why do people tend to make more quilts with cotton over a blend? just wondering is it preference or is there a reason?
Quilting My Rainbow
I am not sure this is true, but I have always heard that cotton wears better, and blends also tend to be stretchy.
Patti
Chiliwist Valley
Cottons are more user friendly, too. Blends don't behave as well. I've used blends, when that was the only thing I had access to,way back when.
gini in north idaho
Here's the explanation I was given in my first quilt class. Cotton has memory, Synthetics do not. Hence, cottons are easier to work with. Press free (synthetics are part of the blends) were a big feature behind synthetics. It is wonderful for the surface but can be a bear in making your seam allowances behave.
ls2116:why do people tend to make more quilts with cotton over a blend? just wondering is it preference or is there a reason?
I have asked this question to many different quilters in several states. I think it boils down to personal preference. Personally, I have always been told cotton keeps you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I believe this to be true as the quilt I made for our bed stays on year round and is never too warm or cool. When I first started quilting I used Hobbs 80/20. It worked well and my finished quilts looked nice. However, while visiting a friend I went to JoAnn's. They had a huge sale on queen size 100% cotton batting. After making my first quilt with all cotton batting, I won't buy anything else! My quilting seems to flow better and my stitches more even. I don't pre-wash my fabric so I always wash my quilts after they are completed. I love the look the all cotton batting gives my quilts! The batting shrinks with the fabric and its perfect.
I am sorry for being long winded, but I would like to add one more thing. I am in the process of making a quilt for someone. She purchased the batting for the quilt as she got it on clearance. Its polyester and I don't like it at all! Its much more difficult to quilt and it kills my wrists, (I have carpul tunnel). Lesson learned for me I will never use poly batting again!
In sum, my advice is to try different batting and see what suits you best! Happy quilting!
Mooresville, NC
From what I have read, a lot of quilters use wool over blend batting because it doesn't have a memory and they can pack it for shows and competitions without having it crease. Sometimes you want creasing (piecing etc) sometimes you don't (packing, shipping, storing)
could you please clarify if you are talking about batting or material. Some of us seem to think you are referring to material while others have given you an answer about batting.
thanks everyone for answering yep on this question I was asking about material in the fabric not the batting.
Cotton breathes....it's soft, drapes well, eco friendly, skin friendly, available in almost any color, washes and dries time after time and with age it develops a wonderful patina .