Vintage Fabrics
 

I recently bought at an estate sale about 10 yards of fabric I am calling chintz for $1.00. If you remember the fabric, can you tell me if you think it is OK for quilting either in the top or as a back?

It would be lovely as the back of the quilt. If you want to use it on the front of the quilt, I'd say find other home decor type fabrics to go with it, so all are similar weight fabrics. It would also work exceptionally well for tote bags or the like.

If I remember chintz, It's kind of stiff and shiny. Don't know if it has a coating on it or not. they used to make curtains from it. You would have to take your chances.

10 yards for $1 is a GREAT deal!

I would serge off a piece and run it through the washer and dryer with the brights/lights 10-12 times and see what happens to it. Some chintzes are very sound fabric and will look beautiful (and FEEL beautiful on the back of a quilt) with all that laundering.

Other chintzes will show you how they spawned the word, "chintzy," - they are poor fabrics with poor printing, heavily glazed. When the glaze washes off, it takes some or most of the color with it and you are left with a threadbare-looking, lifeless bit of little more than gauze. ;) But even a really poor fabric would be a great foundation for strip-quilting or crazy quilting. Just starch the heck out of it and let it almost dry and press it. :)

DITTO this....Chintz is glazed, and when washed, it can be a whole new beast!

A long time ago, the "glaze" used to make fabrics shiny was eggwhites! That's why it disappeared after washing.

I recently completed a quilt and pillow shams in a Waverly chintz that I purchased 15 years ago. I loved it then and still do. Finally got around to making a pinwheel queen sized quilt for my eldest daughter's new apartment as she loved the fabric as much as I did.
Not chancing the machine wash method - only dry cleaning for this lovely piece!