Vicki1212

Hi All

I am new to this forum and new to quilting (absolutely LOVING it!) I am just finishing up my first quilt which is a baby quilt for my new grand daughter. I found a perfect piece of fabric for the backing but mentioned to the shop assistant that it was a bit stiff. She assured me that it would soften up after washing, which unfortunately it hasn't. I have washed it on normal wash in my machine, hand washed, soaked in fabric softener, washed again on a long wash at 95 deg C with a few towels and (don't laugh) even tried washing it in Coca Cola (as per a Google search) and nothing has worked. Does anyone on this forum have some suggestions? I have hunted for a softer fabric but can't find anything that matches the quilt as perfectly as this one. I'm in South Africa and our fabric options are limited

Thank you!
Vicki

ckcowl

Some fabrics are just kind of stiff... Vinegar sometimes helps... (Is it 100% cotton?). If it is and the perfect match for my project I would go ahead and finish my quilt, get it quilted ..the batting and quilting might help soften it up, and it will continue to soften with time and use... If it is not (100% cotton) it may stay as it is forever.

qwkslver

Can you order something else to use? If it was for a bed I would use it anyway but since it is for a wee one I would want that to be soft. My MIL used tennis balls in the dryer to soften stuff.

bearisgray

Sounds like you have tried everything but beating it with a stick to soften it up!

Some fabrics do stay stiff. From here, it seems like your options are:

Use it because the color is perfect and the texture is stiff.
Find something else that may not be "perfect" in color but feels better.

If it's for a baby, I think I would choose something that feels better over something that looks nicer.

Jeanne S

Can't say I have ever encountered this problem. Is it 100% cotton? If so it sounds like it has thicker threads like cotton duck or canvas. Either one will get softer with washings and use eventually but I would worry about how comfortable it would be on a baby quilt. If you don't have any other options, I would just wash it a few more times and use it.

patchy-at-best

Snip off a scrap, hold with tweezers and burn that lil sucker. If it melts back onto itself, even a bit, its a poly blend. If it just goes black, brittle and ashy it's cotton. If its a poly blend it will never soften. If its cotton, there's hope. Did it shrink at all when you washed it? Soak in vinegar overnight then wash in hot water. If that doesn't work, its been over treated with sizing and no good. The only way then for a softer outcome is to use a few layers of flannel and chenille cut it.

Vicki1212

The fabric is a 100% cotton Coral Tree fabric and strangely enough, all the other Coral Tree fabrics I have used are lovely and soft. Never mind, it will go into my stash for another project I have found another fabric, which although not the 'perfect' colour (as bearisgray stated) is so nice and soft, it just invites you to snuggle! So I'm happy with the fabric and ecstatically happy that I am very close to finishing my FIRST ever quilt! One more quilting lesson on Saturday which will teach me how to do the free motion quilting and I will be able to finish off my grand daughters quilt. This is not my class quilt, but one I have been making in tandem. I now see why quilters usually have more than one project on the go at a time......it's addictive! Thank you everyone for your very helpful suggestions

toverly

There's always the idea that it can be used as a "tummy time" quilt and the stiffness will serve as protection from the floor.

bearisgray

I've found that 100% cottons burn to a very soft ash that turn to powder.
So does rayon and wool, for that matter. I don't know about silk, because I've never burned any.

Anything that contains nylon, polyester, dacron, etc - will leave something crunchy or gooey - and the "remains" stay hot much longer than the ashes from the natural fibers. These things frequently burn with black smoke, too.