I tend to quilt with a lot of plain fabrics, and I have finally found the deep teal color that I want, but it is broadcloth. I know I have heard not to use broadcloth to quilt. Is that a pretty firm rule??? And, yes, I know there are no quilt police looking over my shoulder, but is it really that bad an idea?

Thanks for any input.

I use it all the time!

I don't think broadcloth feels the same as cotton feels. I don't want to use it but, I would not tell anyone else not to use it.

Kona Cotton Solids and Moda Bella solids are cotton broadcloths. I use them all the time. Go for it!!

I've used broadcloth once. It wasn't as soft as other cotton fabrics, but it still worked.

I use Kona all of the time too :D:D:D

When I was making Amish hotpads for the store I sold to I used broadcloth all the time to quilt into quilt blocks for the hotpads. I don't see anything wrong with it. But there are better quaility broadcloths. IF you hold it up and you can see through it and the weave is too see through you don't want to use it.

I used to use it alot...until I was ironing it one day and it melted.

why would you not be able to use broadcloth in a quilt? that is news to me, since i have quilts from the 60's that my grandma made that are broadcloth; when it's the color or the weight i want i use it...i had never heard such a thing as that rule...but...
there are no rules! there are no quilt police...you can use anything you want to to make a quilt...and people do

sounds like you bought a polyester broadcloth...i use cotton broadclothes; i'm not a big fan of poly's...i like hot irons

If you were going to handquilt with it as part of your quilt, it might be more difficult to needle.

It might not shrink at the same rate as your 100% cottons--this would be important if you don't wash your fabrics before using.

Chris

I was so surprised the first time I attended a Crohn's & Colitis fundraiser with quilts from the Mennonite communities. They were made completely from cotton/poly broadcloth. When I mentioned this to the "fundraiser person" he said...they preferred this mix of fabric because the colours didn't fade. Each of us makes a personal choice.... for me... I prefer the soft feel of cotton....BUT..... I wouldn't refuse a snuggle with a poly/cotton mix EVER!

Funny, but I have broadcloth that I think actually feels softer than quilting cotton. And it is 100% cotton! I've used the poly/cotton blend also, . I did think the blend wanted to ravel a little more, but it was soft!

Okay, thanks, I think I will use this fabric and see how it works for me. It is really hard to find 100% cotton fabric that is all one color ... at least in my area. Quilt stores don't carry plain colors, or at least not here. This fabric is part polyester, but I am going to give it a try.

I didn't know about the broadcloth "rule" - I guess ignorance is bliss eh! I have used 100% cotton broadcloth with good results...Frankly no fabric is safe from my quilting experiments...as long as the weights are even and it washes nicely...it gets incorporated.

Nothing is always a no-no!! I used a 100% poly fabric in a wall hanging. I probably wouldn't use it in a bed quilt because it was such a pain.

You can get 63 solids from Connecting Threads for about $4.96 a yard, including teal.

I must have. To be honest I didn't think to look. But you can bet I'll look next time. Its a freaky think to watch it melt. I like hot irons too! =)

What makes broadcloth broadcloth?

Good question. I'd be interested in this, too.

Broadcloth is described here.
http://www.textileglossary.com/terms/broadcloth.html

Thank you.

Old thread but I'm wondering if people still feel the same about broadcloth as they did once.

The reason I'm asking is that my local Spotlight store (like Joanns, I think) has solid colour 112cm (44") wide 100% cotton on special for $4 a metre (39").

A quilting rule? :D

Kona Cotton Solids and Moda Bella Solids are both 100% cotton broadcloth...and two of the best quilting solids out there.

Some recent threads on this topic to help ease your mind. :)
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...h-t228216.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...h-t225986.html

Thanks for the links. :)

Once when we lived at a Children's home and had a deer donated which I then cooked up for dinner. The girls were suspicious and asked me what kind of meat we were eating. I told them, "A roast". :) This conversation kind of reminds me of that.

many, many of us use broadcloth all the time---why would it be a no-no? it's been a fairly common quilting cotton for decades

You ac use anything you want to make quilts, and I mean anything. There was no quilt police in the old days, just a need for a warm cover and fabric scraps from various clothing items. Use what your heart desires and make some gorgeous, one of kind quilts. Off my soap box now.

Thanks, everybody, for taking the time to answer. I'll pick up some today.

I have even used the 'less expensive' poly broadcloth in a kids quilt because I had a time crunch and there was no navy cotton broadcloth at my local store. I ended up ironing the stuff with a moderately hot iron first and then doubled the fabric because it was significantly thinner than the other fabric. It worked out fine and has worn like iron. Remember--no quilt police!

Got 5 metres (a bit over 5 yards) on sale today for $20. It feels good and I am looking forward to using it. The sales assistant said they sell a lot of it to quilters.

In the past, people used whatever fabric they had and look how their quilts turned out.

Mickey Lawler is on TQS this week. She paints background fabrics and uses white broadcloth for this.

I've used cotton broadcloth many times with stunning results and although it's a bit stiffer than regular quilter's cotton, it'll hold up to a lot of wear. I figure once I've quilted it and washed it a few times, no one will care that it's different. They'll just think the color is incredible!

I sewed garments since I was 12 and used a lot of what we called broadcloth. It was always a blend with some poly in the mix. Since quilting, I have looked for cotton broadcloth. Would the Moda and Kona cottons in solid colors be considered "broadcloth" ?

Oops! I should have read more. I found the answer at the beginning of the thread.:o

Most quilters fabrics are actually printed broad cloth. The term "broad cloth" cover a wide spectrum.