I have a large stash of home decorating fabrics. I lived close to a textile mill and they had a huge sale at their outlet store when the mill closed, so I bought lots of wonderful heavy weight cottons for really cheap (many for $1.69/yard; some for even less). I've made slipcovers and pillows and curtains and still have lots of fabric. Mostly stripes, I think.

Have any of you made a quilt using this weight fabric? I was thinking maybe something with really large squares (fewer seams) as a heavy winter bed cover. And tying it instead of quilting, maybe? What do you think? What experience have you had trying to quilt with this fabric?

They would be useful for making grocery totes.

I've used some in a quilt and it worked just fine!

You probably wouldn't need batting inbetween from the weight of the homedec fabric!!! I haven't used any, but I'm sure come winter we'd all want one.

My mother made a crib quilt for my daughter using 4-inch squares of drapery fabric (and scaps from clothing she made for all of us when we were growing up). She hand-tied it. It's held up to washings and general abuse very well :)

I have used it a lot. I am an interior designer in a large furniture/design center and we have a constant supply of fabric samples that are discontinued. Guess who gets them? They do really well in a quilt. Be sure to pre wash. Many of these fabrics will shrink and bleed. Also, do not use lighter weight fabrics with them. Keep the weights the same. Linda Kate

I used home dec cotton fabric for a drag around quilt for my first child 34 years ago. It wore like iron and was loved, loved, loved. Have you made aprons from the home dec fabric? The prints are usually so pretty and the cotton launders easily. :-)

Also makes nice purses & totes

Coming up here ill be making a pieced duvet cover for a customer those fabrics lend themselves well to that sort of thing.

I would happily use it... like what was mentioned, launder and use like weighted fabrics for the top. No batting for me, it would be too heavy where I live.

I live near an upholstery shop that sells it by the garbage bag $1-$1.50 a bag! So I have made a crazy quilt, and my own shopping bags, I love it!

This makes nice floor cushions (using quilt block designs)

i've used it a lot. weighs a ton, but WARM. keeps you pinned to the bed. if you plan to make fast getaway, don't use it. i've used it for accessories and the like. definitely wash several times with like colors. they bleed a lot and fray. they also often fade a lot in washing. if you plan to dry the quilt, then dry the fabric. they do shrink. i would use thin batting. if you use something sturdy and thin, like a sheet (which i don't normally like) for the back, you MIGHT be able to sitd. if not then use embroidery thread, all 6 strands, and go around 2x. then tie off, left over right, then right over left. trim the ends no longer than 1". i tie off on the back so it doesn't show on the front. the threads gets ragged, so you don't want to make them a focal point. you want to focus on the pretty prints. please show us what you do. nice score.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. This is particularly nice fabric and everything I've made from it has held up well to washings for several years. (I bought this stash 5 or 6 years ago.) I'll post pics. You've also given me good ideas for scraps from a recent drapery project.

Does anyone from Texas remember the Comal Cottons fabric store chain? They closed down years ago....the mill where I bought this stash originally was Comal Cottons (in Comal County, TX). They used to make wonderful cotton ginghams with small embroidered designs in the checks. I have a little of that also. Toward the end of the mill's life, it made only denim. I've used up most of the denim I bought there.

Oh gosh, I have made quilts, pillows etc. My friend worked for a wholesales and gave me lots of it.

I just saved the not too heavy ones. Like the ones you make curtins out of and some of them seem just a tad heavier but not really too much. My friend and I made this quilt together...she did all the cutting and piecing and I inserted the middle panel of the Flamingos and did the longarm quilting. It's been on my bed for about three years and I have yet to bind it lol.

I have washed and washed the one on my bed. We call it the ulitily quilt, it is king size. The three pillows are also out of the fabric.


This New Your beauty was also out of such a fabric and I mixed regular quiting fabric with it, The inner border is batik, all the other fabric is the decorator. If I had my drudders, I would used this fabric always as it is very strong and will last for years.

It doesn't matter how large the print is. I love the coloring and when you cut it up, it's just color except in the large width borders and there it looks nice.

I have a friend who's mom made one from home deco fabric. It was heavy but very warm.

I have a friend who is an upholsterer, she made us a wonderful bed cover from heavy cotton fabrics used to cover chairs, the squares are about 18 inches in size, it has no batting or backing as it is heavy enough, it has been washed heaps of times and it comes up good every time! I noticed that she used her industrial sewing machine to piece it, and used a French seam which is very hard wearing.

Gal

Now there's an idea I really like...probably much more practical for my climate. We have very mild winters but in our 100-yr old house, no central heat, so this idea sounds about right. Thanks, Gal.

yep, and I hand quilted it too!!! If I were to make another one I would machine quilt too! LOL, it was hard getting small stitches thru the thick fabric.

I just finished a tote for my mother from some upholstery fabric she'd bought. It was a little harder, but is cute! My only problem, the DecoBond wouldn't bond to it....so I bonded to the lining and it looks just fine.