Working With Different Fabric Types

I have almost finished my Ikebana/Sashiko quilt, and had some difficulties toward the end that were my own fault, but which reminded me that over the years I have learned a great deal about fabric properties and how to work with them to get results I want. Sometimes, I don’t succeed, but almost always it is because I skipped a step or substituted another technique to try it out.

In this case, I failed to back the border with the same fusible interfacing I backed the blocks with in the central section.  I thought I could get away with this because I was using a temporary spray adhesive attaching it to the batting.  It didn’t work.  The border stretched, the stitching looked horrible, and it wasn’t the machine’s fault.  I ended up cutting the border down to only 3/8″ wide plus the part to be covered by the binding.  Even the binding became very challenging at that point to get it on straight and true.  But I have succeeded, I think, although I still have to stitch down the back of the binding by hand.  If I had fused the interfacing to the border fabric, it might have had a very different outcome.  In the end, however, I think I like the narrow edge of green fabric better than the wider border would have been, even if I had succeeded in what I was trying to do.

This made me think to share this little chart I worked out for my own use that I think you may find interesting.  I leave it to you to determine brands and content of the stabilizers and interfacing.

Fabric chart

What do you think about this?  I’d love to hear from you.

Sew happy everyone.

5 thoughts on “Working With Different Fabric Types

  1. Luann says:

    Thanks for sharing your opinions on stabilizers.
    I think we all could use a bit more documenting of what works as well as what hasn’t and the possible ‘whys’. It seems that we are so busy getting things done that we don’t take the time for reflecting on our process. It would do us all a heap of good, to slow down long enough to think about what has happened, good or ugly!!
    Thanks again for sharing,
    Luann
    http://www.letscreatetoday.blogspot.com

  2. Terry says:

    Your documentation is always great. It reminds me that I need to do the same. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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