I am new at machine quilting & I was wondering if there is a rule of how much quilting should be done in a 12x12 block & the material between the blocks. Also I have a lot of material from a store that makes drapes & curtains I was wondering if using it would make a nice quilt? Thank You

Shirley

OOOOh, you caught my interest with the idea of fabrics from the drapery shop. I am making handbags and any tapestry type fabrics would make some wonderful bags (if you happen to have some of that around and want to experiment with making bags.)

I have just begun to use the spray adhesives and found them to be the solution to keeping the layers of fabric from stretching, especially when I am quilting 3 layers on the diagonal. (Be sure to check prices and size of cans at Wal-Mart and JoAnn. I learned that the 50% off coupon is not always a good saving on the items JoAnn carries.)

I don't know why drapery fabric would not work in a quilt. Be sure to check to see if the fabric is tightly woven and does not fray easily.

June in Cincinnati

Shirley, Shirley, Shirley..........the "R" word is a no-no. If you use it it means there are police to enforce it and they didn't hire Patrice because she wouldn't arrest anyone.

What I do is:
read the manufacturer of the batting to see what their recommendations are.
Then I take a small piece of batting to pull, push, wet, and try it to see what happens with use (the more it mats, comes apart, etc, the more quilting stitches I use)
If you use a natual fiber it holds together better than the fiber fill type that mats up and doesn't hold shape.

If all that fails..........well, who will know? Patrice will never visit, she's to busy.

Sharon

Some home dec fabrics may be loosely woven or very thick/thin. I've used them in wall hangings by stabilizing with a thin iron-on interfacing. For a bed quilt that gets washed frequently, you may want to choose carefully. Hand quilting through some drapery fabrics can be difficult too.

I have fallen in love with a pattern or shiny color and used them, but they are going to wear differently. You can only clean a quilt in a method preferred by its most delicate components. Anything bed sized would be a huge pain in the neck to hand wash.