As I start to cut into these shirts I've been asked to make memorial quilts out of, I see that they are of very fine quality workmanship and fabrics. Some are cotton, others linen, and some are a cotton-poly fabric. Many are heavy fabrics made of heavyweight thread and high thread counts.
The client and I chose the colors together while the shirts were wrapped in plastic from the laundry, so we didn't make any judgments about fabric weight, but now I have to. (The client will be amenable to any decisions I make about the "mechanics" of quiltmaking, so I'm not worried about her reaction, as long as I keep her informed.) I don't even know what to call some of these fabric weaves. Some of them are nearly as heavy as denim, and I particularly like these prints and colors, plus I have to use at least some of the medium- to heavy-weight shirt fabrics in order to include her husband's company logo on the quilt front as she requested. (I think that this will look really special). I think I'm going to have to reject any lightweight summer shirts, and try to stick to medium to heavy weights.
I'm feeling anxious about how close in weight the four or five shirt fabrics need to be, to be worked into six strips of Wild Goose Chase. Then, I'm anxious about what weight I need to use for background triangles and sashing.
Am I correct in thinking (as I've read repeatedly) that if I use to much variation in fabric weight, then the fabrics in the quilt top will tend to pull at each other, distort, and/or wear unevenly with use?
Also, for any of you who do long-arm quilting, I assume I can't leave buttons on? Can a long-arm machine sew through the multiple layers of fabric and foundation that would be involved in button plaquettes, pockets, cuffs, collars, etc.?
The client insists that a few shirt buttons should be included on the quilt top, and is amenable to paying me to take them off for the long-arm, then sewing them back on after quilting. She is also very enthusiastic about using shirt details (button plaquettes, etc.) as highlights here and there on the quilt top (and I think that would be lovely, especially for children growing into adulthood with these memorial quilts).
The answers to these questions, and how the client feels about these answers, will determine whether I can learn how to machine quilt on my SM better than I already do, versus using a long-arm quilter. (I will of course be asking my local long-arm quilter the questions I'm asking above when she's in her shop tomorrow, but I always get a lot of insight from asking such questions at rctq.)
Whew!
tia, ep