dryer sheets for string quilts?
 

I have used dryer sheets for string piecing and crazy patch blocks before and then I heard not to. So now I use old telephone books and tear off before trimming to size. BUT please tell me why I should not use used dryer sheets again. They worked really well when I used them before.

I have never used dryer sheets for piecing, but I know lots of quilters do. I'm curious about the reason for not using them. Maybe it has something to do with the chemicals in them?

I also like to use dryer sheets, especially for applique. In my home I only use the free and gentle sheets with no dyes or perfumes. They should be used and washed before you use them for applique or string piecing. Then I do believe (only my opinion) that they are fine. Some say the issue is the chemicals that are in the anti-static substance in the dryer sheet. I have read that they are bad for allergies. I have very bag allergies and have never had a problem using dryer sheets for applique. I use them on my clothes to begin with, so the logic of not using them for quilting makes no sense to me.

Well if allergies are the only reason, I think I will go back to using them. The ones that I have from a friend have been well used! And it will save me from having to tear off the paper. Thank you for your responses and I will check back to see if others have another reason not to use them.

Melanie, I just went to your blog and enjoyed your tutorial on making a crazy patch the log cabin way, cutting in half and then your way of sashing and then putting them back together like you would a rail fence. Brilliant! Can't wait to do this will all my scraps! Thanks for sharing it.

It is because of all the stuff that is added for freshness of your laundry. Keep using telephone books. At least you are keeping them out of the land fill.

They will end up in the landfill anyway when torn away won't they? I'm lucky in that I haven't had any allergic response to fabric softener sheets

Thank you so much!

In 2014, I bought a copy of String Quilt Revival by Virginia Baker & Barbara Sanders. This book was one of those "Create with Nancy" ones with a DVD included. They use a non-woven nylon mesh stabilizer as foundation, which can be ordered from Nancy's Notions or the website of the authors. A short time after that I saw a discussion on here in which someone said they use the aisle runners bought in the party supplies section at places like Wallyworld. A friend keeps urging me to use the dryer sheets, and I have saved some, but so far not sewn onto one. All my laundry supplies are unscented and dye free. I prefer the look of string quilts above all others, and haunted Mary Johnson's site "Mary Quilts.com".
After a weekend of working on blocks for the cover quilt in Baker & Sanders' book, I came to the conclusion that string quilts are not as quick and easy as I thought.
If quilts are stuffed with polyester blends and W&N has a synthetic scrim, I cannot see a problem with dryer sheets as stabilizer. Just be careful when pressing directly onto the synthetic with a very hot iron.

I read they are extremely flammable and are a concern because many people are very allergic to them. they would not be a good choice for a baby or child's quilt.

I don't think phone books will be the downfall of landfills and I don't think a used washed dryer sheet will hurt anyone unless they are so allergic they can't be around anything. Most all fabrics in a home are highly flammable. I prefer the foundation papers from MSQC now for all my string piecing. Convenient and tears away easily. A pack of them lasts a long time.

Exactly and as far as dryer sheets go even the "Free dye and fragrance free sheets have some type of fragrance just not overwhelming. I use 'Seventh Generation" I can use 1/2 sheet for 2-3 loads. I have started using white distilled vinegar in the rinse. I have enough foundation for all kinds of piecing. I'm good for awhile. I have the papers from MSQC also.

Ooohhh... the flammability is a good point. They do make fragrance-free/dye-free dryer sheets (that's what I use on occasion to clean my iron -- or in a pinch if I ran out of liquid softener), but the other concern would be that if there's any fabric softener left in them. Fabric softener can damage cotton fabric over time which is why I always recommend against using it when washing quilts. I'm not sure how much is actually left in them after 1 run through the dryer, but I do know some frugal people who *swear* you can use them at least 3x before they stop working (I don't do that -- I guess I'm wasteful ;).
I guess the moral is ... use with caution. People have been using dryer sheets for a while now so perhaps as long as you aren't smoking in bed, aren't gifting the quilt to a child, and don't consider it an heirloom-quality quilt, you should be fine. Then again, there was a time where Frixion pens were all the rage. Only time will tell. :)

I buy the cheapest non scented dryer sheets I can find. They don't last but one time. The higher priced ones, the scent will last 3 times but not the static control. I put the used ones in a jar and when it's full I wash them with a load of whites with bleach. I take them to guild for those that like to use them for applique. No one has ever said they aggravate their allergy and a few are allergic to every smell possible.

LOL. I still use the Frixon pens and the first quilts I used them on show no damage at all. I don't care if my quilts don't last for generations. The future generations can make their own quilts.

Seven reasons not to use dryer sheets!
http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post...er-sheets.html

And a lot of those essential oils she talks about will cause some asthmatics to go into an attack. I still use camphor on some wounds. I use the Seventh generation dryer sheets. I can get 3 loads out of 1/2 sheet and the anti-static still works. I also use white distilled vinegar. Those scented sheets are treated with man made chemicals to produce the scent in the dryer sheets. I don't use them. I tried the wool balls. Not impressed.

