When you think of qulting fabrics, organza doesn’t really come to mind. That is, unless you’re Carol Taylor. She used organza to turn two quilts into one and the result was “Abundance”.

First, she pieced squares and rectangles together to create the background of the quilt. She then layered the organza on top and appliqued it to the quilt top. The result is tranparent garden.

What other non-traditional quilting fabrics have you used to create some thing truely original?

A novelty print, or conversation print, are fabrics printed with a theme motif that could represent the holidays, sports, hobbies, nursery rhymes, etc.

This weekend I participated in a design challenge at Kent State. Friday night we were given the details to the challenge and we had that night to brainstorm ideas. We were all given quilting fabric, which made things pretty interesting. I ended up with a pink floral print, and the trim I was given was a chiffon ruffle with satin ribbon attached. About 30 students arrived at 8 on Saturday morning to begin working. We all drafted or draped out patterns and were to present them Sunday afternoon on a mannequins. It was a very exhausting weekend! We had a total of 18 hours to create the garment, and were advised to use as much of the fabric as we could. I made a “V” neck dress with a lace up back. It had pleats in the front and back. The bodice was lined and I took the ruffle trim apart so I was left with 3″ strips and used that for the bodice. The skirt had french seams, a rolled hem on the serger, and a zipper. I didn’t win but I learned a lot. I love the challenge of having a set amount of time, and certain fabric to create something. All of the winners had really awesome garments.

Fabric with a pattern can be perfect for showcasing a particular print. To make it stand-out you could “fussy-cut” certain pieces of the fabric. When doing this, you are isolating and cutting out a specific motif or print. For example, you may want a specific flower in a floral print to be the center of a canvas bag.

An 1/8 yard piece of 44/45″ fabric cut in a non-traditional configuration. Traditionally an 1/8 yard would measure 4-1/2″ x 44″. However, a “fat” eighth measures 9″ x 22″.