muslin as backing

Howdy!

Good muslin, good quality, good weave, is just as "durable" as any
other cotton fabric. And as any other cotton fabric, muslin has different
"grades" of griege goods when it's manufactured.
Buy the cheap, thin stuff & it will be just as cheap & thin when used. g
I've found that many of the wide muslins, 90"-120", generally sold as
"backing" fabric, are very good quality, as are several of the
"name" brands. Just gotta' know what to look for (not see-thru' g).
Some quilts just demand muslin, and I always listen to my quilts. ;-P

R/Sandy -- would never even think of hiding the quilting stitches 8-


On 8/13/07 6:05 PM, in article ,
"Anne Rogers" wrote:

teleflora wrote:
Only problem I have is that the "busier" the backing , the less the quilting
mistakes show.

but if it's a wall hanging you're not showing anyone that side!

Some have said they do use muslin for other quilt backings I wouldn't be
so confident myself that it would be durable enough, nor do I think I'd
like the way it looked, but that's just my preference. Given I bought
most of a bolt of muslin, I could see it happening though if I didn't
happen to have any backing fabric in stock and didn't want to wait until
I had chance to go to the shops.

Anne

In article , Sandy Ellison
wrote:

Howdy!

Good muslin, good quality, good weave, is just as "durable" as any
other cotton fabric. And as any other cotton fabric, muslin has different
"grades" of griege goods when it's manufactured.
Buy the cheap, thin stuff & it will be just as cheap & thin when used. g
I've found that many of the wide muslins, 90"-120", generally sold as
"backing" fabric, are very good quality, as are several of the
"name" brands. Just gotta' know what to look for (not see-thru' g).
Some quilts just demand muslin, and I always listen to my quilts. ;-P

R/Sandy -- would never even think of hiding the quilting stitches 8-

Same here!! I work so durn hard to get my stitches exact and even - so
I NEVER want them to fade into a print!

Though I do think that a neutral tone-on-tone often works nicely and
doesn't hide the stitching ... on an Amish quilt I did a while back,
just to make sure the stitches showed on the back (black Kona solid) I
used a medium neutral grey. Looked right nice - if I do say so myself!



On 8/13/07 6:05 PM, in article ,
"Anne Rogers" wrote:

teleflora wrote:
Only problem I have is that the "busier" the backing , the less the
quilting
mistakes show.

but if it's a wall hanging you're not showing anyone that side!

Some have said they do use muslin for other quilt backings I wouldn't be
so confident myself that it would be durable enough, nor do I think I'd
like the way it looked, but that's just my preference. Given I bought
most of a bolt of muslin, I could see it happening though if I didn't
happen to have any backing fabric in stock and didn't want to wait until
I had chance to go to the shops.

Anne


--
Happy quilting & quilty hugs!!
Connie

I've started a FREE eZine ... and I've posted *LOTS* of free applique patterns!
Check it out!
http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com/ ----- It's BACK!! AND they APOLOGIZED!
LOL!

Howdy!

I'm just as likely to put a print on the back as muslin,
just whatever seems to work. Currently (still) quilting
the MeSue quilt w/ its pieced backing (I wanted to baste it that day
& couldn't get out to a fabric shop to find "coordinating backing"
so I shopped the stash g). Sometimes I like to have a
Surprise! fabric on the back. But I never hide the stitches. g
"No brain: no worry."

R/Sandy --wishing Santa would bring a Slurpee machine *LOL*


On 8/14/07 10:28 AM, in article
, "Connie"
wrote:

In article , Sandy Ellison
wrote:

Howdy!

Good muslin, good quality, good weave, is just as "durable" as any
other cotton fabric. And as any other cotton fabric, muslin has different
"grades" of griege goods when it's manufactured.
Buy the cheap, thin stuff & it will be just as cheap & thin when used. g
I've found that many of the wide muslins, 90"-120", generally sold as
"backing" fabric, are very good quality, as are several of the
"name" brands. Just gotta' know what to look for (not see-thru' g).
Some quilts just demand muslin, and I always listen to my quilts. ;-P

R/Sandy -- would never even think of hiding the quilting stitches 8-

Same here!! I work so durn hard to get my stitches exact and even - so
I NEVER want them to fade into a print!

Though I do think that a neutral tone-on-tone often works nicely and
doesn't hide the stitching ... on an Amish quilt I did a while back,
just to make sure the stitches showed on the back (black Kona solid) I
used a medium neutral grey. Looked right nice - if I do say so myself!


*snipped*
Happy quilting & quilty hugs!!
Connie

I've started a FREE eZine ... and I've posted *LOTS* of free applique
patterns!
Check it out!
http://sewverycreative.blogspot.com/ ----- It's BACK!! AND they
APOLOGIZED!
LOL!

Yep, works just fine! I've used it for kiddy quilts and for bigger ones too

--
Sharon from Melbourne Australia (Queen of Down Under)
http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z37/shazrules/
"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
it's a bit of a dim question, but do you think muslin is ok as the backing
for a wall hanging? it's small, 25 inches square.

