<p>The &quot;post-it&quot; notes, if on standard sticky notes paper, cannot be made into a quilt directly. If you want to do this in future, you should look into coloured and starched squares of high thread-count cotton or linen to write on, use fabric markers to write the notes with, then just use them as normal quilting squares afterward.</p>
<p><strong>Real Quilt</strong><br />
If you want a quilt using your old paper sticky notes as a design, you will have to copy/print them onto fabric. The printers that can do this directly don't use very permanent ink, so great for T-shirts that only need to last a couple of years, not so good for quilts. You can also do it yourself by making the notes into collages, copying the collage squares using a colour laser printer and transferring the image to fabric using gel medium. Again, not extremely long lasting/colour fast. You can also use photos and other elements. One explanation of how to do this is given at <a href="https://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blog/technique-tuesdays-fabric-art/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cloth, Paper, Scissors</a>, see also the image below:</p>
<p>.<img src="https://s22307.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/ArtLessonCoverSM.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></p>
<p>You can sew the cloth like ordinary patchwork/quilting until you have the desired size for your quilt, then use plain cloth for the &quot;back&quot; of the quilt or make enough to have your post-it design on front and back and then complete using batting, etc. Just remember the quilt will lose its colour with frequent washing, so will not last that long if you use it often.</p>
<p><strong>Wall Hanging / Art</strong><br />
If what you really want is a wall hanging or poster that just looks like a sticky note quilt/collage, you can use the method above or just stick the notes onto whatever backing you want to use (paper/canvas/board) with a suitable glue stick in the collage design you want, then apply a good matte acrylic varnish once you are satisfied with your design. If you use a canvas or fabric as the backing and use a really good quality varnish that dries &quot;flexibly&quot; you can even use decorative stitching on it and hem the edges to make it look more like a quilt.</p>
<p>Remember to stretch the canvas/fabric on/over a suitable frame or board before starting to glue the paper squares on. Also apply varnish to both sides when finished if you want the paper to look textured like the canvas/cloth. This works better with coarser thread (more textured surface) such as rough linen or canvas, or even old burlap/sisal bags.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-09T01:21:23.880Z
`You can also do it yourself by making the notes into collages, copying the collage squares using a colour laser printer and transferring the image to fabric using gel medium.` This might seem silly, buy why not bypass the color laser printer and transfer the collage using gel medium directly?
Marium
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-09T19:12:24.520Z
Mostly because the colours of the coloured paper squares is probably part of what the OP wants for the design and that won't transfer like printer ink, so you'll be transferring only the writing (if that). Also because I have no idea what was used to write the notes. Some types of marker/pen transfer beautifully, others don't. If you copy or scan and print on a laser printer, all the writing and background is in the same ink and will transfer equally well.
Gwyn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-10T13:23:58.870Z
Upvoted, but with disagreement that printers that print to fabric don't create a long-lasting effect. Professional machines last a very long time, and there are a number of means of printing using home ink jet machines that can be very long-lasting as well.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T00:13:28.313Z
@Allison C : Material used for quilts traditionally have the patterns/colours woven in, i.e. the yarn is dyed rather than the design printed onto fabric.This makes for quilts that last for generations. I have a quilt made by my great-great grandmother more than 100 years ago. The colours are stil vibrant. Silk screen prints using quality dyes will last quite a while, though still not as long as well dyed fabric. Printers that surface print inks directly onto fabric is less colour-fast than silk screen prints, while hot transfers (iron-ons) wil fade quickest, and also tend to "crack".
Gwyn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-08T15:24:35.357Z
2020-08-09T13:06:55.310Z
2020-08-09T13:06:55.310Z
Gwyn
<p>I use multi-colored post-it notes to remind myself things.</p>
<p>After the task is complete I don't want to tear the notes.</p>
<p>How do I covert these post-it notes into a quilt?</p>
<p>Here are examples of quilts</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/aURud.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/aURud.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lQ1aR.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lQ1aR.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-03T17:18:43.007Z
Can you explain what you mean by 'a quilt'?
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-03T18:30:47.027Z
I updated my question @Joachim
Marium
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-03T20:24:00.950Z
But what do you imagine a quilt made out of post-its looks like? Do you have a technique in mind? As is stands, this is way too broad and unclear.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-03T22:12:25.330Z
@Joachim Each post-it should be a different square in the quilt, i.e. King-Size quilt made of 3" by 3" post-it squares. I need to turn post-it notes into soft fabric I can sew.
Marium
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-04T05:22:58.880Z
If your main problem is to "turn post-it notes into soft fabric", please clarify in your question, but be aware that I'm pretty sure it's impossible. Paper has much shorter fibres than fabric and cannot withstand moisture well. You can process fabric into paper, but not the other way around.
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-04T05:47:55.273Z
Find someone with scraps of cloth, and ask them if they want to trade for used Post-Its.  Then make a quilt.  There might be some other way to upcycle used Post-Its, but a quilt isn't one of them.  They just have all the wrong characteristics and there isn't a practical way to turn them into fabric.  With a huge investment, you could turn them into rayon and make your own fabric, but that would defeat your purpose.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T14:34:11.140Z
The closest thing I could find is "paper cloth," but even then it becomes more of a sturdy paper that can be sewn, not a soft fabric that could be washed. This essentially glues thin papers to fabric (and therefore might not work with Post-It notes, which might be too thick to saturate with glue): https://youtu.be/OrV03y0R0yE

Unless there was some way to transfer the ink from the Post-It notes to fabric, I'm not sure this is possible.
Flora Su
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T14:37:22.590Z
I’m voting to close this question because it asks how to conduct what seems to be a physically impossible task.
Flora Su
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T18:33:55.287Z
@FloraSu, that actually isn't a reason to close; it's answerable with information about it not being possible.
fixer1234
<paper><upcycling><quilting>
How do I turn old post-it notes into a quilt
Marium
# How do I turn old post-it notes into a quilt

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-03)

I use multi-colored post-it notes to remind myself things.

