What is Quilting Cotton and Why do Sewers Love it?

Learn about quilting cotton and why it is a great fabric to sew. Learn about purchasing quilting cotton and what sewing projects to make.

This post was written in collaboration with The Sewing Studio, a UK-based sewing machine and quilting fabric specialist with over 20 years of experience.

One of my favorite things is looking at gorgeous fabric in a quilting store. Do you know where the best prints are to be inspired by? The quilting cotton section. There are so many pretty designs and fun looks that I get inspired every time.

So what is quilting cotton and why do sewers love it? Is there more to it than just gorgeous prints? Let’s learn all about quilting cotton and why it is such an amazing fabric!

What is Quilting Cotton fabric?

Quilting cotton is a fabric that is usually made from 100% cotton fibers, but it can also include cotton polyester blends. It is a plain weave which is the simplest way to weave fabric. A plain weave is when the threads of the fabric are woven over under, over under in a regular, consecutive weave. Quilting cotton is a medium weight fabric depending on the manufacturer.

Quilting cotton is a stable and durable fabric that holds its shape well, even after washing. While it naturally develops some wrinkles during laundering, these can be easily smoothed with ironing. In recent years, some manufacturers have introduced lighter-weight quilting cottons, making this versatile fabric suitable not only for quilts but also for clothing projects.

Quilting cotton is used to make quilts, bags, accessories, and lots of home decor items like cushions. It is made in almost any print and color imaginable. The fabric is printed after weaving, which can result in minor, natural variations in how the pattern aligns, adding to the fabric’s unique character.

Why do Sewers love quilting cotton?

Because Quilting cotton has very little stretch and it has a crisp hand, it is a stable fabric. It stays put when you cut it and sew it. It’s predictable to sew and iron which is great for beginner sewists, or anyone trying to create intricate details or designs like Foundation Paper Piecing or English Paper Piecing.

Easy to Sew

Quilting cotton isn’t slippery like other fabrics. It stays in position since it’s a structured, stable fabric. These qualities make it the best choice for beginners. It does what you want it to so you can learn to sew straight lines and control seam allowances. It also presses nicely.

Quilting cotton is a great fabric to use with any sewing machine, but if you’re just starting out, finding a machine suited to quilting and fabric layers makes all the difference – browse The Sewing Studio’s range of sewing machines to find one that suits your projects.

Predictable

Quilting cotton if for everyone who loves to sew! Because it is stable and predictable, it’s great for experienced sewists that want to sew intricate details or unique curves or angles. You can create beautiful and artistic sewing projects that are more challenging and fun for anyone who has been sewing a long time.

Durable

Quilting cotton can be washed for years, and still be strong and stable. Cotton is stronger when wet so when you combine that with a medium weight plain weave fabric you create a durable fabric. Quilts that are properly cared for can last for decades since they have multiple layers, enclosed seams, and quilting lines.

Easy to Find

Quilting cotton is the most common fabric to purchase so it is in virtually every fabric store. There are lots of quilting cotton companies that create thousands of designs and prints. Quilting cotton comes in every print and color imaginable.

It is so fun to mix and match prints for quilts or sewing projects. It’s so fun to pick out novelty prints for friends and childrens, or to find prints and colors that match your home decor.

How to buy Quilting Cotton?

You can buy quilting cotton in several different ways.

• By the yard or meter so that you can get one large continuous cut of fabric: this is great for apparel, large sewing projects, or the backing of a quilt.
• Fat quarters so you can get a quarter of fabric in a large rectangle shape: this is great for small sewing projects, or choosing your own quilt colors.
• Pre-cuts like charm packs or jelly rolls: this is quilting cotton fabric cut into strips or squares that make it quick and easy to start a quilt project. It’s usually the whole collection of fabric prints from one designer so all the fabric pieces coordinate and look good together.

Some popular brands that quilters love are Moda and Ruby Star Society. They make really gorgeous prints and colors!

What Should I Sew With Quilting Cotton?

• Quilting cotton sewing projects
• Fat quarter sewing projects
• Home sewing projects
• Quilting cotton clothing patterns

Can You Use Quilting Cotton for Clothing?

You can sew clothing out of any fabric, it just depends on the result you want. You also need to pay attention to the width of the fabric. Quilting cotton is usually 42 inches wide, and apparel fabric is usually 52-60 inches wide. Most patterns give guidance in how much fabric to purchase based on the width of the fabric.

The most important thing about working with quilting cotton for clothing is to add interfacing to edges you don’t want to stretch out or wrinkle like necklines, hems, plackets, etc. You will have to iron your quilting cotton clothing every time you wash it, but the interfacing helps a lot.

Quilting cotton is a great fabric for hot climates because it is breathable, but it is a casual fabric and won’t work well for dressier clothing. It should be used for garments that need structure or body to have the right look.

Be thoughtful about choosing a print. Prints are gorgeous and wonderful, but they don’t look the same on a body as they do on a bolt or a quilt. Larger scale prints are more often found on apparel and small scale prints are found on quilts. This is not a set rule, but it helps you think when you are planning your garment.

As long as a pattern recommends a medium weight woven fabric you can replace it with quilting cotton. There are both PDF patterns and paper patterns with medium weight recommendations, so you can find what you’re looking for.

Quilted Jackets

Quilted jackets have become very popular in the last couple of years, and this is the perfect way to use quilting cotton for clothing. You can cut up a quilt with a jacket pattern, sew it together, and finish the edges; or you can piece and quilt your own fabric and then cut and sew it into a jacket with a sewing pattern.

I have made two quilted vests and one quilted jacket with leftover pieces of quilting cotton in my stash. I loved using up loved fabric scraps and wearing warm quilted clothing.

Should I prewash my cotton fabric?

If you are using the quilting cotton to make clothing you should definitely prewash and dry the fabric. Treat the fabric the same way the finished clothing will be treated to shrink it before cutting and sewing.

If you are using the quilting cotton to make a quilt you should not prewash and dry the fabric. You want to wash the quilt once it’s finished to get the fabric to shrink up like a perfectly puckered and softened quilt. If you are using dark, red, or heavily dyed fabrics, then you should prewash to remove dye and prevent bleeding.

If you make something using this sewing project, I’d love to see! Please share it on social media with the hashtag #heatherhandmade and tag me!