Gifted fabric - need advice and opinions
 

I was recently gifted two large bags of fabric by a very nice lady in my neighborhood. When I got the fabrics home and was sorting through them, I discovered that 50 percent of them were polyester blends, the rest are cotton sheets, curtains, etc. I was able to pull out some cotton solids and prints. My first inclination was to get rid of the fabrics, but it is so hard to do! Has anyone used cotton sheets or blends to make quilts? I am thinking I might use some to make charity quilts. Opinion?

Sure we have! Many people use sheets for backings and sometimes for backgrounds in tops, cotton/ poly blends are used and liked by many. The one thing about the poly blends, they do not fade, or shrink like cottons. And don't make good raggy quilts. They are great for kids quilts since they take a lot of abuse and frequent laundering. A great choice for ( drag everywhere, play quilts!)

Quilters are known for ( making do) using all kinds of different fabrics, fibers and creating something wonderful with what they find. It all has a use. Appliques, totes/ purses, picnic quilts, table runners, placemats, clothing projects. You can find a use for every fabric as long as you do not close your mind and convince yourself only one thing is OK. Open your mind and enjoy the journey of finding uses for what you've been gifted. :)

There's been a lot of quilts made over the years with poly blends and sheets. I'm not sure about the curtains. If it's heavy material, tote bags maybe?
Rodney

I have used some poly blends in a few quilts and have used cotton sheets as backings lots of times, all with great results. Go for it! The charity quilt recipients won't care, and will be so glad to get a quilt to stay warm!!

I use sheets for blocks and backs all the time, never had a problem with using them.

I use sheets and poly blend fabrics all the time. Our grandparents used whatever was available and some of those quilts are still going strong. I know because I have one that is going on 60 years old. it is a little ragged at the edges but otherwise very good.

Heavy fabrics make wonderful tote bags for carrying groceries. Make pillow covers for the house or porch, pillow cases, doll clothes, doll quilts. I was gifted a lot of that kind of fabric too. It is useful.

I am sorry, but Harriet Hargrave taught me to use the best fabrics and batting you can afford. Charity quilts should be made out of the same fabric that you would make for yourself. Just my opinion.

Poly is really durable and makes good quilts for the homeless as it can withstand a lot more abuse than regular quilting cotton can.

If you like to make wall hangings, pretty much ANY fabric is fair game for those, assuming you're not going to be washing it. Some heavier fabrics have great textures and can really add a lot of interest.

Tote bags is another great idea. Around here they've banned plastic disposable bags and require retailers charge a dime for paper bags, so handmade tote bags have become popular. The more unique, the better! Fabrics too light for a quilt or a tote could be made into drawstring bags for produce too.

I use old sheets as foundation for crazy quilts. Makes the quilt a bit heavier but works great!

mamaw322, I have successfully combined the cottons and poly cotton blends in many quilts. These two I recently made have poly cotton solids in them. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...ml#post7062476

I like them for grocery totes. They wear well. Totally agree with Sewnoma.

Don't let the quilt police scare you the best quality does not always mean 100% cotton. The vast majority of people have no idea if the beautiful quilt you gave them is 100% cotton or poly cotton. Hell I bet if you shared a picture of a finished quilt with us no one would look at it and assume that it's not all cotton. While 100% cotton absolutely has its place and makes a beautiful quilt so do other options. I have sen some beautiful works of quilt art where someone has thought outside the box. Not to mention all the quilts our ancesters made using what was available to them. Unless you are making a show quilt to be judged there is no reason to tell anybody your "dirty little secret".

I've used heavy, tacky 100% poly fabric as batting in tote bags and light summer quilts. I recently used the synthetic fabric which I removed from an old bedspread as batting in a table runner.

You will find a use for all of them!

My only caution is to be aware that poly and poly:cotton blends require a cooler iron than 100% cotton.

Have fun with all your fabric.