After the task is complete I don't want to tear the notes.

How do I covert these post-it notes into a quilt?

Here are examples of quilts

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/aURud.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/aURud.jpg)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lQ1aR.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/lQ1aR.jpg)

**Tags:** paper, upcycling, quilting

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you explain what you mean by 'a quilt'?  
> **username_0**: I updated my question @username_1  
> **username_1**: But what do you imagine a quilt made out of post-its looks like? Do you have a technique in mind? As is stands, this is way too broad and unclear.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Each post-it should be a different square in the quilt, i.e. King-Size quilt made of 3" by 3" post-it squares. I need to turn post-it notes into soft fabric I can sew.  
> **username_2**: If your main problem is to "turn post-it notes into soft fabric", please clarify in your question, but be aware that I'm pretty sure it's impossible. Paper has much shorter fibres than fabric and cannot withstand moisture well. You can process fabric into paper, but not the other way around.  
> **username_3**: Find someone with scraps of cloth, and ask them if they want to trade for used Post-Its.  Then make a quilt.  There might be some other way to upcycle used Post-Its, but a quilt isn't one of them.  They just have all the wrong characteristics and there isn't a practical way to turn them into fabric.  With a huge investment, you could turn them into rayon and make your own fabric, but that would defeat your purpose.  
> **username_4**: The closest thing I could find is "paper cloth," but even then it becomes more of a sturdy paper that can be sewn, not a soft fabric that could be washed. This essentially glues thin papers to fabric (and therefore might not work with Post-It notes, which might be too thick to saturate with glue): https://youtu.be/OrV03y0R0yE  Unless there was some way to transfer the ink from the Post-It notes to fabric, I'm not sure this is possible.  
> **username_4**: I’m voting to close this question because it asks how to conduct what seems to be a physically impossible task.  
> **username_3**: @FloraSu, that actually isn't a reason to close; it's answerable with information about it not being possible.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-08-08. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

The "post-it" notes, if on standard sticky notes paper, cannot be made into a quilt directly. If you want to do this in future, you should look into coloured and starched squares of high thread-count cotton or linen to write on, use fabric markers to write the notes with, then just use them as normal quilting squares afterward.

**Real Quilt**  
If you want a quilt using your old paper sticky notes as a design, you will have to copy/print them onto fabric. The printers that can do this directly don't use very permanent ink, so great for T-shirts that only need to last a couple of years, not so good for quilts. You can also do it yourself by making the notes into collages, copying the collage squares using a colour laser printer and transferring the image to fabric using gel medium. Again, not extremely long lasting/colour fast. You can also use photos and other elements. One explanation of how to do this is given at [Cloth, Paper, Scissors](https://www.clothpaperscissors.com/blog/technique-tuesdays-fabric-art/), see also the image below:

.![enter image description here](https://s22307.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/ArtLessonCoverSM.jpg)

You can sew the cloth like ordinary patchwork/quilting until you have the desired size for your quilt, then use plain cloth for the "back" of the quilt or make enough to have your post-it design on front and back and then complete using batting, etc. Just remember the quilt will lose its colour with frequent washing, so will not last that long if you use it often.

**Wall Hanging / Art**  
If what you really want is a wall hanging or poster that just looks like a sticky note quilt/collage, you can use the method above or just stick the notes onto whatever backing you want to use (paper/canvas/board) with a suitable glue stick in the collage design you want, then apply a good matte acrylic varnish once you are satisfied with your design. If you use a canvas or fabric as the backing and use a really good quality varnish that dries "flexibly" you can even use decorative stitching on it and hem the edges to make it look more like a quilt.

Remember to stretch the canvas/fabric on/over a suitable frame or board before starting to glue the paper squares on. Also apply varnish to both sides when finished if you want the paper to look textured like the canvas/cloth. This works better with coarser thread (more textured surface) such as rough linen or canvas, or even old burlap/sisal bags.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: `You can also do it yourself by making the notes into collages, copying the collage squares using a colour laser printer and transferring the image to fabric using gel medium.` This might seem silly, buy why not bypass the color laser printer and transfer the collage using gel medium directly?  
> **username_5**: Mostly because the colours of the coloured paper squares is probably part of what the OP wants for the design and that won't transfer like printer ink, so you'll be transferring only the writing (if that). Also because I have no idea what was used to write the notes. Some types of marker/pen transfer beautifully, others don't. If you copy or scan and print on a laser printer, all the writing and background is in the same ink and will transfer equally well.  
> **username_6**: Upvoted, but with disagreement that printers that print to fabric don't create a long-lasting effect. Professional machines last a very long time, and there are a number of means of printing using home ink jet machines that can be very long-lasting as well.  
> **username_5**: @username_6 : Material used for quilts traditionally have the patterns/colours woven in, i.e. the yarn is dyed rather than the design printed onto fabric.This makes for quilts that last for generations. I have a quilt made by my great-great grandmother more than 100 years ago. The colours are stil vibrant. Silk screen prints using quality dyes will last quite a while, though still not as long as well dyed fabric. Printers that surface print inks directly onto fabric is less colour-fast than silk screen prints, while hot transfers (iron-ons) wil fade quickest, and also tend to "crack".  

---

