If he wants it heavy just use two layers of batting!

Ah, thank you for defining 'quilt' for me. The one you are talking about was what kept me toasty in a 100+ year old family home on the edge of Lake Michigan.

Now about those wool blankets. I have a pile and intend to use them for "batting". The grandmother whose house they came from was a washaholic. If she could get her hands on it, it got washed. Including those woolen blankets. So, does wool have a point at which it ceases to shrink? I am absolutely sure these blankets would be safe to use but now I am also wondering. Your and others experiences are important to me. You may well save me. Thank you in advance.

And for a giggle, a silly but true story. I am a rather swarthy soul and my child's knees were always disreputable because of my tan skin color and the tan I could accrue playing in the yard and the dirt I could get into. Bless my grandmother, she would use Ajax and a heavy wash cloth on my knees, etc. It never did did a whole lot of good except to make my knees pink from the scrubbing. And make me shy of bath time.

;-) Alvie

Alvie, what a fun story....she scrubbed YOU up too! ��

This is what came to my mind, too. If it is one his grandmother made, it was probably during the era of the double knits. Those were wonderful!--easy care and they wore like iron. As many have suggested, look at the thrift stores and, summer is coming, try garage sales, looking for double knits. I suspicion what this fellow remembers is double knit fabric, not cotton.

Actually using the scrap pieces from a Tshirt quilt would make a heavy quilt. If he doesn't have any, you can buy sacks of Tshirts from thrift shops. Some are very colorful, too. I like the idea of tacking with your machine so you don't have to pull the yarn thru the heavy layers.

Many quilts were made made of different colors of polyester which made them very heavy. You might want to ask him about it. Sometimes they did not use batting because of the weight of the polyester. ( double knits ) I do not know what state you are in and your climate. I have seem them done both ways. With batting in them and without. I have several tied quilts and they are beautiful. The one thing I noticed is the quilter would tie it with a yarn that matched the quilt. Some of them used rug yarn as it was more durable and some used regular yarn. I myself would not use cordory. I can send you pictures of quilts from double knits. Just pm me. Good luck.

My Grandmother on my Dad's side made quilts for as long as I can remember, As a kid I too remember those heavy
tied quilts... She would sample piece the tops using what ever fabric she had at hand, whether it was cotton, silk or double knit. Inside batting and the back would be done with old draperies. It didn't matter what the pattern would be on top, she used what was at hand, even her kids clothing when they were young. So my suggestion would be drapery, but maybe use todays drapery, Today I still have 3 tops she made that are yet to be sandwiched, and I too will be tying them. She was 94 yrs when she passed back in 1993. I also have acouple of single quilts my boys used on their bunk beds, yet well worn. One is Grandmothers Fan.

If using corduroy you might want to pink the edges first or use a larger seam. My sister made a charm quilt with it, and even after having it machine quilted, some of the seams started to shred after only a little use.

If using sheets for either backing or on the inside, tying will not be much fun. The thread count is too tight to allow for ease in pulling the needle through, especially if using a thread or yarn that is a bit thick. My mother's Lutheran World Relief quilting group almost always used sheets for backing and frequently used them inside the quilts. The ladies always had sore fingers and hands (even when using pliers) and loved it when regular batting and normal quilting fabric happened to be used.

Very well could shrink. Since we used a wringer washer and the good clothes got washed first the water was cooled down. Then everything was hung on a clothes line. LOL After we got a washer and dryer, she still hung them out to dry.