The Versatility of Duck Cloth Project 2404-2 by Deborah Fell Sponsored by Bernina of America and Equilter.Com

Quilting Arts TV series 2400 The Versatility of Duck Cloth project 2404-2 by Deborah Fell Sponsored by Bernina of America and eQuilter.com

Host Susan Brubaker Knapp and quilt artist Deborah Fell

This humble cloth—known as duck cloth, duck canvas, or Some cons: it ravels easily and can get roughed up in the just duck—is a versatile and inexpensive solution to expand laundry plus specific weights might be hard to find. the scope of your work. I often use 7 oz. unprimed cotton duck from Dick Blick in my What is duck fabric? It’s a tightly woven plain canvas that work; it comes 72" wide! I use it as a substrate, as ‘batting,’ is usually heavier than other styles of canvas cloth and and sometimes even as backing. conventional quilting cotton. Duck fabric is woven with two Tip: Sometimes I secure the corners of the fabric with blue yarns together in the warp and a single yarn in the weft. It is painter’s tape. This helps stabilize the fabric and inhibit raveling usually 100% cotton; sometimes a cotton/synthetic blend or while working with it. 100% synthetic. deborahfell.com Single-filled cotton fabric duck is generally lightweight, loosely woven into the oxford style, and made from non-plied single yarns. The more common single-filled ducks weigh 7, 10, and 12 ounces per square yard. The weight corresponds to how much one square yard weighs.

It can be found in a selection of colors but, typically, it is white or off-white, bleached and unbleached.

Traditionally, duck is used in a wide range of products from sneakers and tents, to industrial covers and sandbags, to, oh yes, painting canvas. Duck cloth is inexpensive, readily available, and comes in a variety of widths (some very wide; great for large projects!). It is versatile: strong and yet flexible enough for stitching. These are the ‘pros.’