I use dryer sheets, fortunately no one in my family has an allergy. Once I found how great they work to clean the starch off a hot iron I keep them. For a while I was having problem with the starch build up on my iron and it was leaving marks on my clothes. Someone here mentioned they used the dyer sheets to help clean her hot iron, I tried it and it worked like a charm. So now I keep an old tissue box in my sewing room stuffed with dryer sheets. When I start to iron with starch I pull out a dryer sheet and every few minutes I spray the dryer sheet with water, run my hot iron over it a few times and then go back to ironing the shirt or fabric. The dryer sheets haven't melted or caught fire. I haven't tried them for foundations.

Those of you that use dryer sheets, please be sure to wash your lint filter out really well, as the dryer sheets will leave a film on them, that the air cannot go through and can cause a fire. Myself, I use liquid fabric softener, but I still wash my lint filter really well with soap and water.

I don't use the dryer sheets for the above reason and the fact that a repairman once told me that lint can also migrate into the part of the dryer that turns the tub, causing it to freeze up and burn out......who knows....if I remember, I will add to washer...if not, no big deal.....oh, I do miss hanging clothes out to dry......jj

for string quilts...I have used gift wrapping tissue paper, phone books, "reports" of my stock porfoliio, and adding machine tape.....fun for skinny Chinese coin column quilt......used msqc sheets too, .......whatever is handy when I get the urge!

How could dryer sheets be extremely flammable when they are made to go in a hot dryer? There may be many reasons for not using them but this one doesn't make sense to me.

I use dryer sheets to clean my iron and that's all they get used for. I use white vinegar in my laundry. I'm one of those allergic to every scent, minus chocolate, people.

I quit using dryer sheets after I read it coats the dryer vent which in turn in time clog up the vent with the lint. I normally use muslin for my string quilts as I usually have a bolt around here for that purpose. My better quality muslin I keep for backing and/or background on quilts.

Oohhhh. Good call, mme3924. I just found this article from Consumer Reports debunking the myths that dryer sheets cause fires & that it causes an invisible fabric softener film in your lint trap. Interestingly, they found that it is actually the liquid fabric softener that is what makes fabric more flammable, not dryer sheets. (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...ires/index.htm)

Leave it to the smarty smart QB members to figure out all these interesting details. All those frugal, earth-conscious people out there who are using dryer sheets can rest easy knowing that scientific tests have shown that your quilts are not any more flammable than the rest of ours. :)

I have also used coffee filters pressed flat. I like used dryer sheets pressed flat. I would never use a new dryer sheet.

I've never used dryer sheets for foundations, but I'm tempted to try it for applique. For string blocks, I use deli wrap from a restaurant supply. I've used the ones from MSQC and liked them, but deli wrap is the same thing and much less expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...XSH5S1AMMJ3AKD

I thought those warnings about flammability of dryer sheets was more Henny Penny and the skys-a-falling than fact. I took a used dryer sheet outside along with a strip of the nylon foundation I've already used for some of the blocks I'm making. I held each one up and lit at the bottom with a match, then dropped to a concrete porch. The dryer sheet had an interesting burn pattern, looking like moving cracks in dry mud or the pattern of heat lightning. It burned longer than I had expected. The nylon foundation strip melted where the flame from the match touched, but did not continue to burn. I'll use up what I have, but will be aware of where these will be used.

I like that idea of deli-wraps, thank you for the heads-up on them. My question is do they tear easily to remove, or as easily as the phone book pages?

some people say not to use dryer sheets because the stuff on the sheets flakes off and goes into the machine. mine are so overused, i use them more than once to make sure all the gunk is off. never had a problem. i also use them for applique, i stitched the goodside of the fabric to the sheets, slit the dryer sheet and turn inside out. works great.

What I have been told is that fabric softeners are long-chain fat molecules with a polar end that electrostatically binds to fabric and cancels out the charge, and, over time, ends up as a gelatinous mass in a low water washer. Mine was taken apart recently, and it was really revolting. I have begun to use hot water when I safely can and avoid the dryer sheets I used to love. There are reasons there are so many products out to buy to clean up low water washers and eliminate odors. Fabric softener in any form is one.

Hugs,
Charlotte

I don't use dryer sheets -- haven't found one that doesn't make me sick. For I fabric softener I use vinegar in place of liquid fabric softener. I have used tracing paper, Carol Doak's pp paper and a very light weight stabilizer (non-fusible). I understand why folks would want to use the dryer sheets, but the smell is never light enough not to bother me.

Yes, the deli wraps tear easily for removal. As always with paper piecing, it helps to shorten your stitch length so there are more perforations made in the paper.