Sheets for quilts?
12-14-2011, 09:48 AM
#81
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Rocky Mountains of Idaho
Posts: 1,454
Originally Posted by dixie_fried
my dream bed quilt will be pieced with vintage sheet chevrons. i've been collecting different colors/prints for a couple of years now and am hoping to find a queen/king set to use for piecing and backing to pull it all together.
i figure if the sheets have survived 30 or 40 years of use and hardly show any fading, they will probably be great for a quilt.
i figure if the sheets have survived 30 or 40 years of use and hardly show any fading, they will probably be great for a quilt.
12-14-2011, 11:47 AM
#82
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Penrith NSW Australia
Posts: 225
I have been told by a few patchwork teachers that you can use sheets as backing for your quilt. I have just purchased a sheet for a quilt, but purchased a cheap one from Target and have it all pinned together but now sewn as yet, will let you know what I think when I finish it in the new year.
12-14-2011, 01:50 PM
#83
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Arma, Kansas
Posts: 3,079
You are really hanging in there if you made your first quilt in the "late 1870's. LOL. There are lots of good ideas on this thread.
Originally Posted by QuiltnLady1
I have used quilts for sheets and they were fine. My first large bed sized quilt (in the late 1870's) was a king size with a lovely blue green scene of water and palm trees -- I hand embroidered the quilt through the batting and backing echoing the entire pattern and adding some detail that was not in it. It was a bit harder to get through the sheets, but some ivory soap worked to help get the needle through the layers. It came out beautiful -- and I wish I still had it. When we moved to a new house, it had a different color scheme and DH took it to Goodwill one day since it was "just sitting around" -- I cried.
At church, we use sheets all the time for our charity quilts -- they hold up much better than pieced quilts since we tie them. We get some beautiful patterns at Goodwill, etc and love them.
At church, we use sheets all the time for our charity quilts -- they hold up much better than pieced quilts since we tie them. We get some beautiful patterns at Goodwill, etc and love them.
12-14-2011, 02:22 PM
#84
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 6,395
In my opinion, fabric is fabric, whether it came straight from the high $ fabric store, from a Walmart sheet, or from a yard sale or the thrift shop.
I've not seen any significant difference in how well fabric 'wore' just because of it's origin. Some embroidered muslin squares from the 1930s (ones my mom had done for her hope chest) that I put together in a quilt as a HS home ec project in the 1960s did wear out from constant use in the late 80s/early 90s. The edges of a GFG quilt we got as a wedding gift in the early 70s wore out about the same time for the same reason. Both were used constantly and put through the washer and dryer regularly for over 25 years. None of my clothes lasted that long!
I've not seen any significant difference in how well fabric 'wore' just because of it's origin. Some embroidered muslin squares from the 1930s (ones my mom had done for her hope chest) that I put together in a quilt as a HS home ec project in the 1960s did wear out from constant use in the late 80s/early 90s. The edges of a GFG quilt we got as a wedding gift in the early 70s wore out about the same time for the same reason. Both were used constantly and put through the washer and dryer regularly for over 25 years. None of my clothes lasted that long!
12-14-2011, 08:36 PM
#87
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Littlefield, TX, USA
Posts: 1,077
I use them on occasion, especially on quilts I am using as throws on the couch, or picnic benches, etc... everyday stuff.
I get a few customers who ask if I will quilt a top using a sheet as the backing...I tell them to buy the lowest thread count they can, and wash & dry at least 3 times before sending to me. Sheets quilt a lot like batiks..and can be troublesome.
I get a few customers who ask if I will quilt a top using a sheet as the backing...I tell them to buy the lowest thread count they can, and wash & dry at least 3 times before sending to me. Sheets quilt a lot like batiks..and can be troublesome.
Originally Posted by AshleyR
Since the subject of fabric quality has come up again, I thought I'd throw something else out there -
Do you use sheets in your quilts? Why or why not?
I've always heard not to use them, but I will use it for backing. I just don't know why you're not supposed to so I thought the thousands of people on QB could give their opinions!!
Do you use sheets in your quilts? Why or why not?
I've always heard not to use them, but I will use it for backing. I just don't know why you're not supposed to so I thought the thousands of people on QB could give their opinions!!
12-15-2011, 12:59 AM
#88
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: North East England UK
Posts: 186
Nowadays I mainly machine quilt (arthritis HAS set in, but not too bad yet - must keep knitting...): I find that good quality cotton or polycotton sheeting makes a really good backing. I have never put a quilt of mine into a show - all that competitiveness for a HOBBY just doesn't sit well on my shoulders - I would rather have fun, give my quilts as admired and appreciated presents, than go through the agony of some stranger picking over my work. For me it is not that important.
I would probably reiterate what others have said. If you are showing your work, avoid using them. If you are handquilting, be aware that they can be tough to get through. If you are machine quilting, or you have loads to get rid of, well why not use them?
In the past, our grandmothers used what they had to make warm and cosy bedcovers. If you look at older quilts, you often find a mis-match of weights and kinds of fabric, all thrown together to make a quilt or coverlet. Although we are going through some tough economic times at the moment, it is nothing to the kind of poverty many of our ancestors went through. However the same principles apply: using what you have and avoiding unneccessary waste, is an important principle to live by, and a great lesson to teach our children and grandchildren. If you have a sheet that is the right size and colour for your project, then my advice is to use it!
I would probably reiterate what others have said. If you are showing your work, avoid using them. If you are handquilting, be aware that they can be tough to get through. If you are machine quilting, or you have loads to get rid of, well why not use them?
In the past, our grandmothers used what they had to make warm and cosy bedcovers. If you look at older quilts, you often find a mis-match of weights and kinds of fabric, all thrown together to make a quilt or coverlet. Although we are going through some tough economic times at the moment, it is nothing to the kind of poverty many of our ancestors went through. However the same principles apply: using what you have and avoiding unneccessary waste, is an important principle to live by, and a great lesson to teach our children and grandchildren. If you have a sheet that is the right size and colour for your project, then my advice is to use it!
12-15-2011, 01:05 AM
#89
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Northern California mountains
Posts: 12,538
I have heard several "experts" say that sheets will shred and not last long because of the high thread count. That's not my experience (I machine quilt.) I have, however had a major problem with a batik (high thread count again) made for backing fabric. It wore my needles out horribly. One of my favorite backings, however is a FLANNEL sheet.
12-15-2011, 01:19 AM
#90
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 264
This is another quality of fabric debate. People who know nothing about textiles say one thing, like you shouldn't use sheets, and believe people who want only to makes sales what to buy. You hear if you want to win a contest you must use this or that. No one can give you a good reason not to or to use sheets in quilts. Explore, make pratice pieces. Just be happy with what you do. p.s. 60% of my tops are made with sheets, and my daughter has three times brought me home from Target their house brand which are 100% cotton.
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