Thin fabric
 

I have a couple of pieces of fabric that have nice prints, but are much thinner than regular quilting fabric. Is there a way to use interfacing to get them up to weight, or should I just get rid of them so I'm not tempted to try to use them?

I used thin iron on interfacing on a solid that was the color I needed, but way too flimsy.

I try to use all the same weight fabrics on a top. But that might just be a personal preference.

By "thin" - do you mean loosely woven?

I have used a thin fusible on the back of white fabrics (for piecing) to make sure there is no see through, so yes, you can do that. As long as the thin fabric is 100% cotton, you can use it.

Can you make a test block and turn that into a mini quilt, complete with binding and batting and throw it in the wash to see how it holds up. I know it may not be worth the effort but it might help with your decision.

Are the fabrics a name brand? I find some Moda fabrics to be thinner feeling than some others, but they are strong so it's not an issue.

Double it and use as a backing. That is my plan for 3 thinner fabrics I bought years ago. I just haven't decided it was time to use it.

I doubled it when making a child size quilt for charity. It turned out fine

They are nothing special. I experimented making magic hst's with them, and even starched to death, they were an unmanageable mess. Stretched and got wavy along the bias seams. So, interfacing for sure if I ever use them. They are not particularly loosely woven, just really flimsy. Thanks for the advice, all!

A lightweight fusible interfacing will take care of the problem. I’ve needed to use interfacing many times in quilting projects. They turn out fine and the fabrics hold up well. I ( generally) use a Pelion, lightweight non-woven fusible interfacing. I purchase it by the bolt.

When fabric does not have the appropriate weight and 'hand' to start with, it would be better not to use it and find another fabric. When you try to make it work it usually involves more cost and less success than just using something more appropriate to start with. Fusible interfacing has its own set of issues. When you press, which you will obviously be doing, the fabric will shrink differently than the interfacing and cause a 'bubbly' look. Guess how I know.

Do you have to use it? I would just toss a problematic fabric.

Sometimes trying to use a fabric that is just plain "not worthy of the project" is in the same category (to me) as trying to "use up" an iffy food leftover in a company dinner.

bear, I agree with you 100%. I won't use "flimsy" fabric. That doesn't mean that I buy the most expensive thing that could be found, but I don't buy flimsy!

I recently bought some fabric that revealed its true nature after I washed it. Disappointing to say the least since I love the colors and paid top dollar for it. I have decided to make some gift bags out of it. I have a knitting gift swap coming up and can use a gift bag then.

I got some 'thin' solid fabrics in a batch of vintage fabrics I bought on eBay. I was worried about using them, so went ahead and pre-washed some, and they seemed OK after washing so I have used some in miscellaneous quilting projects and so far so good. However, I don't think I would risk them on "important' quilts like wedding gift quilts, etc. It is hard to know if they will hold up as long over time. Frankly if you are worried about them, I would trust your gut and not use them--donate them to someone else that would like to have them and not continue the worries!

I got some lawn fabric which is beautiful but I didn't know what lawn fabric was. Turns out lawn fabric is thin and floppy but I used it with regular quilting fabric in a quilt and it turned out fine. Now I use any fabric with any other fabric and it seems to be okay. If you haven't tried using it yet, I would try it but if you already know it will stretch out and cause problems, then throw it away.

I have three pieces of about 5 yards each which is "thin" that I bought at an estate sale. They are perfect prints for backing a child's I spy quilt. One is red spirals on white, another is green turtles on white and I can't remember what the third is. It has a nice hand. It's like the fabric that our summer nightgowns were made of back in the olden days.

Because it's so thin, I've been afraid to use it. I usually use 80/20 batting, but it's kind of beige with dark specks which would show through. Maybe I'll find some white batting and try making a small quilt and just see how it looks. (I have plenty of it.)

Thanks for this subject.

bkay

I remember that those "thin cotton" nightgowns lasted for a long time. Also baptismal gowns for babies.

Some "thin" cotton fabrics - like a tightly woven batiste or lawn - are very high quality fabrics. I paid top dollar for some to make a baptismal gown 15 years ago.