Are you interested in how to use recycled vintage chenille squares and fabric to make quilts and pillows?

I learned the hard way, by trail and error and have come up with a few suggestions, after successfully making a bunch of quilts, spreads and pillows for myself, family, friends and for sale.

Due to the uneven thickness of chenille fabric, the wavy lines, floral designs and tufted patterns, sewing with chenille can be very challenging. It is much different than sewing with conventional fabrics, such as cotton or wool. I use an older sewing machine , a 1972 Kenmore in a cabinet ,which I love as it is strong and not too complicated to use.

The first thing I learned was using a very strong number  18 needle, after breaking a few of the smaller 12 and 14s. I use the longest stitch for straight sewing, as the height of the tufts , require this adjustment. the stitches come out just the right size, not loose at all.

I also adjust the lever foot, at a high to medium range, to accomodate the tufts and patterns. Sometimes this has to be adjusted several times while working on this uneven fabric.

Good cotton thread, in a color corresponding to the main color of the fabric, is very important. Polycotton, will break and changing colors can be tedious and not important as the tufts will cover alot of the stiches. I usually use an ivory shade for most work, unless the fabric is all or mostly another color. Buying cotton pre-threaded bobbins, saves alot of time as well.

A simple zig-zag stitch can be very helpful when finishing up the project, but not essential. Practice on a scrap of fabric first, to get the best length and width for finishing up edges.

Of course laying out your squares and fabric pieces first is a must, to get the best overall design you wish to create. I use long quilt pins to secure the squares and hand basting is great too. As with all sewing, having a good steam iron, close to your work area is important. After making my rows, I iron all the seams open, and get the piece as flat as possible. You can create great designs by using larger pieces of chenille, cutting out a good sized floral motif, for example, and surrounding it with strips of complementary colors and designs. You may wish to lay out a plan, measuring carefully,before actually cutting out the pieces.

Cutting the fabric well, requires a rotary cutter, a plastic cutting mat, a few plastic square quilt templates in 4", 6" 8" or larger ,as using tiny squares is very difficult with all the tufts. The rotary cutter, can cut through several layers of fabric and using the plastic template to provide uniform squares. Change blades, as soon as it starts getting dull. BE CAREFUL. THE BLADES ARE VERY SHARP. In the beginning, keep it simple. I also like having a large metal carpenter's square for precision  cutting. Sharp strong scizzors are extremely useful as well.

These are a few of the things I've learned over the fast few years. I hope this will be helpful. so if you have some older chenille spreads, with holes and such, or buy some"cutter" spreads,or  you can bring new life to these lovely things. I hope you enjoy your projects.

Chenille is a truly American fabric. Invented by a woman in Georgia in 1929, it went on to become a flourishing industry, which provided many folks opportunities during the depression years and beyond. Dalton Georgia, was the center for most of the chenille production. There is still a museum, in Dalton, devoted exclusively to the history and display of chenilles.