HELP Fabrics Questions
 

Hello Everyone, a friend at work knows a guy that operates a storage facility.
He said he has lots of drapes, curtains, bedding etc. He said he would sell cheap if I can
use any of them for quilting. Would this be advisable for fabrics for quilting? Was thinking
very nice drapery fabric might make a nice log cabin quilt? I don't have money at all to
be able to buy fabrics at store so thought this might be one way to get fabrics for quilting?
Any advice on this subject is greatly welcome. thank you so much Rachel

Is the fiber content available? Many home dec fabrics are cotton, however, they are often a bit heavier weight than quilting cottons, which may make them difficult to work with in patterns with lots of seams. Bedding might be a better way to go, as lots of folks use sheets for quilting. In any case, I would wash the item first & make sure it survives before cutting it. Another source for inexpensive quilting fabric is used clothing, especially men's cotton shirts.

I met a sweet little old lady at a garage sale and she was selling off most of her quilting stuff. She also had some quilts for sale. They were all made out of drapery and home dec fabrics. She said she had been making most of her quilts out of those types of fabrics most of her life. She said she washed them and there weren't any problems with them. I know that there have been quilters on this board that have done the same thing. The majority of the time the home dec fabrics are labeled Dry Clean only. But I have washed many a dry clean only piece of clothing with no problems. Usually it is to protect the finishes on the fabric. I say that maybe you could get a couple of samples of what he has to offer and wash it and see what happens!!

Is there any way you can get a look at the stuff before committing to it?

Some of it might be useful - some might not be suitable at all for quilting projects.

If it was stuff that people left in their storage unit, I doubt that the quality is there for you to use in quilting.

Home Dec fabric can make beautiful quilts. Yes test all the fabric for how it will perform in the wash.... but do note that home dec fabric , the dyes used are more resistant to fading in sunlight. The down side is most printed home dec fabric is not intented to be washed as frequently as clothing or most quilts, and the printed colors will most likely fade faster when washed frequently.

Ditto. I would want to preview the fabric first before committing. Even though many storage units say they are air controlled. Some things still mold and mildew. Take a whiff. If a bad odor comes off as soon as you open the door, I would walk in the opposite direction after thanking him for his time and consideration.

I have successfully used cotton drapery samples in quilts and had good results. Most were polished cotton and when washed they lost their shine but have held up well. One I made for my mother in law when she was in a nursing home and it washed in their commercial machines many times, after she died the quilt was returned to us and was still nice. Some of the bedding may work for batting or if sheets could be used for backing. As long as it is washable it should be fine. It works best for machine quilted items. Other things you could use the fabric for are bags or "designer" storage boxes. Good luck.

Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for the great info. He said I could go look at the stuff he has and only pick what I want to use, I don't have to buy anything if I don't want it. And if there are some really good stuff, I can pick whatever I want and leave the rest. :-) I figure it won't hurt to go check it out. I am just so new to all of this, I hope I know good fabrics when I see it. LOLLOL
Lori S. I love your dog. Saint Bernard? I had one on the farm in SD years ago. Now I have a tiny little miniature dachshund. He just thinks he is huge LOL

If he has more than just cottons, I might be inclined to pick up some other fabrics besides cotton and make a crazy quilt. Have fun!