Cotton is the standard fabric that most people use as the fabric of choice when it comes to patchwork quilting projects. If you’re going to use cotton, make sure to use 100% cotton and not a mix of cotton and polyester or other synthetic materials.

One major reason for using 100% cotton as a quilting fabric is simple: quilt shrinkage. Pretty much all natural fabrics are going to shrink on you at least a little bit, even after they have been pre-shrunk by the fabric manufacturer. 100% cotton fabrics should shrink at the same rate, which is good.

Blended fabrics will shrink differently than the natural fabrics, which leaves you with a large degree of unevenness, sagging or “puckering” in your quilt after being run through the wash.

Another great reason to use cotton for your quilt is because cotton can be much easier to manipulate in the sewing process. Cotton seams will lie down flat on one particular side of the stitching. Other fabrics tend to twist around, which can cause a lot of uneven stitches.

Cotton fabrics stay down easier when folded or creased. Fabrics that are blended or completely synthetic are much more notorious for popping up again and again even after being pressed down numerous times. Cotton fabrics are definitely preferred if you are a fan of the “finger press” method of quilting, which is just pressing down the quilt during the sewing process and ironing sections of the quilt later on.

And unlike synthetic or blended materials, cotton fabric draws moisture away from the body but keeps heat in. Other materials trap both heat and moisture, which results in lots of unnecessary sweating.