Article Sphere Logo

Three Keys To Fabric Selection

By Expert Author: Janet Montie | Article Abstract
Word Count: 515 words | Views: 102 view(s)
There is so much variety available in fabric shops, on-line, and in mail-order catalogs that it's almost difficult to choose. Often, I end up buying fabric whether I need it right now or not. After all, a quilter must always have fabric on hand.

The "magic" comes when you find a fabric that you fall in love with. Finding a suitable fabric usually isn't difficult for a project you're working on. Settling on just one fabric is the hard part.

Here are some criteria to keep in mind when making fabric selections: colorfast quality; fiber content; surface design. If you stick to some guidelines about these criteria, then you're sure to be pleased with the final result of your project.

Surface Design:

The printed or woven surface design and, of course, the color, is very important.

1) Try to pick fabrics with the same color value so one doesn't stand out in the finished quilt.

2)Check to see if there is a one-way direction in the design; you may need to purchase extra fabric to allow for cutting fabrics with plaids or stripes.

3) The size of the design and the background spaces are also important considerations. Are the designs large, medium, or small? Is the background area prominent? How will this particular fabric look when cut it into small quilt pieces? If the design is too widely spaced, it may be lost in the cutting of the fabric.

Take a few minutes to analyze fabric and keep these questions in mind when purchasing fabric. It is far better to have left over fabric than be working on a project and run out of material. I've run out before only to find that the fabric is no longer in stock.

Colorfast Quality:

Avoid fabrics that fade. Pigment-dyed fabric resists light 40 hours. Wet-printed resists light 20 hours. The best thing to avoid having your quilt fade is to keep it out of direct sunlight.

Fiber Content:

The fiber content is especially important when purchasing fabric for quilts. The way fabric responds to manipulation is determined by the fiber content. The standard 100% cotton fabric sold for quilting is easy to work with and this is the best choice.

Cotton blends are harder to work with; they tend to shift while cutting or sewing them. 100% cotton is strong when wet, absorbs moisture, creases easily, irons nicely at high temperatures and wears well.

Beware of Discount Fabric:

For a good finished product, quilters need to purchase good-quality, colorfast cotton fabric from a reputable supplier. I've bought fabric from discount stores because I liked the print. Then I had trouble manipulating the material; it would shift and bunch as I sewed it.

The finished product usually reflected the problems I encountered while sewing. No matter how much money I saved on material, my time was wasted by producing a less than satisfactory quilt.

In order to be happy with your finished product, I recommend that you buy what appeals to you' as long as it is good-quality, colorfast cotton fabric that is treated with finishes to control shrinkage, resist soil, and resist wrinkling.
Janet Montie

About the Author/Author Bio

Janet Montie shares helpful tips and discoveries from a lifelong study of topics related to fabric and quilting. Visit First Class Fabric and The Quilt Box, your premier resources on-line for information on fabric or quilts.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Three-Keys-To-Fabric-Selection/20746

Article Submitted: 2006-04-13 | This Article has been viewed 102 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

Rolling Star Quilt Block Pattern - Fabric Postcard
Spool Quilt Block
Lincoln's Hat Quilt Block
How to Make Fabric Covered Buttons
How to Make Fabric Flowers
 

More "Clothing Accessories" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Clothing Accessories" article category.

People interested in the above article "Three Keys To Fabric Selection" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
Women's designer clothing is an important find in one's closet. Usually, when you open the closet of every stylish lady, you get to see one or two or even more of the lovely designer evening dresses. So why do women go crazy over these items? Why do ladies purchase designer evening dresses despite the high costs of it? Well, the answer is more than just looking fabulous on a special night.
Those shoes that you just can't live without, that you use for working out, doing yard work, walking, running or just hanging out - the sneaker - has a fascinating history. The sneaker has been around since the 1800s when the Industrial Revolution took hold on America and rubber began being produced. Sneakers were once called plimsolls when they were first made in the 1800s as a plain rubber soled shoe.
Traveling can be an exhilarating experience especially if you have the proper luggage to carry around. Most travelers prefer the maxim less is more when it comes to luggage. However, there are people who cannot travel without bringing an entire wardrobe.
These days, there are several websites that are dedicated towards celebrity dresses. Usually, there are many people who are obsessed with celebrity clothes. These types of people use the dress just once and keep them hanging in their wardrobe, never to be used any further.
Did you know that you could save over 3,000 dollars by wearing a second hand wedding dress? It's true, and not only that, but you can still look just as beautiful, if not even more so, than if you had paid that 3000 dollars for the dress! To find out how this is possible, read these super secret tips.
Everyone wants to have brand name designer clothing. Clothing that looks great and that they can feel proud to wear. However, if you have ever looked at the tags on designer clothes surely you have stared in shock, and most of us are simply not able to afford these hefty prices.
In this pomp and show era there are many businesses that propose wholesale clothing. But to get the perfect wholesale clothing supplier is not always possible for common people who gives you wholesale clothing at a first-class price. You have to do suitable home work to locate best deal in wholesale apparel purchasing like wholesale jeans, wholesale name brand t-shirts, wholesale polo shirts, wholesale women's tops, wholesale 2 piece suits, wholesale designer wallets and handbags, and wholesale urban clothing.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Shopping Clothing Accessories
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish