Fabric Selection

Choosing fabrics that coordinate can be an overwhelming task.  I have found the best place to start is with ONE fabric fabric that is a gem, one that incorporates the colors I want to mix.  Many times, this will be a border fabric as well as one of the fabrics within the quilt top.  With the 1st choice fabric and the yardage requirements in hand, I browse my stash and the quilt stores.  I pick more fabrics than I actually need and then eliminate some by checking for a mixture of business and quietness, as well as small and large patterns. 

When I shop, if I see a fabric that I think would be a good 1st choice but I don't know where I'm going to use it yet, I usually buy 3-4 yards, since I will typically use these as a border print as well as within the quilt.  If the fabric will probably be used as an accent, I buy 1 yard. 

Choosing fabric can be the most fun part of quilting!  It's harder to make mistakes than you might think! 

When washing a lot of fat quarters or eighths, I don't dry them completely in the dryer.  I like to leave them slightly damp and press them the rest of the way dry, guaranteeing no wrinkles.  It will also work on bigger pieces of fabric too.

Before washing your fabric sew across the raw edges close to the edge so the fabric won't fray

While shopping in a thrift store, I came across a beautiful floral print flat sheet.  The sheet was almost new, with no fading or wear.  I purchased it for .50, took it home, washed and pressed it.  I have made it into the most beautiful quilt top, using the alternate nine patch block.  I took colors from the floral boquets for the outside borders. 

Sheets make good quality quilt tops as they have a high thread count and don't wrinkle easily, combine well with other quality fabric and drape well on the bed.

To identify fabric content, burn a corner of a peice of scrap fabric and extinguish it in a bowl of water. Cotton will feather with a light ash as it`s burned: poly blend will feel like plastic when it is burned.

When you buy or come across a quantity of fabric, cut a small diagonal snip across all four corners before you wash it.  This will prevent ravelling and getting all the pieces tangled up together in the dryer (or at least cut down on it a lot!).  Also, you can now identify what fabric has been washed and what hasn't!

I recycle my egg cartons and muffin containers for squares cut to certain sizes. A 1 1/4 square fits nicely in the egg carton and other sizes are put into the muffin containers. Everything is nice and organized and marked on the outside.

I have found an excellent outlet for good quality backings for my quilts at a very  good price!

I go to Goodwill Industries and other Thrift stores and look in their bedding section for cotton sheets in the size I need for my quilt. I have bought twin, queen and king size sheets for - each and they are new (still in their packaging). Make sure the thread count is no less than 180. The higher the number the better the grade of fabric.

i have a shelf above my tv in my room. i pick out at least four fabrics and drape them down next to each other and look at them for a couple of days. while doing this i will pick out a couple more and add that to the pile. if i feel some are not working out i will place it on the side and try draping the fabric in a different order.

i do this until i have three to seven fabrics in combination and the i wash them and iron them and start cutting.

When buying quilting fabric, I usually buy 5 - 10 yards at a time.  I always prewash everything and don't like the fabric twisting up.  I have found that I can fold it loosly (accordian style) and tie it with left over fabric strips (selvege  strips works great).  The fabric is washed and dried without being in a twisted ball.  Smaller pieces can be washed in mesh bags.