Fabric 101: Quilting cotton
Quilting cotton is a medium-weight, all-purpose fabric widely favored for patchwork and quilting projects. Its popularity stems from its balance of softness and sturdiness, which provides the durability needed for quilting without sacrificing comfort. Quilting cotton also comes in an incredibly wide range of patterns, prints, and colors.
Typically, this fabric is made of 100% cotton and features a plain weave, making it easy to cut and sew consistently. This is why quilting cotton is often recommended as an ideal fabric for beginner sewists to use for their first project.
| Fabric | Quilting cotton |
| Texture? | Soft, cotton-like texture |
| Stretch? | No stretch or give to the fabric |
| Weight? | Medium weight |
| Stiff or flowy drape? | Stiff, structured drape |
| Typical fiber content? | Cotton |
| Opaque or sheer? | Typically opaque, but some lighter colors may be slightly see-through |
| Shiny? | Matte material |
| Fraying? | Expect a standard amount of fraying, but not so much that it makes the material difficult to work with |
| Cool or warm weather? | Generally better for warm and moderate weather, but it can be layered for cold weather too. |
| What to make? | Used for quilting, pillowcases, napkins, and other homegoods. If you want to use it for garments, it’s best for more structured tops, such as button-up shirts or light jackets. |
| What needle to use? | A universal 80 or 90 needle |
What kind of fabric is quilting cotton?
Quilting cotton is a medium-weight, stiff fabric recognized for its durability and easy-to-handle nature, making it especially friendly for beginners in sewing. Its structure provides the strength needed to maintain shape, which is particularly useful when creating quilts that are meant to last.
Quilting cotton also comes in an extremely diverse array of colors and prints. No matter what your aesthetic is, you’ll be able to find quilting cotton fabric that fits your next project.
Given its properties, quilting cotton is an ideal choice for crafting quilts (obviously), as well as home décor, and various sewing projects where maintaining the shape is key. It’s not used for apparel as often, since its stiff structure isn’t ideal for most garments. However, it can still be used for some shirting, lightweight coating, and some light bottom weight projects.
What is quilting cotton fabric used for?
I know it goes without saying, but quilting cotton is a material that is primarily designed for quilting. However, it’s actually a pretty versatile fabric that can be used for a wide variety of projects.
The fabric’s stiffness makes it an excellent choice for home décor items, such as pillowcases, tablecloths, napkins, and so on, which require a certain structure to maintain their shape.These items benefit from the fabric’s crispness, offering a polished look with durable quality.
Similarly, you can use quilting cotton to make all different sorts of bags, including tote bags, drawstrings, purses, and more. Quilting cotton has the ability to hold form and bear weight without sagging surprisingly well.
When it comes to clothing, quilting cotton is suitable for creating more structured apparel. For example, crisp button-up shirts, lightweight jackets, and lightweight pants.
Remember, quilting cotton is not as drapable as other fabrics, so it will not look good if you want your garment to have a flowy or breezy look. Instead, use it if you desire a more tailored look.
Properties of quilting cotton fabric
Quilting cotton is one of those fabrics that I’ve found has pretty consistent properties no matter where you buy your fabric or what brand you get. If it’s called quilting cotton, you know you’ll get a crisp, and structured medium weight material that is kind of soft and versatile.
Whether you go to a store to purchase fabric in person, or buy it onlines, these are the qualities you can expect from quilting cotton:
- Texture: Quilting cotton is known for the softness characteristic of cotton fibers, providing a pleasant touch when handled.
- Weight: quilting cotton stands squarely in the middle ground and is pretty much the definition of medium weight fabric; it isn’t too heavy or light.
- Drape: The fabric possesses a structured drape, which means it holds its shape well but isn’t ideal for garments that require a lot of flow.
- Sheen: Quilting cotton is a completely matte fabric, reflecting minimal light and providing no glossiness to finished pieces.
- Fraying: While it is a woven fabric and subject to fraying, quilting cotton is quite stable; it won’t easily come apart during the sewing process.
- Wrinkling: Quilting cotton does wrinkle, however, these wrinkles can be easily ironed out to restore a smooth appearance.
- Ease of sewing: Cotton fabrics are generally the easiest to sew with, and quilting cotton is no exception, making it a friendly choice for beginners.
- Structure & Durability: The densely woven material boasts a sturdy texture that resists stretching and sagging.
How to care for quilting cotton fabric
Quilting cotton is known for being durable and easy to care for. To be honest, there aren’t really any special care instructions for this fabric. It will do fine with whatever your normal setting are when you do laundry.
If you’re using quilting cotton for creating clothing, preshrink the fabric by prewashing it before sewing. This step helps maintain the shape and fit of the finished garment after subsequent washes. Usually, quilting cotton doesn’t shrink in the wash, but since cotton is a natural fiber, there is technically a chance you will run into this problem.
