I have been in the process of making quilts from shirts, etc., from close neighbors that passed away (as memory quilts for some of the family). Naturally, a lot of them are poly blends. Some of them "take a crease," some not so much. I think that I would try some of it and see how it handles when you iron it and give a good tug on the seams. They may be perfectly good for the everyday drag-around quilts or they may be just total frustration. In any event, sure would quilt them with poly batting. With the shirt fabrics I have been using, I increased the seam allowance to 1/2" because of a fear of fraying, but so far, so good.

Welcome to the world of quilting and to the board.

I, too, use mainly 100% cotton, but also toss other natural fiber textiles into the mix at times. Wool, silk, and linen all have a place in my stash along with the cottons.

Since you are new to quilting...the WalMart polyblends are fine especially since they are not as costly as the 100% cotton fabric. I use anything and everything that feels good! In the olden days...anything was used so why should we be so picky! I must admit, however that I love the look and feel of batiks and 100% cotton!!!

I very seldom use poly cotton. If I do it is an utility quilt or I must have sentimental attachment to the fabric. I would not buy poly cotton. I use almost all brand name 100% cotton and will not even mix in lower quality cottons for fear of different wear or bleeding.

In the 1980s when finding 100% cotton was not as easy as now, I made a bed quilt for my son using some cotton and some polyester/cotton blends. He loved that quilt and 10 years later took it to college....boy dorm life is hard living for a quilt....they live on their beds, eat on them...etc. The point is that 4 years later, he came back with a quilt he wanted me to "fix". Batting was sticking out from 30 or 40 different places on the quilt. When I took a closer look, the places where the quilt disintegrated were all the poly/cotton fabrics. I couldn't salvage the quilt (I made him a replacement) but did immediately banish all of the poly/cotton fabric from my stash.

Welcome from southeastern Michigan! Glad you joined us!! :wink:

I use 100% cotton, but I have a quilt that my grandmother that is constructed from 100% polyester double-knit!!!!!!! Boy, that puppy is pretty weighty!!! She used squares from scraps left over from dresses and pant suits (remember those??!!) that my aunt had made her. I love my grandma's quilt, and put it on my bed every winter. :wink: It was a great way to use up double-knit scraps I guess. I think I'll stick with my 100% cotton thank you very much!! :lol:

I have used poly/cotton blends 50/50 and I hand quilted with no problem. I also have a poly cotton machine quilted bed cover with polyester batting,(shop bought)which is 20 years old, although well worn as you can well imagine, (it is now used as a dog blanket) it has stood up well to the test of time! I used Poly thread for poly fabrics and cotton thread for cotton fabrics. Having said all that 100% cotton are my favourites though for hand quilting. I guess what I am saying is when you are learning do try out and experiment with what feels right for you and what your budget can afford.

Gal

Walmart $5 for 5 yards is OK to learn with and practice. But if you are going to make an heirloom or work of art, you should get 100% good quality fabric. It costs more, but its worth it if you do a lot of hard work on it. Cheap fabric will wear faster. Poly blends are awful. I made that mistake. It stains and holds the stains, wears thin and after you cut it out, it seems to end up smaller than the 100% cotton. If you use some of each in the same quilt, you end up having a hard time matching the seams. If you use all one type fabric, it works out better. I will only use 100% good cotton now as I make quilts as keepers. If its just to throw around on the grass for a picnic, it doesn't matter what you use. I hope this helps.

I've heard a lot of people say that cheap fabric is okay to start with. Actually cheap fabric is harder to work with than good quality fabric. Just because a fabric is good quality doesn't mean you have to pay full price though!

Thats very true. You can go online and find close outs for a decent price. i just hate to see anyone go to all that hard work and trouble with poly blends. But whatever works for ya.