fabric question..

[psha]

Has anyone used shirting cotton for a quilt? I know it is 100% cotton, but is the thread count different than quilting cotton? Too thin?
Thanks,
Patti

[Louise]

Re: fabric question..

Not sure if this helps but when my father in law passed away my sister in law took some of his favorite shirts and made patch work pillows for my mother in law i took soer of my dads favorite shirts and his trademark kakis and plan on making a quilt for my mom so she can still have my dad wrapped around her.

[jrchapman]

Re: fabric question..

I haven't ever done one myself but I've seen some really gorgeous ones out there on the internet. Seems like a lovely way to treasure memories or pick up fabric for a bargain. I really like this one, made from striped shirts:

[rebeccas-sewing]

Re: fabric question..

I would think the fabric would hold up just fine. In the past, people used to take their old clothes and make quilts out of them. Nothing was wasted. Those clothes had been washed many times before going into a quilt. The quilts were used to keep people warm and probably got a lot of use. I wouldn't use a piece of clothing that was threadbare, but I wouldn't have any problem using fabric from clothing that is in good condition. If you're using brand new shirting fabric I see no problem with using it for a quilt.

[Blondie]

Re: fabric question..

I am in the process of making some small quilts from shirts for some friends. I have found that for the most part they work just fine. It is a good idea to sort the fabrics by weight; in that you will find some lighter than others. For the lighter ones I found it necessary to do foundation piecing. Use lots of starch. Lots of starch. Lots of starch.
A good read would be Bonnie Hunters website: http://quiltville.com/
There are a lot of places there to click and see. She has written a few books on the subject:
Scraps & Shirttails
Scraps & Shirttails II

If you like scrappy quilts, this is one way to bust that stash.