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I certainly think it depends on what you want your end result to be. Certainly a donation quilt designed just to cover someone for warmth or for a kid to drag around wouldn't need the the artistic integrity of a blue ribbon winner. But just try to picture one of Sharon Shaumber's exquisite quilts with a hunk of polyester double knit here and there. Then again, I can't picture one of her quilts actually scrunched up on a bed. Get my point?
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You do what you have to do. I cannot shop at the prices of the LQS very often either. I have made some beautiful quilts (IMHO) out of Wal Mart fabric and find that they do have some great quality at the less expensive stores.
Originally Posted by Tfch8184
(Post 6333437)
I am not narrow minded in my fabric selection. I shop at Joann's and love my local store and that's mostly because I love the employees there. But also because I am on a budget and can not afford to use name brand fabrics all the time. I have a creepy obsession with charm packs. Lol and I love moda fabric so I have to be very selective in what I but name brand to make my money go further.
I made my niece a flannel quilt using all joann flannels and it's been a year and it is holding up great even if the binding looks like poo. I used Walmart fabrics for a tie quilt and pillow for my niece as well and it's holding up well also. I just pick and choose fabric as I go and whether I buy it from Joann's, an online shop or eBay even Joe Schmoe down the block as long as I am happy with it and it's not falling apart as I sew and cut then I am happy. The only thing I steer clear from now is broadcloth because I didn't know it wasn't all cotton and melted some while pressing seams. Lesson learned and thankfully a cheap on at that. The only thing sewing wise I am snobby about is my machine. I will never ever buy a big store machine again because after having two break down in less that 8 mths I will stick with my very awesome janome dealer. Nothing like having the kind of customer service that makes you feel important. |
My favorite quilt of all time was an antique double wedding ring top given to my father in exchange for legal work sometime in the 1920s or 30s. Most of the fabric in the slices was very light weight, what we would consider batiste or voile today and say was too thin to be suitable for quilting. We had it quilted in the early 60s and it was used regularly into the late 90s when it finally became too threadbare to continue washing. And it was mostly the muslin and the binding (a regular solid cotton fabric from the 60s) that were wearing out, not the "too thin" fabrics.
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I had a very dear aunt who made 'love' quilts such as you are talking about. She made so very many and not only did she bless people of her community with them but she also blessed her nieces and nephews with them. I have a tied quilt from her full of double-knits and clashing colors. Not my taste in quilts at all but I CHERISH it with all my heart! She had a very hard life as a farm woman who continued to run her dairy farm after her husband left her (he had PTSD issues stemming from WW2). She passed away about 10 years ago...the last of my late mother's siblings...miss her.
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After reading your post, I would not call you narrow minded. I would call you open to other possibilities.
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I'm now rethinking what I use to quilt.
I was always told that you need to use 100% cotton fabric and thread. After reading this, I'm going to try making a crazy quilt with other fabrics and threads. Thank you for opening my eyes to other possibilities. |
Look at Gees Bend quilts, magnificent works created from various fabrics. Seems like free-thinking instead of over-thinking can lead to some great things.
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If a quilt is really going to be used and laundered a lot, I suppose a lot of the "more substantial" fabrics such as the polys make sense, but if one is a purest, it has to be cotton. However, that is a much more expensive choice and with the price of cotton, not always available. So that said, one has to match the use with the fabric......I honestly doubt that the people in need, care if it's cotton or whatever....:) A quilt made and given with love is what counts!!!
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My mother used to make quilts from what ever she was able to afford and her quilts were some of the most beautiful and are still being used after many years. I think it is how you make them a lot of times.
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I always wondered why I could make technically good quilts... but just seemed to miss the mark on something I could never put my finger on... Finally it dawned on me after going to a large International show... it was the number of colors, prints, and textures used in the quilts I found most appealing. So If you like it ... go for it... its incredible what happens when we ignore some of our own self imposed "guidelines". Its not like you will fall of the edge of the earth, if you go out on the edge!
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