Monday, October 8, 2012

Comparing Fabrics

 
Over the weekend I dyed a couple of new-to-me fabrics: Kaufman's Kona Premium Muslin and Kaufman's Pimatex. 
 
Both of these are combed cotton fabrics from Robert Kaufman. Patina, which is my favorite fabric to dye for hand and machine quilting, is also a combed cotton. This gives all three a really nice silky feel. 
 
The Patina is the lightest in weight, the Premium Muslin is the heaviest at almost an ounce heavier per yard. It doesn't sound like much but there is a really noticeable difference whenn you have all three in front of you.
 
All three are PFD (Prepared for Dyeing), which means they dont have any finishes on them that would inhibit the dye. I didn't pre-wash either of them. The Premium Muslin is not the same as Kona Cotton PFD. The Kona Cotton is a looser weave.
 
 
 
 
Kona Premium Muslin Dyed with Ice Cubes
 
I was suprised at how well this fabric dyed. I like to get lots of patterns/textures and this fabric definitely did that. Since all three are the same weave, I shouldn't have been suprised. However, I like lighter weight fabrics to use for quilting. It would be excellent for bags and similar items, though. And it's the least expensive of the three. It sells for around $5 per yard at all the chains.
 
 
Kaufman's Pimatex Scrunch Dyed
 
The Pimatex is a litle heavier than the Patina but as you can see from the picture, you can great sharp well-defined patterns/texture without much effort. This was just scrunched and dyed. Lots of quilters use this.  I still like the lighter-weight Patina better but I could use this and be happy.
 
The next PFD I plan to try is an Organic Cotton from Kaufman, similar in weight to the Premium Muslin.

1 comment:

sonja said...

i love that green one!!!!!