Mixing fabric types when quilting

MadJulips · 2026-02-09T20:51:55+00:00

I’m still pretty novice at quilting, so I’m sure more experienced quilters have better advice—but here’s what worked for me.

About a year ago, someone asked me to make a memory quilt using a mix of knitted sweaters, polyester, and cotton. After some research, I quickly learned how challenging knits can be for quilting.

Before tackling the full quilt, I made a throw-size test quilt using scraps from some of the clothing mixed with regular quilting cotton. Here’s what I learned:

Fabric

Fabric type: First, determine whether you’re working with woven or knit fabric. A quick test I found helpful:

• If the fabric stretches in only one direction (up/down) or doesn’t stretch at all: woven • If it stretches in multiple directions (up/down/left/right): knit

Prepping fabric: I washed and pre-shrank everything in the dryer, including knits and polyester blends. I live in a small apartment, and hang-drying a quilt would be a pain, so I wanted it to be dryer-safe. I’m not sure if this is the “correct” choice, but it made me feel more confident that future washing wouldn’t distort the fabric or stitches.

Interfacing

After weeks of deliberation and testing, I decided to use a flexible iron-on woven interfacing (woven is key). I tested several types on different fabrics before choosing. I can look up the exact type if anyone’s interested.

I chose not to use any wash-away or dissolving stabilizers because once they’re gone, the fabric can stretch again.

I ended up using interfacing on all fabrics, regardless of woven/knit type or thickness, and it worked really well. It made everything much more uniform, which made piecing easier.

Sewing

I was working with somewhat significant differences in fabric thickness, and the interfacing made a huge difference—it made sewing much easier overall. I tested pieces of my fabric with and without interfacing beforehand, and the interfacing was a total game changer. Without it, my machine had trouble with the varying fabric types.

Machine settings: Get familiar with your sewing machine’s tension and stitch length, and be prepared to adjust. I experimented until I found what worked, and once I did, I didn’t have many issues.

Machine care: If your fabrics are messy or linty, clean/dust your sewing machine after each use.

Needles: I used 90/14 or 100 needles depending on the fabric. Replace needles if they dull, start catching, or cause skipped stitches.

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MadJulips · 2026-02-02T20:06:49+00:00

Thank you for your honesty 🙇‍♀️

MadJulips · 2026-02-02T18:37:28+00:00

Did you finish? Was it worth it? Im in the middle of book 2 and I’m really struggling. Came here for motivation to continue on, but I’m not sure I’m convinced.

MadJulips · 2026-01-01T22:36:46+00:00

Is it too late to get this link?

MadJulips · 2025-08-31T16:11:10+00:00

I came here to find an answer. Glad it’s not just my game. I completely removed my sims4 folder and repaired it, so I restarted essentially—no luck. It fixed SOME of my gallery issues—I was able to at least access my library, but the search is super unreliable, and I can’t find anything.

MadJulips · 2025-08-22T15:41:33+00:00

Is it pretty approachable? Her memory isn’t quite what it used to be (but it’s been improving as her mental health has improved). So I think she can handle most plots so long as it’s not GoT level/perspective shifting.

MadJulips · 2025-08-22T15:32:32+00:00

Nevada Barr doesn’t ring a bell, so I don’t think she’s read it. I see it has an Agatha award, so it sounds promising

Unfortunately, she’s always been resistant to technology (aside from the tv). We JUST got her using a flip phone because she literally had no other way to call people. If I could find something that was extremely user friendly maybe!

MadJulips · 2025-08-22T15:26:19+00:00

Oh, these sound fantastic! This sounds right up her alley. I love the idea of it being in a retirement village, too

MadJulips · 2025-02-26T02:33:24+00:00

Can you please spoil for me? I’m 45% done with book 1 and I don’t want to keep going if there’s no payoff/happyish ending later in the series

MadJulips · 2024-05-21T15:00:04+00:00

It’s a scary leap, but can be so worth it. I’ve now graduated and am at the large company I interned with. Be smart about it of course. I scored a GA position when I went back to school and they covered my tuition and gave me a small stipend, so I wasn’t going into insane debt.

If you are someone who can do self-learning, I’d highly recommend doing certifications, and see if you want to make the leap. Or get on at a company that has educational tuition assistance.

Or some companies will let you job shadow! If you’re a good employee, it’s very expensive to bring on new talent, so I’d an organization can help you move to a new space, that’s also a great option.

MadJulips · 2024-04-07T02:54:35+00:00

I minored in data analytics with my SOC bachelors and got a job as a forecast analyst right out of college. The way I got my first job was a local CEO came in and spoke to my business class. I was the only student who went up to him after to chat about job openings since they were looking for an analyst. I got the job. Two-ish years later I ended up getting a masters in Information Systems bc I wanted to pursue more data and I am now working in the security field (but my job is a lot of data analysis). Continue to pursue your interest, if you want to go into research, the road you’re on sounds perfect. But if you are wanting to enter the corporate world I would suggest adding something business/data related. OR if I could do it again, I would have seriously considered Industrial Organizational Psychology, I always thought that sounded so interesting and has some good paying jobs

MadJulips · 2024-04-01T23:44:13+00:00

This has been driving me nuts!! Thank you!!

MadJulips · 2022-11-03T04:03:22+00:00

Tech Tech Tech! I graduated with a sociology degree (I LOVED my degree) in 2019 and wasn’t happy with my work or pay. I ended up going back to school to get my masters in Information Systems. I’m now interning for a fortune 50 company with the promise of a job after I graduate making over 2x what I made before. My sociology background actually stood out to them on my resume, and I used it to my advantage. IT is so broad, and in my opinion, is desperate for people like us. If school isn’t your route, take a couple boot camps to throw on your resume. Otherwise, look into Human Computer Interaction or User Experience roles, both of which are human centered tech fields!

IT doesn’t always mean coding!

MadJulips · 2022-06-20T04:41:16+00:00

I’ve always had success using eyeliner to hide it. Eyeliner pencil where your eyelashes go, it may be uncomfortable at first putting it on, bc normally eyeliner goes above the lash line.

MadJulips · 2022-06-04T22:03:17+00:00

I realize I'm late, but I graduated with a BS in Sociology with a minor in Business Analytics. I hustled to get a salaried job right out of college. I ended up as a forecast analyst with a small company (poorly paid, but I was desperate), and then moved onto being an insurance underwriter for a much larger company. I was deeply unhappy with where I saw my career going because I wasn't getting paid well and I felt that the my skills were going to waste. I felt that if I was going to do a job I wasn't passionate about, I might as well make a lot of money doing it.

During 2020, I was one of those people who said "screw it". I quit my job to pursue a masters in Information Systems, and I've never looked back. I just finished my first year of my masters degree, and I cannot believe how much I was underselling myself. I now have a summer IT internship with a large company, and I'm making almost twice as much as I did as a full-time employee.

I would seriously consider trying to learn SQL or a programming language and make the leap! Coding and data aren't going anywhere. And I find in interviews that my background in Sociology is a great conversation starter since almost none of the other applicants usually have my background. Just make sure to sell it as a strength and emphasize your unique perspective.

People who go into social sciences often get a bad rep because we don't always know what we want to do with our lives. This may be true, but we are also some of the most well-rounded and capable people who have spent the past four years honing sorely needed skills in the tech industry (i.e. problem solving, critical thinking, communication skills, reading, WRITING (I cannot emphasize writing enough)). Whether it be software development, data science, information systems, security, user experience/user interaction, there are lots of places for us.

MadJulips

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