Cotton vs. Polyester Blend for Quiltmaking
Nowadays, with quiltmaking evolving into fabric and fiber art, combination fabrics have become popular. However, when I became involved in the revival of quiltmaking during the “Bicentennial Years” in the US (1975-76), quite a controversy was gong on concerning the merits of one hundred precent cotton fabric vs cotton/polyester fabric.
Some quiltmakers asserted that unless you used pure cotton fabrics you weren’t a true quiltmaker. Admittedly, the older fabrics for quilts usually were cotton.
However, this was all the early quilters had to work with, other than linen, wool or linsey-woolsey. Possibly they might have an occasional satin or silk garment they utilized for a quilt when it wore out. Most of the quilts they made for use and warmth, so cotton was a desired fabric.
I’ve always felt, though, that if the early quilters had cotton/polyester blends available, that didn’t shrink so much nor wrinkle, they would have used them. It becomes a personal choice nowadays whether quilters want to be “purists” or incorporateother fabrics into their quilt work.
Today’s art quilters, of course, are using many types of fabrics and embellishments for their work. They even make some of their fabrics.
Do you have an opinion about th fabrics to use in quilting and quilt art? What do you prefer to use?
Tags: fabric+art, fiber+art, quilt+fabric, quilters, quilting, quilting+fabricsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: General Quilting/Patchwork, Quilting/Patchwork History, Quilting/Patchwork Misc.
5 opinions for Cotton vs. Polyester Blend for Quiltmaking
Cyndi L
Feb 9, 2007 at 9:33 am
The more options, the better! Bring it on :-)
Seriously though, although I tend to prefer pure cotton (many of my fabrics are plain muslin that I paint or dye), I love variety. I agree with your assessment that cotton was used because that’s what was available. Now, however…
:-)
Mary Emma Allen
Feb 9, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Cyndi,
Thanks for giving your input. As I talk with quilters and fabric artists, I think many do prefer cotton or muslin and find it works really well. For purely utilitarian purposes, the polyester blends are handy though…generally don’t shrink nor wrinkle so much. It would be interesting to know what the pioneer quiltmakers would have done if they’d had access to some of our modern fabrics.
Cyndi L
Feb 9, 2007 at 6:51 pm
My guess is that they’d be saying, “Wow!! Pass me some of that polyester blend with the metallic threads in it!” LOL!!
Mary Emma Allen
Feb 10, 2007 at 11:46 am
Yes, Cyndi, I think the ladies of days ago would have loved all the decorative fabrics we have now.
They were so creative with what they did have to work with, they would have worked wonders with metallics and some of our other fabrics.
Ah…the idea for a story, “The Magic Quilt,” when a quilter thought “outside the box” with some embellishments she had on hand.
nancy hersey
Mar 23, 2007 at 10:08 am
Help—I want to do quilts with a poly cotton blend of fabric not 100 percent cotton yes i do quilt and my Aunt makes them with polycotton where do i buy it from on line stores here have not selection all boring and blah. I live in London Ontario Canada
nancy
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