Need help
 

Hi everyone. My husbands parents passed away earlier this year. I have some of their clothes and would like to make quilts (small) for my sister-in-laws. The materials vary - polyester, cotton, silk, stretchy.... Is there any way I can stabilize the material? Or if you have any suggestions on how I can incorporate these materials into one quilt. I know how to sew, but am very new with quilting. I would appreciate any and all suggestions!! Thank you :)

What a very nice thing to do. Quilting is a wonderful way to preserve their belongings, and can be done pretty easily if you stick with basics. Cut up the items into squares of equal size. I like big pieces, but you can do small ones. 4x4 or 5x5 is what I would stick with for a lap size quilt. Smaller if you are doing a wall hanging. Triangles get tricky, so squares are an easy go-to for a simple quilt. I would also try to stay with mostly the same weight (no really sheer, floaty materials, no heavy tweeds) so you will get a consistent weight when finished. If the materials are stretchy or silky, I would use an iron on interfacing. Check with your local fabric stores. That will give the fabrics body and allow them to be incorporated into the quilt. Use 1/4" seams (different than garment construction) throughout. You will need to be pretty consistent with the seam allowance so the quilt will lay flat and go together easily. Use a 1/4" foot or a piece of tape on your machine bed to get that seam allowance right. If you don't want to match seams, start each alternate row with a partial square and you won't have to struggle with exact matches. Have fun with it, the love will show in your finished product!