Whole cloth quilts aren't hand-quilted white masterpieces any longer. The field is wide open to new innovations in fabric. The definition of one solid piece of fabric still holds, but it is the fabric that has evolved to new designs. With batik, hand-dyes, hand-painted cloth, and marbles, the type of fabric has changed the whole cloth picture. Sometimes a piece of hand-made fabric screams to be made into a quilt, just the way it is.

These new processes are labor-intensive but well-worth the time and effort for new levels of creativity. Besides the traditional quilting stitch and design, now quilters can construct the very cloth they will use. Fabric needs to be prepared to accept the paints, dyes, or waxes. With so much fabric being produced offshore, finishing chemicals can be resistant to easy removal.

Be sure to read instructions on bleaches, soda ash, alum, and strong detergents. You are working with chemicals and need to take appropriate precautions, particularly gloves and masks. Work with good ventilation. That said, you are experimenting, and that's where the fun comes in as you create cloth for quilts original to you and your designs.

The island of Java in Indonesia is today most associated with batik cloth, part of a very ancient tradition. It is a creative medium of decorating cloth using wax and dye. The basic batik process involves choosing areas of the cloth to be blocked out by brushing hot wax over them; the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color. This process can be repeated to create more elaborate and colorful designs.

After the final dyeing, the wax is removed and the cloth is ready. The final design on the whole cloth can then be quilted. Many fabric manufacturers have commercial lines of batiks, many still made in Indonesia. This is extremely labor intensive but could produce some unique designs that would make a wonderful whole cloth quilt.

Hand-dyed fabrics are also extremely popular. Silk, wool, and cotton all have distinct properties and react to dyes differently. Most quilters use cotton primarily, so the majority of dye recipes are designed to work with that particular fabric. A simple knowledge of chemistry is helpful but not necessary, as there are many books and recipes for different types of dyeing.

Perhaps the best thing about hand-dyed fabrics is the gradations and hues in color. You can discharge color from commercial fabric, and you can over-dye plain fabric. You can add salt. You can use the microwave. You can immerse in buckets of water. If you like experimenting and not knowing just what you will get, then hand-dyeing may be your whole-cloth project.

Hand-painted fabrics give you a wide range of possibilities, many of which are unpredictable, but that's part of the fun. Hand painting brings different properties to the cloth: dyes form a chemical bond with the fabric, whereas paint bonds to the surface of the fabric when heat-set. Hand-painted fabrics also tend to be lighter in color when dry. If you want additional texture and the desire to create landscapes and moods, then consider painting your cloth and then quilting it.

Be prepared for wonderful surprises. You may get a small section you love, and the rest of the cloth doesn't work. if that's the case, then you can use that smaller section in a pieced quilt. If you plan your painting carefully, you can get a great textured landscape ready to quilt.

Marbled fabrics are from very ancient designs used originally for court papers. With a considerable amount of pretreatment and preparation, you can create many of these ancient patterns on all types of fabrics, from cotton to silk to velveteen. Change some of the traditional patterns to a more contemporary feel and you can get interesting effects straight from nature, from canyon striations to pools of water, all of which make great whole cloth design. Many of the designs work well on their own, but quilting them can enhance the story in your whole cloth.

Whole cloth means experimentation. The heirloom of the past is transforming into vibrant story quilts of the future.

Related : More On Quilt Types