Stashing: Non-Quilting Cotton Fabrics

Hey gang! Anybody else getting not much sewing done because the weather has been beauuuuuitful? It's been so nice over here that we've been spending most of our time outside. Gotta soak it up before winter comes :) But! I did step outside of my comfort zone recently for some stashing. I constantly question whether I'm settled into a groove or stuck in a rut with my fabric choices......but then I decide I don't care and keep buying cobalt blue fabrics, linens, and gray/black & white prints. #totallypredictable and all that. I recently went to Crimson Tate and grabbed some beautiful fabrics for my stash:

{some Robert Kaufman linens, Literary by Heather of Crimson Tate, Rifle Paper Co., and Caroyln Friedlaner}

But then I also decided to try working with some wild cards, so I picked up this shower curtain from Target:

$16 for a 72" x 72" piece of fabric! I'd say that's a pretty awesome deal. I'm psyched about the print, and love how large scale it is. The fabric is 70% poly and only 30% cotton, so I'm sure it'll wash and wear a bit differently than what I'm used to. It definitely doesn't feel as comfy - it has the feel of canvas curtains, fit that makes any sense? But considering how soft my vintage polyester quilts are now, I'm betting it'll soften up over the years of wear and love. I'm definitely curious to see how it is to work with!

Lastly, I bought a few pieces from Goodwill to cut up. At just a few dollars apiece for the clothes, and $1 apiece for the scarves, it's a cheap experiment. I found a pair of corduroy pants and a pair of poly-wool-cotton pants, and two woven scarves.

Those scarves are very lightweight, so I may want to double layer them for strength. But that will be tricky to do without shifting, so I may try to use spray adhesive to keep them together for sewing.

I know a lot of quilters who don't use anything other than quilting-store quality cottons, but that simply wasn't the case when quilting first started - everything was made from clothing scraps, regardless of the fabric content! So while I know this isn't revolutionary, I must admit that it does feel a little bit "against the rules", if that makes sense.

What about you guys - do any of you use old clothes or other non-traditional fabrics for quilting? Any specific advice? I'm thinking prewashing is going to be a must for these!