help me identify vintage fabric type, please!
 

I recently bought a vintage quilt top. The stars are all sack cloth or dress cloth, but I can't figure out what they are appliqued onto. It looks like unbleached muslin, but it is heavier and has a little stiffness to it. Also, any ideas on what I could used to back this with? I'm sort of new to all this. my grandmother quilts and sews. I have dabbled in and around fabric and sewing all my life, but am getting more and more interested as I get older.
Thanks for any help y'all can offer.

Can you post a picture? That would be really helpful!

Photos of quilt top in question
 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]307102[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]307103[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]307101[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]307104[/ATTACH]

I should have thought to post these with the original post....d'oh!

feed sack fabric was often combined with dressmaking fabric for these types of quilts. There also appeared to be a variety of muslin type fabrics. You might post your question on the site for The Feedsack Club for indentification of the background fabric. I have some of these old tops and often there was differences in quality and type of background fabric. White feedsacks were sometime used as well. There are many interesting stories of folks being taken when their father bought grain and feed to choose the printed sacks for their next dress or other garments.

Could it be material that was used to make things like slips or petticoats? How thick and stiff is it?

That is a FABULOUS quilt top. I think it kind of looks like a cotton sheeting. . . I would think you could back it with anything you wanted to.

The stars on that quilt are beautiful. I"m wondering if the brownish fabric is unbleached muslin. Years ago muslin wasn't as nice to the touch as it is now. Good luck in your search for answers.
Sue

WOW! I vote for muslin...there are so many grades and weights. In the 70's my mother made bedskirts for my bedroom of muslin....it is much heavier than what I find today.

I wonder if it is a medium weight muslin? I it isn't super stiff.. I actually really like it. I have seen med weight unbleached muslin for sale in theater supply websites.

The thick fabric looks like it could be flour sacks, they were the same size as feed sacks only thicker and denser, about the same as unbleached muslin. Some called them milk sacks also. I reconize a lot of the top as feed sacks early 40's to early 60's and some of it is old dress fabric. One of my Grandmothers' quilts I have has several of your same fabs in it. Beautiful quilt top.