How to Sew with Woven Fabric using the Starling Pattern
Do you sew with woven fabric, or have you felt nervous about trying to quilt with a different texture? That’s understandable — trying something new can be intimidating! That’s why we’re bringing you our best, simplest tips to successfully sew with woven fabrics. This tutorial will also walk you through a project to start small if you’re new to yarn-dyed wovens with step-by-step instructions to make a Starling table runner using Suzy’s new fabric collection, Wildflower Wovens.
Keep reading to confidently sew with woven fabric and make your own table runner!
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How to Sew With Woven Fabrics
Yarn-dyed woven fabrics have become popular in quilting and for good reason! Like some of you, I have made multiple quilts and sewing projects with them. The main difference between quilting cotton and yarn-dyed woven fabrics (also called simply called “wovens”) is that quilting cotton has dye printed onto the fabric’s surface, but with wovens, the yarn or threads are dyed before being woven together. This means the warp and weft threads can be different colors. When woven together, they create beautiful colors and textures.
Not all wovens are the same. The world of woven fabrics is diverse and exciting. Each type offers a unique weave, adding an intriguing element to your sewing projects. This versatility makes sewing with wovens so inspiring and full of possibilities.
Let’s delve into the woven fabrics that I frequently work with. Most woven fabrics used in quilting fall into the lightweight category, typically weighing 100-170 grams per square meter (gsm). However, this category encompasses a wide range of woven weights.
Understanding these distinctions, such as the weave (the way the threads are arranged in the fabric) and weight (the density of the fabric), can empower you to make informed fabric choices for your quilting projects, giving you the confidence to experiment and create.
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Comparing Popular Woven Fabrics
Robert Kaufman Manchester cotton yarn-dyed woven has a loose weave that unravels easily. It is lighter at 121 gsm and has a soft touch.
Robert Kaufman Essex linen-cotton blend features a medium-to-tight weave. At 160 gsm, it is on the heavier side, but it softens after washing.
Windham Artisan yarn-dyed cotton is sturdier, has a medium-to-tight weave, and weighs 161 gsm. It acts as a solid, but the warp and weft threads are two different colors, adding depth to the fabric.
Fableism yarn-dyed wovens vary in weave and weight. They have a looser weave and weigh between 125 and 140 gsm. These fabrics are soft to the touch and make quilts extra cozy.
NEW Wildflower Wovens
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sewing several projects using Suzy’s new Wildflower Wovens for Art Gallery Fabrics. Let me tell you — they’re a dream to work with! They are a collection of tightly woven, lightweight fabrics weighing 125 gsm, the same as most quilting cotton.
They come in various beautiful colors and designs, making them perfect for quilting and adding fun textures to your projects. This collection includes fabrics in four different weaves, each with a unique beauty.
Incorporating wovens into your quilts can yield stunning results, adding depth and texture to your creations. With a few simple tips, you can embark on a stress-free journey of experimentation with wovens in quilts!
Tip 1: Use Starch
Starching loose-weave wovens will give them more structure and help prevent them from stretching when piecing or pressing. This is particularly useful when working with fabrics like the Robert Kaufman Manchester cotton yarn-dyed wovens, which have a loose weave that unravels easily.
For best results, spray the starch onto the fabric and let it soak in a little before pressing. If working with a tighter weave, starching might not be necessary. When using wovens such as Essex or Artisan cotton, pressing the fabric without starch before cutting is often sufficient. Starch is great for Wildflower Wovens, but you can skip this step if desired because the weave is very tight.
Tip 2: Prewash or Not
I generally do not prewash wovens and wouldn’t recommend prewashing precut loose-weave wovens that are a fat quarter or smaller. The looser the weave, the more it might unravel. And washing a precut might cause loss of yardage, so it no longer fits the requirements for your project.
I did prewash my Wildflower Wovens to see how they would shrink and if they would fray and was pleasantly surprised to notice almost no shrinkage and very little fraying.
Prewashing wovens is one way to tighten up the weave. When wovens are washed, the weave shrinks, which can help reduce fraying when cutting. If you’re working with yardage or a larger cut of fabric, prewash if you desire. Sew along the raw edges of the fabric using a zig-zag stitch to prevent it from unraveling and wash it on a gentle cycle with cool water.
Tip 3: Handle with Care
Once wovens are cut into pieces, it’s crucial to handle them with care and avoid pulling on loose threads. Overhandling can lead to stretching, especially when sewing with pieces cut on the bias.
If the finished quilt top has wovens with biased edges, it’s recommended to stay stitch the raw edge around the quilt’s perimeter. Sew the stay stitch inside the 1/4" seam allowance along the raw edge so you won’t see the stitching after the quilt has been bound.
Tip 4: Use Pins (But No Need for Extras)
I don’t pin wovens any more than I would pin quilting cotton unless my pieces are cut on the bias. Bias-cut pieces require a few extra pins to help hold those edges together before piecing.
Tip 5: Mix It Up
I often mix a variety of substrates in my quilts because I love the added texture. Wovens and quilting cotton have different shrinkage rates, but when pieced together and secured in a quilt with sufficient quilting, the shrinkage can be more uniform. So go ahead and add the beautiful texture of wovens into your quilts.
