| There is so much variety available in fabric | | | | purchasing fabric. It is far better to have |
| shops, on-line, and in mail-order catalogs | | | | left over fabric than be working on a project |
| that it's almost difficult to choose. Often, | | | | and run out of material. I've run out before |
| I end up buying fabric whether I need it | | | | only to find that the fabric is no longer in |
| right now or not. After all, a quilter must | | | | stock.Colorfast Quality:Avoid fabrics that |
| always have fabric on hand.The "magic" comes | | | | fade. Pigment-dyed fabric resists light 40 |
| when you find a fabric that you fall in love | | | | hours. Wet-printed resists light 20 hours. |
| with. Finding a suitable fabric usually isn't | | | | The best thing to avoid having your quilt |
| difficult for a project you're working on. | | | | fade is to keep it out of direct |
| Settling on just one fabric is the hard | | | | sunlight.Fiber Content:The fiber content is |
| part.Here are some criteria to keep in mind | | | | especially important when purchasing fabric |
| when making fabric selections: colorfast | | | | for quilts. The way fabric responds to |
| quality; fiber content; surface design. If | | | | manipulation is determined by the fiber |
| you stick to some guidelines about these | | | | content. The standard 100% cotton fabric sold |
| criteria, then you're sure to be pleased with | | | | for quilting is easy to work with and this is |
| the final result of your project.Surface | | | | the best choice.Cotton blends are harder to |
| Design:The printed or woven surface design | | | | work with; they tend to shift while cutting |
| and, of course, the color, is very | | | | or sewing them. 100% cotton is strong when |
| important.1) Try to pick fabrics with the | | | | wet, absorbs moisture, creases easily, irons |
| same color value so one doesn't stand out in | | | | nicely at high temperatures and wears |
| the finished quilt.2)Check to see if there is | | | | well.Beware of Discount Fabric:For a good |
| a one-way direction in the design; you may | | | | finished product, quilters need to purchase |
| need to purchase extra fabric to allow for | | | | good-quality, colorfast cotton fabric from a |
| cutting fabrics with plaids or stripes.3) The | | | | reputable supplier. I've bought fabric from |
| size of the design and the background spaces | | | | discount stores because I liked the print. |
| are also important considerations. Are the | | | | Then I had trouble manipulating the material; |
| designs large, medium, or small? Is the | | | | it would shift and bunch as I sewed it.The |
| background area prominent? How will this | | | | finished product usually reflected the |
| particular fabric look when cut it into small | | | | problems I encountered while sewing. No |
| quilt pieces? If the design is too widely | | | | matter how much money I saved on material, my |
| spaced, it may be lost in the cutting of the | | | | time was wasted by producing a less than |
| fabric.Take a few minutes to analyze fabric | | | | satisfactory quilt. |
| and keep these questions in mind when | | | | |