MeadowMist

My sister is asking for my help in making small memory quilts or table runners for her kids. She's a sewer but not a quilter and I'm pretty much a beginner quilter myself so we're not sure what direction to go with this. She wants to use the fabric she has saved over the years, and she has a lot of it. Problem is, is that it is a combination of everything - thick, thin, lots and lots of stretchy fabric (a good part from the old Stretch and Sew line), corduroy, shiny stuff used for princess costumes, glittery fabric, polyester, cotton, thick, thin, GI Joe type material, cabbage patch doll type material, flashy, pastels, ballerina costumes, baby material, teenage material, tiger print, curtains, Halloween customs, a bit of everything.

Any ideas as to what to do? Can all of the different fabrics be used on one quilt? She asked if she can sew a stabilizer to the stretchy material so it won't stretch - can this be done? I suggested cutting into 3" squares and using a solid color border in between to help "unify" everything but beyond that I'm not sure what direction to go. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Grace creates

I would use a stabilizer for sure on the stretchy

Iceblossom

As we go further into our quilting careers or if we start via classes, we get pretty fussy about using 100% cottons of appropriate weaves and weights. But the thrifty quilter of yesterday did indeed put all sorts of things together for "use" or "wash" quilts because warm beats cold any winter night of the year.

I would consider using a light weight batiste or muslin, something pretty cheap and flimsy (but prewash first!). Cut squares that fit your post-washed light weight fabric, so 42"+ wide would be awesome to cut into 10.5" squares. You could also use a worn sheet for the foundation.

There are many videos and books about crazy quilt techniques, that or a string sort of technique is what would probably work best.

I made an "Ugly Tie" quilt that I made from ties I got in bundles at the thrift store or the last resort of the "Buy the Pound" shop. I was really wanting to use the big wide textured poly ties from the mid-late 70s. I gutted and washed the ties in small batches (ties can be really disgustingly dirty!) and then I shook them up in a black plastic garbage bag. Without looking I grabbed 10 ties and put them in a brown paper lunch sack. I did not know what was in each paper bag until it was time to make the crazy block and I had to use some of it.

The ladies in the quilt guild didn't know what to make of it, but a lot of men were looking at it and my son loved it. Used it and washed it hard, so here it is, well after it's prime -- but who would have guessed that the hand painted stag would still look so good?

Edit: You can see the white background fabric where the fabrics didn't last it's really funny some of the ones that shredded out were ones I thought would last, and some that I thought were iffy will apparently outlast an atomic bomb! And I guess that's a doe with branches and not a stag.

Krisb

I would sort it into piles for each child with fabrics that either from that child’s clothing or that fit that child’s personality.

if it is stretchy, i would interface it with a fusible stabilizer or interfacing. Then I would make each child a crazy quilt, and use all the fancy stitches on my machine to decorate the seams. No batting needed.

Use muslin or an old sheet for a foundation. Cut foundation fabrics the unfinished size for the desired block size.

Here is one of many tutorials available on the net.
https://youtu.be/l9QKruDO8tk

Press with a iron set no higher than poly.

zozee

You've got your work cut out for you! (Well, that would be nice if it weren't just an expression in this case. Ha.) I would strongly caution against using the glittery fabric. That stuff tends to never ever go away, but gets on everything. The modern glittered fabric is a bit better--I tried scratching off some of one I bought and it did not come loose, but I don't plan to buy or use any more in the future.

TeresaA

I think you'd want to use the same technique you might use for t-shirt quilts. Search for that. I'd offer assistance, but I've never done it. As for the shiny stuff, you might consider using that for embellishment/surface design. Sew it on top of things.

Good luck. It will be a sweet set of quilts and the memories will be far bigger than the little pieces. I am sure every time the kids look at it, the individual pieces will take them back ;-).

origamigoldfish

I have a couple of older quilts that were made when my parents were young, from bits and pieces of everyone's clothes. Not everything was cotton, and a lot of it was different weights. It was cut into diamonds which were formed into stars and appliqued onto a background, and very minimally quilted. We actually mended a thin spot in the background cotton and discovered the whole thing had been tacked onto an even older quilt that was worn so thin it was basically backing.

This quilt was probably made circa 1960-1965, and some of the fabrics are significantly older. It is not a daily use quilt, but we have had it 20+ years and it is still going strong.

Another thing to consider might be english paper piecing. It's a lot of work, but the seams are held fast to the foundation when you sew them together; no messing with different fabrics reacting different ways under the presser foot.

ckcowl

Fusible lightweight stabilizer for the knits, medium weight stabilizer for the lightweight and ( shiny) fabrics. I would use 5” or 6” squares, some of those fabrics will ( play better) larger. 3” is very small - a ton more work.

Maire

Wow, just this month I finished memory quilt with just about all the fabrics you described, silky nightgown to denim and corduroy slacks, knit tops, curtain pieces, quilted jackets. At first I was very dismayed that it would be even possible, the person who requested it didn't sew & had cut up many of the pieces into odd shapes. But because of the personal connection I buckled down & did it simple patch work style, some rows had pieces sewn together that were approximately 4 x 4 inches, some rows were all piece approximately 5 x 6, etc. It came out very primitive looking, the quilting was not my best (free motion meandering) but the recipient loved it. I found out from another person she couldn't stop raving about it & wished she had asked me to do 2, one for herself & one for her Dad (it was her late mother's clothes), this one is going to her Dad for Christmas but apparently she can't wait that long to give it to him.
So hang in there, do what you can, it will be precious to the person receiving it, especially if they don't sew so won't see all the mistakes!

Jordan

I agree with everyone that the stretchy fabrics are going to need some stability like fusible interfacing but I think you will have very memorable projects with each one. Good luck and please share pictures of finished items.