I use sheets for back whenever I can for all my quilts no matter if charity or gifts or for myself. I am not a fabric snob

Sturdier fabrics make great "picnic" quilts, or stadium, or whatever outdoor event people need a clean surface to sit on.

First if all, if I really don't like the fabric, I get pass it on to someone who does. Life is too short for me to spend time using fabric I simply don't like.

I would have no problem at all getting rid of it. Lots of times I think stuff gets handed down that nobody really wants because people can't just throw it out. The last man standing gets stuck with it all:) If you want to use it, go ahead and use it, but don't think you're obligated.

I was given a huge tote of scraps from garment sewing. So far I've made 8 quilts for charity. I did separate the fabric by weight, and will eventually make a quilt from the denim/duck/corduroy scraps. What I'm using now is a mix of cotton and cotton/poly. The quilts are bright and fun, and I'm having fun. Eventually I'll post pictures of some of them.

If I only used high quality quilter's cotton, I would have to throw away most of these scraps. That seems very wasteful. These quilts are all for hospitalized children. They do not have a clue about the fabric content of these quilts. They just know they have something fun to look at and something to cuddle with.

I suspect that if we limited ourselves to only LQS quilting fabric many of us would not be making very many quilts - it's just too expensive. I resent that people suggest that my quilts are not good enough because I haven't used expensive fabric.

I say keep what you like to make things with, use the ugly stuff to practice quilting motifs perhaps, use it for rags if needed, or donate to charity as is. If you want to make a quilt for charity, check to see their requirements for fabric before spending the time. I believe in giving what you'd like to receive in terms of quality, regardless of the recipient (unless it's a pet). I have learned not to store what drags my spirits down. I want to surround myself with beauty and happy fabric. Don't feel obligated to keep someone else's castOffs!

I have mentioned before that my dear Mother sewed all her life. I have all her fabric, which includes all kinds. She made my clothing, DD's, fathers western shirts, her own, worked at a job all her life...then in her spare time, she sewed for the public! I plan to take the large assortment of cotton/poly fabric and make my version of Amish quilts. Since they will be made of blends, poly batting, spare sheets(blends), I'm looking forward to the challenge. Now, if I can just figure out what to do with the rest.....since I don't do garments any more!!

I do a lot of pillowcases. Poly/cotton is great for that. And I'll use almost anything woven for my rag blankets. I AM NOT A PURIST! Absolutely not!

IMO, save the bending to another's rules. Make "charity" quilts for someone local who had a fire or flood. Those people will value your work.

I've made well over 50 rag blankets for seriously ill folks in my community. NOt a one has ever complained about their blanket "not being the best". For starters, I can't afford to buy the best.

BTW, this winter I've made 3 pair of jammer bottoms for me, 2 for my hubby, two each for 3 grandchildren from $2, $2.50 and free flannel sheet sets. Got the green/black plaid on right now. So, what I'd use for myself is cheap! But very usable.

Thank you all so much for your input! I am going to sort through the fabrics again and look at it with a different eye. I think some of it I will definitely use for FMQ practice and working up practice blocks! Also, my grandsons would not care what the fabric is if Memaw made them a quilt to drag around!

Since you are the one who will be working with it, I'd let how I feel about each fabric determine whether I would keep it or pass it on. Do you like the feel and look of the fabric? If so, use it!

I'm still working through four wonderful boxes of scrap fabric that was gifted to me recently. I am going through every piece and sorting it. Many, many pieces went into my 'take to thrift store' pile, simply because they felt horrible or were really ugly to my taste. Be good to yourself as a quilter and only use what you enjoy working with!

Any cotton/poly I get goes to Goodwill. I just don't like the feel of it and I don't like sewing with it. Any cotton sheets I get, are washed and used as sheets.

I have been given bags of fabric also, and this is what I do!! I keep the cotton, and donate the polyesters to a craft store or your local Salvation Army or Goodwill. There are people who make things out of polyester. I keep anything that starts with the letter COTTON! I don't know for sure when I will use it, but someday I will. I have also said to the person gifting me "I only use cotton, but I can donate this fabric if you are sure you don't need it for anything. There are a lot of people that sew with polyester." You're killing two birds with one stone here. And the person will appreciate it also - because she will know it is going to a good cause.

