How to Determine the Quality of Quilt Fabric
Whether you use a sewing machine or make a quilt totally by hand, handmade quilt making is a lot of work. Quilts are designed to last for decades with proper care, but choosing the wrong fabric can have very disappointing results. Quilt fabric quality can vary greatly, and not all fabrics are ideal for making quilts. Pick a good quality fabric for your handmade quilt, even if it costs more than bargain fabric, and your quilt will stay in good condition to pass down to the next generation. If you choose a cheaper quality of fabric, your quilt can fall apart within a couple of years.
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Instructions
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Read the label on the bolt of fabric. Is this quilt fabric 100 percent cotton? Unless you are making a crazy quilt or art quilt to be hung on a wall, cotton fabric is the best type to choose for your quilt. Blends don't launder as well, fade in different ways and are often harder to work with.
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Hold the fabric up to the light. If you can see a lot of light coming through the fabric, it may be too thin to use as a quilt fabric. Compare this fabric to others to see the relative amount of light that comes through each sample.
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Look carefully at the threads in the fabric. Are they all the same size, or are some thicker and some thinner? Are they close together or are there gaps? High quality quilt fabric has threads that are all the same thickness and woven relatively close together without any irregular gaps.
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Feel the fabric. Quilters call the way a fabric feels "hand," and if a fabric feels smooth and nice to work with, it is said to have a "good hand" or "nice hand." This is something that can be learned by feeling a variety of fabrics.
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Soak a small piece of fabric to check for colorfastness. If you have gotten your fabric home and are still not sure if you should use it in a quilt, clip a small piece from one corner. Soak this small piece in hot water for about 10 minutes. If no dye has come out of the fabric into the water, the fabric is probably colorfast and the dye won't run.
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Tips & Warnings
Although the prices are generally higher, dedicated quilt stores carry the highest quality fabric for quilt making. General fabric stores can carry good fabric, but you have to be more careful when choosing there.