Look at these Wildflower Wovens squares, which were cut with a rotary cutter. I pressed the fabric without starch before cutting. As you can see, almost no fraying is visible, which is impressive because I’ve had more fraying with some quilting cotton.
Another example is this photo of the back of my Starling quilt block. The wovens have been cut, handled, and sewn together, and only minor fraying is visible.
If you’re new to sewing with wovens, the Wildflower Wovens collection is the perfect place to start. These wovens can be treated like quilting cotton, requiring no extra steps to add them to your quilts. They will add beautiful texture and a depth of color to all your projects.
One of my recent projects using Wildflower Wovens is this table runner inspired by the Suzy Quilts Starling quilt pattern, a great beginner pattern for using Wildflower Wovens or fabric scraps. Keep reading to learn how to make your own!
Starling Table Runner Materials
- Starling quilt pattern
- Fabric (see below for details)
- Rotary cutter
- Ruler
- Cutting mat
- Iron and ironing board
- Straight pins
- Basting pins or spray
- Hera marker (optional)
- 50 wt. thread
- 100% cotton batting
- Basic quilting supplies
I used the entire Wildflower Wovens collection for my runner. However, this is also an excellent project for using up scraps.
The following fabric requirements make (1) 53" x 18" table runner. NOTE: WOF = width of fabric (assumed to be at least 42" in this tutorial unless otherwise stated), and a fat eighth is assumed to be approximately 18" x 11". The Wildflower Wovens fabrics are 57" wide; however, the fabric requirements are the same for 42" or 57" WOF, except for the binding.
Starling Table Runner Fabric Requirements
- Background Fabric: 2/3 yard
- Colors: 6 fat eighths (3/4 yard if only using one color)
- Backing: 1 3/8 yard or 1 piece measuring 24" x 59"
- Batting: 1 piece measuring 24" x 59" — this is a great project to use up scrap batting
- Binding: 1/3 yard (1/4 yard if using 57" WOF)
Step 1: Cut the Fabric
Cut the following from the Colors:
- a: 3 - 6" squares
- b: 3 - 10 1/4" squares
- c: 12 - 4 7/8" squares
From the background fabric, cut
- d: 6 - 6" squares; cut each in half on the diagonal to create 12 triangles
- e: 12 - 5 1/2" squares
For the binding fabric, cut
- 4 - 2 1/4" x WOF (if using 57" WOF, only cut 3 - 2 1/4" x WOF)
Last, from the backing fabric, cut
- 2 - 24" x WOF
Step 2: Block Unit Assembly
Using pieces a and d, follow the pattern instructions on page 4 to make 3 square-in-square units. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance.
Trim the square-in-square units by following the instructions on page 5 of the pattern.
Step 3: Make the Blocks
Make 3 Block A units following the block piecing instructions on page 6 of the pattern.
Step 4: Assemble the Table Runner
Sew the 3 blocks together using a 1/4" seam allowance to create a long rectangle, joining them end to end until you have one piece measuring 18" x 53".
Give the table runner top a good press.
Make the backing piece by pinning the two short ends of the background 24" x WOF pieces right sides together. Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance, and press the seam open. Trim the piece to 24" x 59 1/2".
Next, layer the backing wrong side up, followed by the batting, and then the pieced top right side up. Baste and quilt the table runner as desired.
For help with basting, check out this tutorial.
I machine quilted this table runner with a simple 1" grid. I used my walking foot with the guide bar set at 1" and my stitch length set to 3.5. I started the quilting by following one of the horizontal seams with my guide bar.
Once I finished quilting the 1" horizontal straight lines, I followed the same steps to quilt the 1" vertical straight lines. If your walking foot doesn’t have a guide bar, you can mark out a grid using a quilting ruler and hera marker.
Trim the excess batting and backing.
Finally, sew the binding strips together using diagonal seams, then attach the binding as you would on a quilt. Here’s a tutorial if you need help with binding.
And you’re done! You’ve confidently made your own small, fast, and sophisticated project using woven fabrics!
What Will You Sew with Woven Fabrics?
Now that you have tips to sew with woven fabrics, what do you want to make? The Wildflower Wovens fabric collection by Suzy Quilts would look great in so many different projects. Get more inspiration in the fabric collection’s lookbook. And be sure to use #SuzyQuiltsFabric and tag @suzyquilts so we can see your Wildflower Wovens projects!
Love the look of the wovens, love your fabric choices, and love the table runner! I have some large enough scraps from a recent project that would be perfect for this new project! Thanks Suzy!
This is gorgeous and really helps me understand the properties of wovens better! Thank you!
I’m currently sewing a quilt with the Wildflower Wovens and they are heavenly! Very soft, easy to manage, and piece together beautifully.
That’s wonderful to hear!!
Thank you-this is helpful! Do you machine piece any differently when piecing wovens vs. normal quilting cotton?
That can depend on the woven. These Wildflower Wovens have such a tight weave that you don’t need to do anything differently. However, if you use something like linen, which is a much looser weave, it can be helpful to lower your stitch length to make the seams extra strong. I typically sew with a 2.5 stitch length, so you could take it down to 2.
Getting ready to make Sugar Pop with the wovens, this is such a great article with beautiful photography!
I’m making the table runner. The square in square in the first directions should say pieces an and d , not b and d correct?
Laurel, you are correct! We apologize for the error. The post has been updated. Thanks!