Help with making quilt out of baby clothes?

Question

I want to make a quilt out of my daughter's outgrown baby clothes. Everything I've read recommends using interfacing. I haven't been able to find any interfacing online that is sold in small amounts or that isn't double sided. Can anyone recommend a brand or site to purchase? Is Pellon Fusible Interfacing ok to use?

Answer 1

Maybe I just don't understand exactly how you plan to make the quilt, but if you're using woven cotton fabrics in a patchwork quilt, there's no need to use interfacing. Just try to cut the fabric so the outer edges are with the grain, and you should be fine. You'll only have trouble if the edges of the pieces are cut on the bias (diagonal), because that can stretch. You could also foundation piece the quilt, in which case the bias edges wouldn't matter so much.

If you're using knit fabric (like t-shirts), sure, use interfacing. If you find that you do need interfacing, do you have access to a fabric store like Jo-Ann Fabrics or Hancock Fabrics? Or do you have a Wal-Mart with a fabric section? You should be able to buy interfacing there, and they can help you with the selection. If you don't have access to any of these stores, Jo-Ann Fabrics does have a web store.

Answer 2

The main reason that an interfacing is suggested is because some of the old clothing may have gotten worn and thin, or not have been very tightly woven in the first place ---or have been a stretchy fabric which might be best stabilized first.

Instead of backing everything, you could always just back/stabilize the fabric patches that are questionable, then use the sturdier well-preserved fabrics without any backing when piecing. Also, backing questionable fabrics would be much more important if a kid would be using the quilt much... if it's just decorative or handled mostly by you, backing wouldn't be nearly as important.


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 3

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to to use the pellon fusible, but if you don't have much you will probably want to either get more or just buy a different kind because you will want to use all of the same kind of interfacing throught the entire quilt.
Otherwise, if you go to this site you can buy interfacing in packages which is in the small amounts that you need rahter than by the bolt.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat3136&PRODID=prd50232

Answer 4

I recently made my daughter a quilt from her old baby clothes. I cut 4.5" squares out of the clothes. I also cut 4.5" squares out of denim from her dad's and my blue jeans. I alternated the squares like a checker board. It turned out beautiful. The denim made it a very heavy quilt which we like to snuggle under. Most of the squares was out of cotton knit material that liked to stretch...that was a challenge even with a stabilizer, but that was all the problems I had. I machine quilted it on diagonal lines. Good luck!

Answer 5

Pellon fusible interfacing is fine. Fusible interfacing will owrk better for this project than non-fusible. You can buy it at fabric stores such as Hancock's or Joann's or from their web sites:

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/search/searchresultsmain.jsp?fresh=1&searchType=advanced&iMainCat=0&iSubCat=0&attribute14=0&attribute15=0&attribute16=0&RS=1&keyword=fusible+interfacing
http://www.joann.com/joann/search/search_results.jsp;jsessionid=WTH0VNSM3FA5SP4SY5NFAFR50LD3KUPU?CATID=cat1002&keywords=fusible+interfacing&_requestid=809121

Answer 6

Pellon is great. You'll need at least ten yards. I have made many quilts from baby clothes.

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