"Outdated" fabric
 

Several posters have mentioned getting rid of "outdated" or no longer "fashionable fabric." Some have even given away quilts because they are "outdated." In an age of vintage clothing shops, a seeming obsession with owning a Singer Featherweight, and (in my neck of the woods) an antique shop on every available corner, what is it with "outdated" fabric for quilts? Some fabrics in my stash are at least 40 years old--my mother bought some of them when she was still making garments, and I bought others because they called my name. One of these days those fabrics, which get refolded and petted about twice each year are going into a "vintage" quilt and I dare anyone to say it is "outdated." froggyintexas

Never heard that fabric get outdated personally for the older the better. I have some fabric that was made the year of my birthday 1957 and i feel so blessed to have it. wish I more.:thumbup: And I would never get rid of a vintage quilt.

i think that some fabrics printed at the height of various trends tend to look pretty dated 20 years out. i am thinking of sea foam and peach florals from the 80's, orange, brown and yellow poly prints from the 60's - that kind of thing.

other fabrics - notably calicos, ginghams and plaids - tend to age so much more gracefully. i still love to look of 30's prints and colourways. others must too, because of the vast number of reproductions printed every year.

when i see these teal and pink quilts, or orange, or yellow and grey combos, i tend to think we'll view them as very dated in no long time. i tend to stick with more traditional colourways, both with an eye to the future and based on personal preference.

aileen

Isn't that what scrap quilts are for? :)

I agree. I think it is the color combinations that make a fabric "outdated". I love vintage fabrics, pre 1970. I am not a huge fan of calico fabrics just because they tend to be older colors and muted. BUT, I will still think a quilt made from them is beautiful. I just choose not to use them, they aren't my thing. I am drawn to the brighter bolder colors and prints available today but I know others that aren't. You are also correct about the 1930 reproductions. I like them also. And I am drawn to the Moda collections designed by Bonnie & Camille such as Ruby, Scrumptious, and Modern Vintage. They are designed using the pinks, blues, aquas, reds, greens and oranges of yesteryear. I would kill to find some vintage fabrics from that era!

I agree. If a fabric has a 'dated' color or print, just cut it up and use it in a scrap quilt. Some of my cotton fabrics are quite old- 25-30 years maybe, but they are still with me and waiting to be used.

I could have used some of that 80's sea foam and coral! My sister in law wanted a quilt in what she called teal and peach which was just that sea-foam-coral. All I could think of was our guest bath with the old walmart shower curtain, but I tried to match the colors as best I could with 2012 fabric. LOL
Thanks for the laugh!

I have some vintage looking fabrics that I don't have anything to go with. I gave/give them to my oldest Daughter for use in her scrappy quilts. They look great in the scrappies.

Exactly what I was thinking. If you don't like the fabric, you haven't cut it up small enough yet. :D

I use less than gorgeous fabric for pieced backings all the time.