How to Choose and Prepare Your Fabric
Two quilters can choose the same quilt pattern and the different choices of fabric will make each quilt unique. Choosing your fabric can be as much fun as doing the project.
Most quilters use 100% cotton fabric because it is easier to sew, mark, press and hand quilt. Most quilt shops only carry pure cotton fabric. Instead of being arranged by fabric types, the quilt shops arrange their cotton fabric according to color and print.
As you gain more experience quilting, you can add other types of fabric besides cotton for variety. If you are using a fabric type for the first time, you should complete a small test block before starting on your quilt. Fabrics that have a medium density and an even weave work well. Loosely woven fabrics are prone to distortion, as are stretch fabrics.
The overall effect of the pattern you have chosen will be influenced by both the color and tone of the fabric. The Tone of the color is used to create depth and interest. Good planning is necessary to achieve the desired look.
Using contrasting colors will allow parts of the quilt block to stand out from each other. By combining warm colors, such as red, yellow and orange, in the same quilt block as cool colors, such as blue, green, or violet, will make the colors look more vivid.
You can add visual texture to your quilt by combining fabrics with various print scales and styles. You can also achieve interesting visual effects by using colors of graduated values. Printed cotton fabrics are available in many different designs and styles including homespun plaids and florals, batiks, reproduction prints and soft flannels. Solid color fabrics come in just about every color, shade and tint that you can imagine.
Using fabrics of the same or various shades of one color but of contrasting textures to make your quilt block can create pleasing results. Fabrics with a nap, such as velvet, or with a sheen, such as taffeta, can also provide interest.
Whichever type of fabric you choose for your quilt must be prepared properly before you begin your project. Most cotton fabrics will shrink when they are washed and dried. For this reason, it is important to preshrink your fabric before making your quilt to keep the fabric from puckering at the stitching lines.
To preshrink your fabrics, wash them first in the washing machine on a short gentle cycle using cool or warm but never hot water. You can use a mild detergent, but it is not necessary unless the fabric is dirty. Make sure you wash like colors together in case the fabric is not colorfast.
Once you have washed the fabric, machine dry and press with an iron. If you will remove the fabric promptly, it will be less wrinkled and will require less ironing.
Even if I buy fabric that I am not ready to use right away, I always wash, dry and iron my fabric as soon as I bring it home. This way it is ready to use when I am in the mood or have the time to start a project.
