Can you even buy chintz anymore...anybody know?

I have and it comes out beautiful but forget about hand quilting it! It was way too thick for me to stitch.

In early textile history in the American colonies chintz from England was highly sought for use in quilts. Most often it was used to applique,' borderie perse' (sp?) style. It was very expensive to purchase. Chintz was most often used in home textiles and was a finish applied to twill weave fabric. It was prized because of its beautiful designs. It should hold up well in a quilt. In the 90's it was made into custom comforters and matching draperies. Generally it had beautiful floral designs

Brodiere purse (sp?) was very popular for a while.A lot of fussy cutting! I use it for backing and sometimes background for wall hangings because it helps to retain the shape...and some of it is just the right color.

I love your quilt no matter what you used to make it. It is beautiful. Would you mind sharing the name of the pattern, please.

About six months ago I bought some Dutch chintz (made in the Netherlands) at $40/yard! I didn't wash it. It was wonderful to work with. Now it is waiting for me to take to the long arm quilter. Go for it.

I've used chintz in clothing before and although washing takes some of the "polish" off the fabric, it is still good to go. I also used small pieces in quilts and it worked fine. I think that the chintz would be very similar to batik fabrics, which are also tightly woven.

Dakota Rose, Thank you very much! I didn't have a pattern. I saw a picture of the center block and just made it larger then set it on point and went from there. It's a super King size and took me a long time to get it done I also made matching Pillow Shams and window valances with the left over pieces.

Chintz to me seems to have a hand much like batiks do--tightly woven with a bit of gloss. I have used both successfully many times mixed with other cotton fabrics. I am the quintessential no-ironing-for-me quilter, so I have always used mine as it came to me originally. Maybe I'm lucky, but with over 100 quilts made over the years, I have never had a problem with quilts after they are washed (many times in most cases) shrinking unevenly or bleeding colors. The only shrinkage I have encountered on a regular basis is when I use cotton batting, and there I expect about 5% shrinkage after I wash it following quilting. I also don't prewash/dry my batting, so if I don't want the slightly crinkled look that I got from cotton batting, I use polyester.

When I was new to quilting, and really dumb, I mixed up all kinds of fabric in my first quilt. Even some flannel, polished cotton, even squares of JERSEY along with the quilting fabric. The secret is to pre-wash all of it so there isn't some shrinking and some not. Anyway, it is on my bed and I still love the crazy looking quilt!