Shawna's Linen Rosecity Quilt

@thequilticorn, quilted by @eleventhhouse_quiltstudio
Pattern: Rosecity Quilt by Then Came June 
Size made : Bed size
Materials used :
Roma Washed Linen : Tomato, Sunflower
Raw Silk Noil : Oyster Shell, Caramel
Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun : Orangeade, Paris Blue
Essex Yarn Dyed Metallic : Jet, Opal


I loved this pattern design as soon as I saw it on the shelf. I was intrigued by the colors used and shapes they created. Upon opening the pattern, I found that the complex looking design is made with simple shapes and easy quilting techniques.

This is the first Then Came June pattern I’ve made, and Meghan did an amazing job writing it. The instructions are easy to follow. There are plenty of clear and informative diagrams to follow, and there is a very handy labeling system to help keep all the pieces, and colors, organized.

I wanted to replicate similar colors to the pattern cover, and they immediately brought to mind some of my favorite linen and silk colors carried at Fancy Tiger. If you’ve ever wondered whether you can use linen, silk or other garment-type fabrics in a quilt, the answer is YES!

I don’t have a lot of rules about what fabrics can or can’t be used in a quilt. Some fabrics present different challenges than a quilting cotton, so the key to using them is having a few tricks up your sleeve and a sense of adventure. 

 

In this quilt, I used Essex Yarn Dyed Homespun and Metallic, Raw Silk Noil and Roma Washed Linen. None of these are traditional quilting cotton, and the quilt turned out awesome. I list below some of my tips for working with these fabrics in a quilt.

Essex is a great fabric to use in a quilt. It is sturdy and holds its shape well, making it very easy to work with. Essex would make a great picnic quilt or concert-in-the-park quilt. It comes in many forms from solids, yarn dyes, homespuns and metallics. All great for quilts!

Silk noil is beautiful in a quilt. It has a luxurious look and texture and is machine washable. The silk is a sturdy fabric but it can stretch more than quilting cotton in the handling of it. My tip for piecing silk into your quilt top is plenty of pins! 

Pin the pieces together at each end, then the middle. Add another pin halfway between the middle pin and the pin on the end on each side. Keep dividing each open space with a pin. The goal is to distribute any fullness evenly along the side to be sewn. When sewing, place the silk on the bottom, if possible, and the feed dogs on the sewing machine will help move the silk along. (This lots-of-pins trick also works with velvet. The more pins, the better!)

Linen is my favorite fabric for quilts, and it can be the trickiest to work with. The best time to use linen is in an improv quilt, when the pieces don’t have to be exact! The linen can just be it’s naturally shifty self. 

If a pattern calls for more precision, like the Rosecity Quilt here, then starch is your best friend. Spray starch can be found in the laundry aisle at the grocery store and it makes working with shifty fabrics simple. I apply starch to linen as I’m ironing it, preparing it for cutting. Applying the starch before cutting the pieces ensures the pieces will be exact and will hold their shape through the piecing process. When the quilt is finished and washed, the starch will wash out and what is left is a soft and beautiful linen quilt!

I highly recommend checking out this pattern and I encourage you to take a look through the garment fabrics when gathering supplies for your next quilting project!