I was super-excited to have this range printed on lawn and I have so enjoyed sewing with them. The shirts Jane Stewart sewed for Richard and the tops she made for me are divine, and so lovely to wear. I had people stop me at market and compliment me on my top not knowing it was made from my range. That was a real thrill.  (Richard also enjoyed the women who kept touching him to feel the softness of his shirt.)

Do you have any tips for sewing with lawn?

Don't be afraid of it - just try it! Use it as you would any cotton you'd use for quilting.  Stitch with it, quilt it and launder it as you would any quilt, lawn wears very well.  It's also so lovely to hand-quilt, it's like stitching through butter.

It's also perfect for apparel - shirts, blouses, dresses and such.  It has a softer drape than traditional cottons but still has all the advantages of a natural fiber in being breathable and light... you know, for all we "hot" ladies out there.

You've often said that you like using lawns for quilt backings.  In addition to how easily it quilts, is there any other reason for that?

The weight of the lawn.  It's light and feels so beautifully soft.  When my girls were little, I had backed a quilt with a Liberty of London lawn and they all wanted to sleep under that quilt because they loved the feel of the silky fabric on their skin.

No, I just treat the lawns just as I would any other cotton fabric.  It's really that easy.

Thank you, Jen!

Moving On Lawns are in shops now.

This beautiful Smitten quilt was made by Mickey and April of Sweetwater Cotton Shop.  The Smitten pattern is by Lucy Kingwell for Amitie Textiles.

Here's what else you need to know about cotton lawns.

What is cotton lawn?  In simple terms, it's a high-thread-count plain weave cloth made with fine, combed or carded threads that result in a silky, smooth feel.  It is a lightweight, sometimes semi-transparent fabric that can be dyed or printed.

The fine texture and smoothness of the fabric means that finely-detailed prints have a clarity and precision that might be lost on regular quilting-weight cottons.

Pre-washing. As it is with any cotton fabric that will be used for garments and apparel that will be laundered, pre-washing is recommended.  For patchwork, do what you usually do whether you're using only lawns or mixing them with regular quilting cottons.

If you pre-wash, you'll notice that the first washing affects lawns less than it does regular quilting cottons.  The lawns shrink and fray a bit less due to the high thread-count.  Also note that most shrinkage will come in the width, not in the length.

Since many of us here press with steam - large amounts of it - we often "prep" the fabrics with a light starch or sizing.  Doing so gives the fabric a little more body and helps alleviate any shrinkage that might result from the use of steam.

This Regent Street Lawn 2016 scrappy pillow was machine quilted with 50 wt. Aurifil thread.