Special Fabrics

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With the holidays approaching, many quilters are looking at projects for gift giving. Most of these are planned with extra care, some with finer fabrics than 100% cotton we usually use in couch throws, vests, totes, etc.

A questioner on an email quilting list recently asked if it would be possible to make a couch throw in velvet. The writer said it would be her first attemp at making a quilt. She asked, "Is velvet difficult to work with?"

How would you have answered?

That question on quiltmaking with velvet brought to mind my talented granddaughter's dilema. She is an excellent seamstress, makes most of her jackets, blouses, pants with NO PATTERN! She lays out the fabric and starts cutting! When I last visited her family in Maryland, she wanted to make a black and white satin bedspread, her first attempt at piecing. She used the flying geese block and it went together beautifully. She made a black satin back and then turned to me, "Grandma, how can this be quilted?"

To give Grandma her due, I had timidly suggested several times during the piecing process that this was going to be VERY difficult to get quilted.

How COULD it be quilted? The layers could not be basted, as the needle and thread would make permanent holes in the satin. The layers could not be pinned as, again, the pins would make permanent holes in the satin. My suggestion was to stretch out the layers on the floor, tape the edges to the tile, and tie the corners of all the geese blocks with white perle cotton.

Dear grandaughter did not take to that suggestion, and attempted to hold layers together manually while starting to machine quilt. Of course that did not work at all, so everything is at a standstill while she looks for a solution.

What would you have suggested?

If you have your heart set on these luxurious fabrics, keep these characteristics in mind:

Velvet - has nap, is heavy, retains fold creases, needs to be hung up by the selvage, and marks easily. Pins, basting, pressing will leave permanent marks. Even the pressure foot will leave a mark.

Satin - pins and basting will leave marks, can be pressed with a cool iron. Very slippery to work with.