Black Fabric
 

I want to sash some multi-colored (some are light) blocks with black fabric. Someone recently suggested that using a poly cotton fabric would be less likely to bleed and would not be as likely to fade. This is a child's quilt, so it will be washed a lot, I'm sure.

Usually, I would buy Kona at JoAnn's, but it's been all over the map lately. It's definitely not the same fabric every time I buy it. This is a donation quilt, so I don't want to buy this at the LQS.

The idea of using a fabric that would be less likely to fade or bleed appeals to me. The other fabrics are 100% cotton.

What do you think?

bkay

I no longer use poly cotton blends because I can't stand the smell when I iron them but I did use them in the first few quilts I made. One was a baby quilt that had every level of fabric in it from the $1 a yard Walmart fabrics that are poly/cotton blends to high end quilt shop fabrics in it. That quilt is almost 10 years old, still being used, and still in one piece. The only thing I would caution is to lower the temp of your iron when pressing poly blend fabric.

Cari

I use the Kona black, the Robert Kaufman one. I'm not sure if that's what they have at Joann's. I've made several quilts using it. It didn't bleed when I washed it and it's stayed nice and dark.

Thanks Cari, Tartan and Doggramma.

Yes, Doggramma, it is supposed to be the same fabric anywhere you buy it. However, the last few times I've bought it, it has been different from the last time I bought it. One time it had a texture almost like knitted fabric. I sent a sample to Kaufman to confirm that it was Kona. They said it wasn't Kona and take it back to Hobby Lobby. The next time I bought it, it looked and felt right. The last time I bought it, it was coarse and off color and did not match, even closely, the previous fabric.

So, I'm not buying any more Kona black. That's the reason for the question. I have to buy some kind of black fabric and don't want one that bleeds and fades. I have no idea what I would get this time labeled Kona.

bkay

Joanne’s calls all of their Solids Kona- as if Kona means solid. They are Not Kaufman Kona Cottons. Joanne’s comes from China. The end of the bolt tells that.

Cotton/ poly blends are great for kids quilts. They withstand lots of use and laundering, they don’t shrink, bleed or fade.

So I'm not the only one that smells the smell from poly/cotton fabrics! I don't use them anymore, either.

The last time I purchased solid fabric at JoAnns I was so disappointed in it I took it to Goodwill. You could hold it up and see right thru the dark green. Since then Ive been getting my solids, and I use a lot of black, from Missouri Quilt company. Very happy with them.

Kona fabric is not the same as Robert Kaufman Kona, JoAnns carry Kona in our town.

I think you are mistaken. It's said over and over again that some Kona fabric is not Kona fabric. I personally spoke with the Robert Kaufman representative on the phone. He called me to tell me the fabric I sent was not Kona. He told me they sold to both Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's. He promised to look into the problem with the "not kona" fabric labeled as Kona.

Kona is a registered trademark for fabric sold by Robert Kaufman Companies. No one else can use it for fabric. To do so would be a trademark infringement and the perpetrator would be subject to criminal penalties.

Kaufman appears to use the Kona trademark for solid colors only. There is a company called Kona Bay fabrics. It seems to be a small company. The only Kona Bay fabrics I've seen are prints.

What bothers me about this often repeated story is that JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby end up being the bad guys in the consumer's mind. That is just not true and not fair to those companies. Kaufman either has lost control of their distribution system or is not selling what they claim to be selling to those companies.

In reality, if JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby were using the Kona trademark on non-Kaufman fabric, they would be sued for big bucks immediately.

(Can you tell this ugly situation really bothers me?)

bkay

Cotton/ poly blends are great for kids quilts. They withstand lots of use and laundering, they don’t shrink, bleed or fade.[/QUOTE]

What I was going to say. I found I had to lower iron temp., high heat will ruin the fabric and stick to the iron.

bkay.....I purchased 2 yards of Amish Black from Keepsake Quilting about two years ago. I've only used 5 inches of the fabric so I have a yard and 31 inches left. If you can use this I'll send it to you as I HATE working with black fabric. Just repay the postage is all I ask. You can send me a private message with your answer.

I wonder if you are smelling the poly because the iron is too hot for that fabric? Yes, to poly blends for color fastness and for durability. It will probably be cheaper to purchase, as well. And, yes, you can put the blend with other fabrics. Think what your great-grandmother used! One of my first quilts was a whole cloth that I purchased poly blend fabric because I like the sheen of it. To each his own but, if you like it, use it!

I too have used broadcloth when I could not find the right shade of navy for a baby quilt. I felt it was thinner than the other fabrics in the quilt. But since I was using it for sashing--2 inch strips--I just used two layers. I also made a point of shrinking all my other fabrics before assembly. I did not want uneven shrinkage later.

The quilt was a baby gift from my DIL to a friend and she said it must have been much loved because it appeared in many baby and family pictures from her friend.

Timeless Treasures has a black fabric and the name is "Jet". I use it exclusively. I always prewash dark fabrics and I have prewashed this particular fabric using a color catcher and it has never faded. But there is always a first time. Prewash to be safe and certain.

Joannes does not call all their solids Kona - only the Konas. They carry Country Classic (the 100% cotton) and Symphony (the least expensive and thinner solids). A Kaufman Kona will be marked as a Kaufman Kona.

On a whim I purchased "Amish Black" from Keepsake Quilting. I love it. It feels good, like good quality fabric should. It is smooth, no texture from the weaving process and does not fray excessively. It is on sale from time to time. I would purchase it again.

Moda Basic Solids in black is great. I’ve never had any of the colors bleed . . .and it’s not see thru.

Kona Bay closed down a couple of years ago. Ladies, head to a QUILT SHOP for your RK Kona Black .

Other black fabric that I love are Eclipse from Blank Quilting, Jet Black from Michael Miller (same exact fabric from the same mill as the Eclipse..fyi) Maywood Black Magic. These 3 are dyed to be BLACK. It does not gray-out when put next to other black fabrics. I always have a bolt of true black in my sewing stash. Shops will be happy to order a bolt for you, too.

Sandy

I was at JoAnn's yesterday so checked out their "kona" fabric. The label on the bolt said "Kona Cotton Solids, Premium Quilt Solids" Robert Kaufman was not on the label. It is not Kaufman brand fabric.

I use Amish black. Have never had a problem and it always matches.

I use Amish black from Keepsake Quilting only. for my blacks.. That way it always matches leftover pieces. Have never hd a problem. I do prewash all fabrics.

I think you are mistaken. Robert Kaufman owns the trademark for "KONA" for use on fabric. That means no one else can use that single word for fabric. Someone can use the single word, "KONA" for coffee or software, but not for fabric. To do so is a criminal offense, the same as selling knock off Nike sneakers.

Besides that, their representative called me to tell me that the fabric that I bought at Hobby Lobby was not Kona. (I had previously sent a 3" X3" square to the address listed on their website.) He made a point of telling me they sold to both JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]600913[/ATTACH]

I went directly to the source and asked RK Fabrics if the kona at JoAnn's is theirs. Their reply: JoAnn receives the same quality Kona that we ship to all our customers.

What I forgot to ask is why it doesn't have their name on it.

The HL's here sell Kaufman Kona and all the bolts are marked. Not so at Joanne's; they just say Kona. As for Kona being just for RK, I understood that they can't stop anyone from using the word Kona to describe a fabric any more than Kleenex can stop someone from asking for a kleenex instead of a tissue, that is not the Kleenex brand. If Joanne's Kona is not by RK, it should be since they charge the same as HL for it.