Fabric basics made easy 🧵🧶
Fabric basics made easy 🧵🧶: Top 5 tips for new quilters (Lindas.com edition):
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Choose the right substrate
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Quilting cotton (43–45") is the bread-and-butter for piecing—stable, presses crisply, and plays nicely with most threads. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Widebacks (108–120") make backings seamless and speedy—no piecing required. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Minky/Cuddle backings add ultra-soft drape and kid-approved coziness; look for extra-wide options (80–90") to simplify backings. Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Mind print scale & direction
Tiny blenders hide seams and show intricate piecing; bold, large-scale prints shine in borders, backing, and larger blocks. If your print is directional (stripes, text, critters), plan cutting so motifs face “up.” -
Color + value = instant sparkle
Build stacks with lights / mediums / darks so blocks read clearly from 6–8 feet away. Use one consistent background (low-volume, solid, or tonal) to calm a busy palette. -
Yardage math made simple
For piecing, add ⅛–¼ yd insurance for fussy cuts or directional matching. For backing, measure your top, add 8" in both directions, then choose a wideback or plan a center seam. (Linda’s stocks a huge wideback wall 90"–120".) Linda's Electric Quilters -
Prewash? It depends
Many quilters skip prewash to keep that factory “sizing” for crisp cutting. If you sew with high-contrast reds/navies or for garments, prewash and press—use color catchers on your first launder just in case.
Bonus: Keep selvages! They’re perfect for labels, scrappy strings, and documenting your fabric’s designer/collection for your quilt journal.
Fabric brands you’ll find at Lindas.com
(A curated roll-call of the brands currently live on site—click around the Fabric & Wideback collections to see what’s in stock today.)
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Moda Fabrics & Supplies (e.g., Bella Solids, Modern Backgrounds). Linda's Electric Quilters
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Robert Kaufman Fabrics (Kona Cottons, Color Union).
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FreeSpirit Fabrics (Kaffe Fassett Collective widebacks & prints). Linda's Electric Quilters
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Northcott (including Banyan Batiks/Anna Maria collections). Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Windham Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Wilmington Prints. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Michael Miller Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Benartex (plus Kanvas). Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Henry Glass & Co. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Maywood Studio. Linda's Electric Quilters
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P&B Textiles. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Paintbrush Studio Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Studio E Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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QT Fabrics (Quilting Treasures). Linda's Electric Quilters
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Andover Fabrics (Alison Glass Sun Print, etc.). Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Timeless Treasures (including Tonga batiks). Linda's Electric Quilters
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Hoffman Fabrics (1895 watercolors & 108" widebacks). Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Dear Stella. Linda's Electric Quilters
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In The Beginning Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Island Batik. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Marcus Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Oasis Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
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Shannon Fabrics (Cuddle®/Luxe Cuddle® minky). Linda's Electric Quilters
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Anthology Fabrics. Linda's Electric Quilters
Linda’s Fabric collections page also surfaces an at-a-glance list of brands such as Hoffman California Fabrics, In The Beginning, Island Batik, Kanvas, Lilac Bee Designs, Marcus, Maywood, Michael Miller, Moda, Northcott, Oasis—handy when you want to browse by vendor. Linda's Electric Quilters
Quick picks by project
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Crisp piecing: high-quality quilting cotton blenders/solids (Moda, Robert Kaufman, Paintbrush Studio). Linda's Electric Quilters+1
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Seamless backings: 108"–120" widebacks (Hoffman, FreeSpirit, Wilmington, Windham). Linda's Electric Quilters+4Linda's Electric Quilters+4Linda's Electric Quilters+4
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Texture lovers: batiks (Island Batik, Timeless Treasures, Hoffman 1895). Linda's Electric Quilters+2Linda's Electric Quilters+2
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Snuggle factor: Shannon Luxe Cuddle® 80"+/90" wide for plush backings. Linda's Electric Quilters+1
SEO helper: long-tail phrases to paste at the bottom
quilt fabric by the yard 43–45" at lindas.com • 108" cotton wideback fabric online • extra-wide minky backing 80"–90" Shannon Cuddle • Kaffe Fassett wideback FreeSpirit at Linda’s • affordable quilting cotton solids and blenders • batik quilt fabric yardage and precuts • Moda Bella Solids and modern low-volume prints • Robert Kaufman Kona cotton yardage online • Northcott and Marcus reproduction prints for traditional quilts • buy Dear Stella and Andover designer quilting fabrics • Windham, Wilmington & Studio E wideback selection • fat quarter bundles & 10" squares for beginners • quilt fabric clearance 50% off at lindas.com • kids’ quilt backing ideas with plush minky • how to choose fabric for quilt borders and backgrounds




