August 2, 2010

I promised you a new topic which will span several weeks of Blasts. This is the beginning on my advice on how to select fabric for a quilt. Naturally, I cannot write in detail all the information I give in lectures and classes. This is because I talk fast and don’t type as fast!

In quilting I suggest only 100% cotton. There are many, many different cottons on the market today. So some will feel silkier or rougher than others. Most of the cotton is imported from China by manufacturers. There are industry standards as to the thread count etc. The base goods (called “griege goods”) however, do often vary within each manufacturer’s orders and also from company to company. The printing is mostly done in Korea these days. Often, the same prints on a reprinting of a line are on different base fabric. You, the customer, may or may not notice the difference. Often, one of the reasons you notice a difference in chain or discount store fabric, is that it may be printed on less expensive base cotton, obviously to reduce the cost. For more detailed information, click onwww.fabrics.net/cotqual.asp.

There are many types of prints to choose from: calicoes, large scale, small scale, stripes, dots, tonals, blenders, solids, viny, and plaids. Some simple definitions of these are:
Calicoes: small prints, often flowers, multi-colored, without much background showing
Large scale prints: large print with multiple colors
Small scale prints: small prints with multiple colors
Stripes: one or more colors, stripe usually printed parallel to the selvage, often the stripes are different widths
Dots: same or different sizes, single or multi-colored, sometimes not perfectly round
Tonals: print that is one color printed on a background of the same color in different shades
Blenders: usually neutral in color (beige, gray, brown) with a small print
Solids: no design in the fabric
Viny: swirling, linear design of one or more colors on a different color background
Plaids: Perpendicular lines, large or small, in two or more colors

Your suggested “homework” is to pull one or more fabrics from your stash in each category. Next Monday will have more detail on the above!

This week come to the store on your way to, or on your way back from the Bayberry Quilt Show in Harwich, Ma. We will have a guest demonstrator, free to you, along with some refreshments! See you then.