Leather Scraps in quilting.
01-26-2011, 05:04 AM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
i made a quilt with leather's, velvets, corduroys....lots of different textures/fabrics...the only down side to the quilt is laundering...if there is quite a bit of leather you have to pay big bucks to have it professionally leather cleaned...some dry-cleaners will not even accept it...it has to be sent somewhere. when i made mine i was careful that everything that was washable was washed ahead of time and was very careful putting it together. i have done some (spot-cleaning) on it a couple times...have thought about just taking a chance...but have not taken that step...so the quilt is...about 7-8 years old and so far has not been washed.....it's beautiful but not functional...mine is about 9" squares, some embellished, embroidered, stamped, .... mixed fab's all put together with dark velvet sashing strips; about 1/4 of the quilt top is leather squares. if you made the whole top with leather it would probably be easier to figure out a care-plan.
01-26-2011, 05:34 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 854
I've seen it done in clothing - vests and such - mixing leather with quilted panels or tapestry, but not in a quilt. Would be a beautiful effect though. If you've not worked with leather before, there are special leather machine needles you can get, that punch through it more easily than most. Ditto for hand needles, get the triangular leather needles, your hands will thank you! Can't wait to see the ideas come out!
01-26-2011, 05:41 AM
#16
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 854
As to the washing, the main reasons for not washing leather are that 1) it dries it out and 2) it may leave watermarks.
Some of the newer leathers are actually washable.
If you're using scraps, I'd be tempted to stitch a scrap to a plain contrasting fabric, mark the size, run it through the washer to see what it does (shrink, bleed, dry out, leave watermarks on the leather, etc). I would not expect shrinkage or distortion but it may bleed...or not. Drying could be countered by using a very mild soap instead of detergent. Watermarks? You may actually like the effect. I'd give it a shot.
Some of the newer leathers are actually washable.
If you're using scraps, I'd be tempted to stitch a scrap to a plain contrasting fabric, mark the size, run it through the washer to see what it does (shrink, bleed, dry out, leave watermarks on the leather, etc). I would not expect shrinkage or distortion but it may bleed...or not. Drying could be countered by using a very mild soap instead of detergent. Watermarks? You may actually like the effect. I'd give it a shot.
01-26-2011, 05:47 AM
#17
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: NH
Posts: 37
as in neckties? try making a hobo bag out of them!
Originally Posted by Twisted Quilter
I acquired a few leather ties back in the summer and didn't know what to do with them. Hope you get a few suggestions. If not, you might want to put this question in the Main section.
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