i'm losing it! some of the fabrics--especially the batiks & hand dyes---are identical on front & back---
how do you recognize their fronts & backs when sewing with other pieces ...?
how have you dealt with this?
{i'm waiting for somebody to say it doesn't really matter!}

batiks and hand dyes do not have a right/wrong side, it is the way they are dyed :D
other fabrics, I have used the "wrong" side if it worked better for me :D:D:D

It doesn't really matter on these. On other fabrics you can look at the selvadges--the best one is the right side.

thank you Rann--it doesn't really matter on these!!!!!YAH!

made my day--so i can mix them all up now--yes!!!!!!!!

Isn't that just the best news? I love it when I don't have to worry about this stuff!

I agree, doesn't matter. Whatever works better for you!

If you cannot tell, then no one else will either - one of the things I love about batiks.

Fabrics that are dyed don't have a right or wrong. Fabrics that are printed, do.

NOW you tell me! LOL {thanks!}
makes so much sense....DUH......

I've used many of my regular cotton fabrics inside out because I liked the ''softness'' of the back/inside of the fabric. When batiks started getting popular about 10 years ago, I fell in love with them and would lay them on the cutting table to get a closer look at the pattern/design. One day I turned the fabric corner back and viola!!! the inside looked better than the outside and I was hooked on Batiks.

Use both sides of your fabric....you paid for both sides!!

jodi in leavenworth

you know, that's funny--i have been "eyeing up" the Wrong sides of some of the fabrics & i find some are quite interesting on the wrong side but i don't know why i can't bring myself to use the WRONG side--i guess i need to LET GO!

one of the last tops i made had a chocolate colored background & i could tell the difference between the right/wrong side & i still see it when i look at it--there's a shine to some pieces! some are/some aren't!!! i can't win!

I freaked out members of a local quild when I held up a pieced quilt top and in a lot of the blocks, I had used ''inside out'' fabric. You would have that I committed a crime by some of the members....others just loved the idea of using both sides of your fabric. Go figure people out.......

jodi in leavenworth

Must be some of them were jealous that they did not figure it out sooner. :)

I use alot of batiks and if you look really hard you will see a diffence in the dye pattern from front to back and sometimes it makes a softer pattern. But I have never used a batik that didnt look great on both sides and match.

Whatever side lands up. :thumbup: You paid for both sides :mrgreen:

This will happen more and more as the price of fabric continues to climb. The reverse, which can sometimes be used a solid, is often one of the reaons I like Connecting Threads fabrics.

Jan in VA

Usually batiks really are not much different on back and front sides. Just pick what looks best to you. I don't think it really matters a lot which side you decide to use.

It doesn't matter!!! You paid for both sides, go ahead and use either side you like best!!

If you cant tell the difference will anyone else?

I have had the same problem with several types of material -- sometimes, I guess, it doesn't matter when they both look alike

I use lots and lots of batiks. i have found one side normally has a little more texture (tiny dye spots) on one side. It depends what I'm going for when chosing the side.
Either side works - have fun :thumbup:

IT DOESN"T MATTER !!!! All fabric has 2 sides, both usable. See I just doubled your stash !! Several times I have used the back of a fabric because it matched better than the front.

They are the same with batika

If you really want to use the same fabric just mark it in the back with a chalk pencil. It will take a little longer to prepare but you won't hesitate at every seam.

I love batiks for just that reason.

You've paid for both sides so use both sides. Pick the one you like best and go with it. You can use leftover slivers of bar soap to mark the "wrong" side if you want to make sure that you use the same side throughout your quilt. The soap will easily wash out after the quilt is finished.

It doesn't matter. It's one of the reasons I love batiks...good batiks. There are cheapo batiks where there is a difference.

"An Artist is his/her own worst critic". I heard that a lot when I painted oils on canvas. I could see the mistake but no one else knew what you were talking about. Especially if they're not into the craft...quilting or painting..

People love to criticize and hurt other people. This is a trerrible way to go threw life. If you like it better, good for you and keep doing it that way. There are no quilt police and as far as I know there is no judging board either.

I know what you mean. We had one like that in the family. She wasn't happy unless she was hurting someone one way or antoher. Always causing some sort of trouble. Well, she's been gone for 8 years now...I mean really gone, she passed away a very bitter person. And now another does the same thing. Why can't people WANT to be kind and unhurtful!! I just can't imagine... :oops:

You paid for both sides of the fabric, didn't you?
Use whichever side you like!

It might not matter but once you decide which you like I put blue painters tape on the side I chose so I don't end up using the wrong side once it is cut! Hope this helps!

I know just what you mean. I figure if it's so hard to tell, then it doesn't really matter. Nevertheless, I try to figure it out by looking at the weave. The right side appears "smoother" for lack of a better world, while the wrong side is slightly "bumpy." Those are just the words I made up in my small brain, but someone else might describe it differently. Try looking at a solid where there is an obvious right and wrong and it will help you see what I'm talking about. It's easier to see on a solid, but a print will work too. You just need to look at something with an obvious right and wrong. I work with batiks a lot and I'm sure I've mixed some right sides and wrong sides, but I've never been able to tell.

Even with cottons, it is not the "wrong" side, but rather the "other" side. Sometimes the "other" side suits the purpose better than the front side.

Absolutely!

i've used the wrong side of regular fabrics too... i paid for both sides, so i can used either one!

Use the side that is pleasing to you... No one will know the difference!

Check the selvedges. The needle holes along the edge go in from the top side.
Nancy Zieman always calls the reverse side,"The other right side."

There are times I like the 'wrong' side as I prefer a softer look! There is no wrong or right!