Happy Cutting! Edie

Our quilt guild even used polyester material to make 9" x 9" squares sewn together and then tied for quilts for nursing homes.

OUr ladies At church use the polyester for our nursing homes around here. The staff really like them because of the way they stand u to washing.

[QUOTE=ManiacQuilter2;7084938]I am sorry, but Harriet Hargrave taught me to use the best fabrics and batting you can afford. Charity quilts should be made out of the same fabric that you would make for yourself. Just my opinion.[/QUOTEooooj

My best fabric may be your worst. If fabric is suitable for the purpose intended, does it matter where it comes from?

I also think donation quilts should be made so they hold together, feel nice, and can survive washing.

My Grandma told me once ( about 30 years ago) that she had been told that some charity quilts should be ugly so they would be less likely to be stolen or sold. The primary purpose was to help keep the recipient warm.

As far as the bags of fabric - keep what you want. Pass the rest along or discard it.

I hang my head in embarrassment at what I donated many years ago! I really did not know any better then.

Some of my cotton poly blends feel wonderful to me. The weave and percentages of the fibers also factors into the feel and suitability.

I have many polyester fabrics and find that they work well in quilts. If you read a history of quilting you will find that most fabrics have and are used in quilting.

If the curtains have any fading at all, do not use them in quilts. I made that mistake years ago, and all of the sun faded cloth dissolved with the first ten washings! Very upsetting! Sun damage equals weakness! Use the faded stuff to stuff dog beds or something similar...

I quilt with a group of wonderful ladies at our local Lutheran Church. We appreciate any donations of fabric and love to get sheets for backing. We send over 250 sheets a year to needy people all over the world. We also give some to people in our town. It's a wonderful feeling to know that you have helped others stay warm.

I have always seen quilts as a hug I want someone to have when I am gone. I have never run across someone who actually complained about a quilt I made, but if I ever do, it will just be the last they ever get. I work hard to make my quilts, and only for loved ones, (OK, so I have made a few to sell) so if I hear a complaint, I have already decided what my response will be. Love it or lump it, my job is done.

I have been give many bags of fabric, and some of the fabrics were just pieces of stuff I would never use in a quilt. Those I tossed. Some of them, while being all cotton, were simply not my style or downright ugly. I cut all those into squares to use in utility quilts. Some of them were cotton blends, denim, corduroy, etc. Those were also cut down into squares. Larger pieces (over 1 yard) were kept and used for pieced backings for utility quilts. I have just finished my 3rd utility quilt of this winter....each one with double poly batting for extra warmth. My girls love them because they know the quilt is washable and durable. The most recent is made from extra blocks from many different quilts....it is quite a wild looking thing, but it will keep my family warm and nobody cares what they look like when they are cold. Use what you have if you can, donate what you can't and don't fret over it....just not worth the time.

I smiled to read that donation quilts should be made of the same things I make for myself, because I do agree. I use blends, sheets, etc. in quilts for my family as well as in donation quilts. I would never take an attitude that oh they are homeless, let them have this old icky stuff. But I do have the attitude that if it's good enough for anyone else, it's good enough for me.

Another user of sheets for all aspects of quilting here. I especially love using them for borders as they can be seamless due to the length of the sheet fabrics!

Our ancestors used whatever was available, we can too!

I have only read the first page of this thread.

There is no rule that says you have to keep the fabric.

If your first inclination is to get rid of it that is perfectly okay. Do not feel obligated to make charity quilts because you were given fabric you would not use for your own quilts. There are lots of places that would be happy to take the fabric and make use of it.

I belong to a group that is making charity quilts for teens in a shelter. We individually make blocks and as a group make the quilts. We only use new cotton quality quilt fabrics.