Can rayon be used?
 

Has anyone ever made a quilt from rayon? My mother passed away a few months ago and I am going through her clothes. She had many, many rayon blouses with the prettiest fabrics. I was wondering if I could use them in a quilt or would it be something I wish I never started?

They will be slippery but doable. I would go for simple blocks perhaps serge the seams. I think making a quilt out of your mothers clothing is super.

Probably something you wish you'd never started. Many rayons ravel like crazy and rayon is inherently a weak thread and fabric. It will not stand up to use and abuse.

I have only sewn clothes with rayon and it's true it does ravel. I wonder if you found a soft fusible & treated the blocks like the t-shirt quilts if you could manage it best?

Maybe make a wall hanging type of thing?

A dresser scarf/topper?

Something that would not need to be washed often?

Rayon is wonderful for chenille projects. Maybe you could incorporate that into a quilt. Be warned, you need to use very small stitches or the threads will pull through. I made scarves for friends for Christmas one year and they were beautiful.

I love the feel of rayon. I had no idea it is so tricky to work with. Good luck!

Use a cooler iron to see how it responds.

I think I would use fusible nylon tricot underneath the rayon to stabilize it, similar to a t-shirt quilt.

I have used Rayon, Silk combined with lace and embroidery to make crazy quilts and they turn out beautiful. Good luck with your project. You will have a quilt to always treasure.

In theory, one can use any fabric for a quilt just like our ancestors did. Rayon, although it takes on dyes beautifully, is also known for not being able to hold color (note that the labels on your mother's blouses will probably say "dry clean only") and it is also known to shrink if put in hot water. If you're aware of these limitations and allow for them, I think you'll have a wonderful memory quilt.

I second the idea of reinforcing your seams. I've made a few blouses/tanks/shells out of rayon and found it best to either serge and topstitch the seams, or do french seams and top stitch.

I inherited a bunch of perfectly square rayon pieces (about 7"). I've made several personal sized quilts out of it, an am working on a beige/lilac/black turning twenty type design now, using additional WOF lilac strips

Just don't hit with a really hot iron