Originally Posted by
illinois
Just wondering--how would it work to leave the paper from phone books in the quilt? Would it dissolve satisfactorily or be a problem with laundering? Some have discovered paper in very old quilts. Newspaper is a good insulator and is sometimes found in walls when buildings are being torn down. So am just wondering......
Do NOT leave the paper in the quilt. Even if it sort of dissolves it will leave hard little "pills" between the layers. It is not that big a deal to rip the paper off, just fold it back against the stitches and rip off while watching TV or visiting with a friend. You can use aged newspapers (aged so the ink has set in the paper), phone book pages, tracing paper, gift tissue, or no-iron cheap interfacing (which you can leave in). I am skeptical of using the cheap muslin as it may shrink at a different rate than your good fabrics. People did use newspapers in quilts but they were likely never washed, and probably because they were not washable with the paper lining and many of them were made of wool which was apt to shrink and be ruined. If you want larger blocks try tracing paper from the dollar store. It is harder to get off than the newsprint or phone book paper however.