probly just because it's not fire retardant.

I do the opposite - I purchase shirts at garage sales & Goodwill & cut them up for quilts. Have found some really good shirts - ie Eddie Bauer, Tommy Hilfiger, GAP, etc at sales for as little as $1.00 or less. I make sure they are 100% cotton fabrics. All I've purchased have been in really great shape.

I learned a lesson about using quilting cotton to make clothes. I made a beautiful dress but had forgotten to wash before cutting it out. The dress was too small after it was washed and dried.

I'll see your "I like to iron" & raise you one... I LOVE to iron! I seriously love, love, love to iron. I find it super relaxing! Granted, now that my knee has decided to go crazy I can't do it for hours on end like I used to but I still iron stuff that probably doesn't need to be ironed (DH's shirts & pants, my pillowcases, all my clothes). When I was growing up, one of my most vivid memories is watching my Mother "sprinkle down" her ironing & then being taught to iron... on my Dad's boxers & hankies. And the cotton dish towels. So count me in the pro ironing camp!

I use "quilting" cotton for DGDs clothes all the time. There are some adorable prints, and the collections are great for making complete outfits. Quilting cotton doesn't wrinkle any worse than any other cotton as long as it is washed the same. Fabric softener helps the feel.

I've created complete wardrobes for my granddaughter with quilting cotton. If you hang the article up when it comes out of the dryer you don't have to iron.

I just got my hands on some 100% cotton quilting fabric - and the selvedge specifically states "Do Not Use For Children's Clothing" - probably because it hasn't been treated for burn resistance.

Unless a pattern is more suited to a batiste or light broadcloth, quilting cottons are fine for children's clothing. Suggested fabric types are usually listed on patterns. I have had mixed results wandering from that.

I find it more difficult to find patterns for adults, which is a shame because quilting cottons are such a joy to sew. I have had the best luck with patterns which need a "crisp" fabric like a tailored shirt or pajama pants. Louise Cutting of Cutting Line Designs has a one seam pant pattern and a pattern with a side pocket panel that I use all the time for pajama pants made from discounted quilting fabrics. I found a ball and jack print quilting fabric in grays and yellow a couple of years ago that I really wanted to use to make a dress. It took a lot of looking, but I found a shirt dress pattern.

I see no reason not to use quilting fabric for clothes. I do it all the time!

That only has to happen once or twice and then we figure it out, right? ;)

the labeling has to do with non-fire retardant status. That said, i made clothes for my girls out of all cotton fabric all the time. still make sun dresses etc out of the nice prints. a way to decrease the wrinkling is to use "easy knit" interfacing and underlay the entire outfit. When you go to cut out the outfit, lay the easy knit under the fashion fabric and cut as one unit, then fuse all the pieces together, then start sewing. I don't mind ironing but this method was taught by Claire Schaeffer of Silhouette Patterns for her things made with cotton or linen.

Years ago I bought some 'quilting fabric' to make myself a jumper. Here in Pennsylvania, fabric for clothing does not get charged sales tax but quilting fabric does. I got it at a quilt shop and the owner had overheard me telling my sister I really like this piece for a jumper, and when I checked out she told me that.

i just made my dgd's birthday dress out of quilting cotton and it looks adorable on her. and she looks adorable in it. i'm pretty sure her mom is planning on this being a family heirloom, so i have no fear about it lasting through the years. look how old some quilts are. it's a great fabric, but may need to be ironed-- it's size 1/2, how bad can that be? it took me 5 minutes or less. go ahead and use it. it's great fabric!

Hi Kim,

Cotton is cotton. It is fine for clothing, quilts. or projects. The only issue I see is that it is not treated with a flame- retardant and thus may not be recommended for childrens' sleep-wear. Back in the days of my youth ('70's), when I learned to sew, I only had new clothes -if I sewed. I also made my 1st quilt in `1977, from the same fabric cotton that was available for sewing. I think fewer folks sew kids clothes now b/c you can buy them so cheap, and since they grow so fast, 2nd hand stores are filled with expensive brands for often less than you can buy the fabric to make them.

So I encourage you to just "go for it!," if you enjoy sewing and ironing for the wee ones. Cheers! Cathy vJ in MA

HI. The same is true in MA re taxing. All one needs to do is tell the cashier the fabric is for clothing. ;D

There are fewer and fewer places to buy garment fabrics. Used to be you could go to Sears and Penny's for yes fabric, every one sewed... I can't stand the things they have on the rack now days for me to wear. I have sewn all of my own clothes for years and will continue to. I get more complements on my quilters cotton dresses and I am not a little girl any more. Enjoy sewing for your children little girls have always loved pretty dresses.

I agree 100% with you!

Also, if you are sewing for a child that has eczema, 100% cotton is better for them because the fabric breaths so they are less likely to have a flare up.

Someone mentioned the issue of fading. I would suggest using Retayne on the fabric. I believe it works well at keeping the fabric colorfast.