Cheers
Anne

Taria: A solid of a pretty color would show off the
stitches just as well, and can enhance the color scheme
of the whole quilt. Just choose a value to show off
those stitches. PAT

Taria wrote:
I like to see muslin on the back of a quilt that is hand quilted.
YOu really get to see the stitches and some can be used like
a wholecloth quilt that way. I don't like muslin on the back of a
quilt that is machine quilted. Maybe my MQ'ing just isn't fine
enough though.
TAria

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:05:52 -0700, Anne Rogers wrote:

Some have said they do use muslin for other quilt backings I wouldn't be
so confident myself that it would be durable enough, nor do I think I'd
like the way it looked, but that's just my preference. Given I bought
most of a bolt of muslin, I could see it happening though if I didn't
happen to have any backing fabric in stock and didn't want to wait until
I had chance to go to the shops.

Anne

The cheap thin loosely woven stuff won't last, but the thicker muslin
with a nice weight and tight weave will last as long as the fabrics in
the top. You just have to remember to wash it before you use it. The
best part is that it will match any quilt top you ever make.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:50:38 -0700, Anne Rogers
wrote:

Estelle Gallagher wrote:
If you mean what we call Calico then of course you can.I use it all the
time!


yup, apparently what is called muslin in the US is calico in the UK and
in the US the word calico implies printed cotton, hence "quilter's
calico" and why there are several quilt stores with calico in the name.
Now the question is, what does one mean by muslin in the UK ('m a Brit,
but live in the US), what people in the US call burp cloths, I would
call "a muslin", but the fabric isn't the same, plus, muslin squares are
something you'd use in cooking for straining things, I never used one,
but looking at pictures, it looks very much like US muslin, not baby
muslins - but I wouldn't expect a British cooking term to originate in
the US given how distinct the words used in cooking are.

Cheers
Anne

We use cheesecloth or muslin to strain, depending on how fine a weave
we need.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

On Aug 13, 12:55 pm, "ME-Judy" wrote:
Works great! BUT, be sure not to get the cheaper kind, 'cuz it shrinks a
BUNCH! (Our local TSWLTH has 36" wide (the shrinky kind!) and 45"-90"-120"
wide which work great.) I found this out when I used the cheapo stuff to
back my doggie placemats. It shrunk so much that the edges curled!
My 2 cents worth.

ME-Judy

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message

...



it's a bit of a dim question, but do you think muslin is ok as the backing
for a wall hanging? it's small, 25 inches square.

Cheers
Anne- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my opinion , it is a lot of work to put a quilt together and also
can be expensive depending on the style of it . Why would any of you
want to go cheap on the backing ? Dont you want it to look is good on
the back as well? And aside from that it will last longer.
Genny.

I have had muslin shrink with the first washing 1" per 12". The resulting
piece was wrinkled and ironing just didn't do the trick.

I would not use muslin for anything to do with quilting.

--
Boca Jan
Florida - Land of the Hurricanes
boca_jan1atyahoodotcom
http://community.webshots.com/user/BocaJan



"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
...
it's a bit of a dim question, but do you think muslin is ok as the backing
for a wall hanging? it's small, 25 inches square.

Cheers
Anne

Howdy!

Good muslin is as good as any other cotton fabric, and will last as long
on the back or the front of a quilt. If y'all are buying the cheap stuff,
you're getting what you pay for, and often you're not satisfied with it.
Muslin is a traditional quilting fabric, used for hundreds of years.
It blends well w/ most patterns, is friendly to other cottons, and makes a
great canvas for showing quilting stitches. Bleached muslin gives a
crisp, clean appearance to a finished quilt; Garden Path
http://tinyurl.com/keapa
is 15 yrs. old and looks just as good now as it did when it was finished:
http://tinyurl.com/ypwum8
I esp. like muslin used w/ 1920-1940s fabrics, including the modern day
reproductions; these older DWR just pop off the surface w/ a bleached muslin
background & plenty of good quilting:

It's not thin, cheap muslin; they used "the good stuff" when they made
those tops, which are 60-75 yrs. old.
Knowing the tools of the trade, including the fabrics, makes for an
easier time w/ quilting. There are hundreds of books in the quilting world,
many of them w/ very good info about fabric, quilts, basting, how to get
basting pins to pop up so they can be closed, how to save fingers when
pin basting (use the right tools), how to choose good fabric to make a
quality product, how to make a quilt that's worth the time & effort that
goes into it. Researching the craft can be such a pleasure, too. ;-)
RCTQ & other online quilt groups are a delightful way to learn
and share, & books let us hold a wealth of information in our hands.

Ragmop/Sandy --still discovering new wonders in quilting


On 8/21/07 7:45 AM, in article
, "
wrote:

On Aug 13, 12:55 pm, "ME-Judy" wrote:
Works great! BUT, be sure not to get the cheaper kind, 'cuz it shrinks a
BUNCH! (Our local TSWLTH has 36" wide (the shrinky kind!) and 45"-90"-120"
wide which work great.) I found this out when I used the cheapo stuff to
back my doggie placemats. It shrunk so much that the edges curled!
My 2 cents worth.

ME-Judy

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message

...



it's a bit of a dim question, but do you think muslin is ok as the backing
for a wall hanging? it's small, 25 inches square.

Cheers
Anne- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In my opinion , it is a lot of work to put a quilt together and also
can be expensive depending on the style of it . Why would any of you
want to go cheap on the backing ? Dont you want it to look is good on
the back as well? And aside from that it will last longer.
Genny.