Reviving an old quilt - Muslin question.
 

I have an old quilt my grandma made for me many years ago. It's been "well" loved over the years and has become quite worn. I had taken apart the sandwich thinking I could just replace the worn spots and put on a new back. It's a little farther gone than I thought. My new plan is to back the top with muslin for support and then quilt with a thin batting and muslin for the backing. Here is my question....I've never really used muslin and I've read that some are very poorly made, etc. Can anyone tell me what types of muslin they have had good luck with? I will prewash to minimize shrinking as I'm positive the top has no more shrinking to do.

Thank you!

There was a thread on muslin earlier....let me see if I can find it. Yes! Perhaps it will answer your question.

Dina

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...n-t255670.html

The premium muslin (200 thread count) is very nice, great to work with. Minimal shrinkage and doesn't wrinkle nearly as much as the cheap muslin does. I've gotten it as little as $3.50 a yard on sale. Robert Kaufman, Legacy, Southern Belle all make a premium muslin. I use it all the time and love it. They are all similar quality, but the colors may vary a bit between them, so buy enough for one project if you want to be sure it's all the same.

Prewash any muslin you buy. It shrinks. You won't want it to shrink after you get the quilt back together.

I would wash/dry the muslin several times, before using. :)

I bought a bolt of muslin from JoAnns a long time ago and use it in my quilt tops as well as backings. Doesn't wrinkle and as far as I can tell doesn't shrink.

My thoughts are: The muslin of today is of much nicer quality than the muslin that you quilt was made of. Your muslin back will be much smoother and finer weave than the top. You might consider getting a much more coarse (or even cheaper) muslin to use for the backing. I personally have never shopped for this kind of muslin but I am pretty sure that you can find it somewhere.

I bought some packages of muslin backing from Marshall Dry Goods in wide widths. It was of the lesser quality muslin but I can't tell you how soft it is after washing. The weave did tighten up after washing too.