Tate

I wear 100% cotton clothing, anything with polyester in it makes me feel too hot. I use my quilting fabrics for clothing, just pre-wash the fabrics so that my finished garment doesn't shrink after I wash it. You can also use the scraps in quilts!
I made some shirts for myself many years ago from batiks and novelty prints. One of my favorites was made from "Jungle Songs" by Laurel Burch, it has snakes on the collar and on the sleeves. My friend said it was creepy, the snakes go down one sleeve and up the other. It was great fun to make!

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...45965719xdaBsR

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...45965719SDBDCw

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...45965719BLhDul

I made my girls clothing through sixth grade. They picked out the fabric from the Montgomery Ward catalog and the pattern. No one had clothing like theirs. The 100% cotton wore well and had wonderful patterns.

The "not suitable for children's clothing" warning is due to flammability. However, that being said, there has now been concerns about the fireproofing and health. I don't see a problem with making clothes out of the fabric.

I made all my daughters clothes when she was little, made from any cute fabric I found at joanns. They wore well, washed well I think finishing them right is key. It took a couple extra minutes But I don't have a serger so I zig zagged all raw edges and it payed off. I loved making clothes!!

I use "quilting cotton" for clothing all the time. I live in Texas, it's HOT here. Yes, you have to iron but a few min. ironing is better than wearing anything else. Also I have learned my lesson well about prewashing anything, not only for the fabric to relax back to it's original size, but also it gets rid of the chemicals they use to keep bugs off. Have fun with your clothing adventures.

FIRE! Quilting cotton doesn't have the fire stuff on it that children's clothing should have. It is one of the rules!!! We are quilters, NOT rule followers. I made my DD's & her BFF's clothing out of it and I also make my DGD's & her BFF's clothing out of quilters cotton also - and none of them have caught FIRE yet!!. I have found that clothing cottons can be too thin and when I've found the blends they are too HOT in AZ. So I've used quilting cottons for years and still do.

Bearisgray, I scrunch fabric all the time. I used to work in a fabric store and I I learned it from customers. As much as I like to iron, I often runnnnnnnn from the fabrics that wrinkle with just a little scrunch!

I make shirts all the time with quilting fabric.

A couple of years ago, I made a prom dress out of Fairy Frost for my German exchange daughter. She loved the fabric and could not find a dress, then she seen the fabric in the LQS and fell in love with it. She picked a floor length, strpless dress. It was really easy took a couple of hours to put together and even shorter to alter to her. It fit her like a glover. We even make her s shaw from the fabric to go with the dress. I wish I had a pic of her in it. Go for it, quilting fabric will make great clothers.

There isn't anything that feels better next to your skin than something made from natural fiber fabrics. I love Downy wrinkle remover. If you take the garment out of the dryer, put it on a hanger, spray and smooth wrinkles with your hands, you shouldn't have any problems. I enjoy wearing my cotton clothes!

I love 100% cotton to wear and would not hesitate to use it for clothes for myself and for children. The only negative that I see is that most people do not want to iron. I know that my daughter will not take out an iron unless she has no other choice.
When my children were young I made all their clothes and you ironed all the time.

yes it makes beautiful cloths. you will love it.

My husband does screen printing, mostly on t-shirts. The reason for the not suitable for children's clothing stamps on fabrics is that some of the dyes are dangerous. I am not sure about the particulars because I don't have anything to do with his screen printing. But I do know that some of the dyes have something in them called "thylates" which is dangerous for children to sleep in. I'm thinking that maybe it has something to do with being flamable. For that reason we don't do anything that is going to be worn by children under 12. The maker has to keep up with all kinds of statistics and data just in case something happens to a child while wearing something that is printed with these dyes. The labeling keeps the manufacturer from being sued.

When my daughter was doing an apprenticeship, they were not allowed to wear clothes with any synthetics in them because many of them will melt and stick to your skin when exposed to a flame. In my opinion, 100% cotton is the way to go, with quilting cotton being the best to use. As others have said, who needs to have a growing child exposed to all those chemicals?

LOL, sewing cotton becomes quilting cotton when it is moved to the quilting aisle.

I use it all the time. Does have to be ironed, but I iron anyway. Coming from FL. I'm used to it.

Uh, yeah. And I'm not even discreet. At $11 or more per yard, I'll scrunch if I want to...

Has anyone else thought about the irony that the fabric we supposedly can't use for children's sleepwear is being used to make quilts for their beds?

Tate

I'm a bit late at reading this post, but glad I did. My sister sent three outfits home with me this summer....had cut them out for her daughter, but didn't get them sewn before she outgrew them. They will fit MY DGD come next spring/summer...and yes, the fabric is quilting cotton! (My sis work part-time in a quilt shop.)

I'd ask who told you such foolishness, but then I probably don't want to know.

The fire retardant requirement is only for manufactured nightwear for kids.

Not to mention, sheets, curtains, fabrics on toys..............................