's cotton doesn't shrink at the rate our mother's and grandmother's did. We have high quality long fiber cottons that have been mercerized. I'd not hesitate to stitch 2.5" strips with cotton thread, use my cotton batting, and backing and quilt with my cotton thread. I doubt it's going to wrinkle that much. Besides, IMHO it's the wrinkling and softness of a washed quilt that gives it the charm and the feel of sleeping at grandma's house. Only my opinion it may only be worth a grain of salt to some though but worth a thought.