Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I talked about this group of fabric a few years ago. I really can’t stop thinking about this group of fabrics. I like it a lot, but I know that it doesn’t have enough fabrics for most of the quilts I make. Either I have to find a simple, but interesting pattern or I need to add more fabrics.
What do you think?
I was going through my phone the other night and found this great picture of the group of fabrics I used for Scrappy Celebration. I am glad, because I forgot to take a picture before I started making blocks.
I thought I bought them in Mt. Vernon, but I don’t see them in the photo. Who knows?
Anyway, I am finally putting them to good use.
I decided that I would try to make the Metro Twist larger.I have a possible recipient for this quilt and I want it to, at least be lap sized.
I have plenty of foreground fabrics, even though most are fat quarters. I needed to find more of the background fabric. It is always a challenge with solids. Since I buy limited solid brands, I thought it was doable.
Normally, I write the brand and color in Sharpie on the selvedge, but the grey I used for Metro Twist didn’t have it. Either I cut it off and tossed it or never wrote it down.
I also didn’t have a picture of the grey with other purchases. Usually, I photograph my purchases so I have some hope of finding fabric and supplies again.
I looked at my color cards and thought the background might be from Pure Elements. I bought some Pure Elements Ash first, but when it arrived, I could see that it wasn’t quite right. I can use it for something else, but disappointing nonetheless.
Back to the color cards. This time I pulled them all out, but immediately put back the Kona color card. I very rarely buy Kona and I knew this wasn’t it. I have the American Made Brands color card. Bingo! I bought some of one of their Gray. I am pretty sure that is the right fabric. I suppose I’ll see when it arrives.
I haven’t worked on the Metro Twist for a few weeks as I tried to catch up on Scrappy Celebration and The Pantone Project. I was able to make some progress this past weekend with the background pieces I have already cut. I have a bit of the background left and want to save it until the reinforcements arrive in case I need it and can’t find the right solid.
I had a stack of fabric from a recent purchase sitting on my sewing table. As I sewed, I would look over at it and at one point, I realized that I had a nice group of fabric for a quilt or bag.
I am not sure what to make and am pretty sure I would need to add some additional fabrics, but maybe not. It looks pretty good as is.
The next Sew Day will be a Super Sew Day/Meeting combination. As mentioned, I will be assisting Amy to teach the Metro Twist pattern.
One thing I did was look through the fabric pulls that I had saved. I chose one with a large number of prints to use.
A lot of these are Art Gallery fabrics. I may not use all of the grid fabrics and I may change out the focus fabric (4th from left, top row), which I added quickly before I took these to Sew Day. There is already a lot of green in this quilt and that might send it over the edge. Still, maybe not, we’ll have to see as I cut and start putting blocks together.
When I talked about Family Threads Quilt Shop the other day, I forgot to mention and show the fabric I bought.
The dots were really different than I have seen before. I think it was the colors, because the Tula Tiny Beasts dots are similar in size.
I love that chocolate fabric and have used it for Sweet Dreams pillowcases before. The fabric above is a little different from the ones I have bought before, but similar. It is just fun fabric and makes great pillowcases.
I ordered some Everglow and had to wait for it to be released before it could be sent. I received it the other day from Stash Fabrics. One of the reasons I wanted this fabric was to make an EPPic bag.
The fabrics used in the examples on Etsy aren’t that appealing, but when I saw one posted in the Tula Pink group on FB, it really changed my view. It was made by Strawberry Quiltcake and shown on IG.
The EPPic Bag is an EPP case. You can buy the PDF downloadable pattern from Chasing Tigers. I actually bought the EPPic bundle, mostly because it wasn’t that much more and I thought the smaller bags might be useful. Keep in mind that I have not made this pattern so I can’t comment on the directions. I do know that it is simply a pattern. Unlike the Sew Sweetness patterns it does not come with SVG files, however there is a video referenced in the pattern to help with part of the construction.
All of this is to say that I bought some Everglow in order to make one of these. I was planning to buy some anyway. The project and the inspiration spurred me on. I am not going to use the same fabric in the same places in the pattern. I may, actually, use some of my Philip Jacobs flowers for the exterior and Everglow on the inside. We’ll have to see.
I was also selective about the fabrics I bought. I didn’t buy the whole line. I only bought the prints I thought I would use.
You can see at the bottom two new Heather Bailey fabrics as well. They will probably go on my shelf of backing fabrics.
Restocking supplies is a nice way of saying I bought some fabric and a few other things.
First, was the Square in a Square ruler and book. I thought I talked about this book in a post about a guild meeting, but I can’t find the post now. I thought I had this ruler, but, again, I looked in my ruler storage area and didn’t find it.
The presentation was a monumental sales pitch, but I liked the idea of just using strips and squares to make square in a square blocks. I want to make the YM a quilt with his Boy Scout patches and the square in a square blocks will work really well to contain those patches.
Next, I needed some clips and elastic for the Amethyst Project Bag. I found some sites on Etsy where I got some nice 1″ elastic. White and black elastic seem like they belong in underwear not in bags made from Tula Pink fabric. The elastic in the photo above (left) uses the perfect colors for the Amethyst Project Bag. I couldn’t believe my luck. That is not a color combination I would normally select, but it goes perfectly with the Ka-Bloom fabric from Tula Pink’s Moon Garden line.
I looked for different colored parachute clips and ended up getting two different kinds from Amazon. One is just white plastic, which is what I used for the Amethyst Project Bag. The other is metal and came nicely packaged. They are however a little hard to open, so I may have to use them as decorative buckles, not buckles I need to use frequently. I would get too annoyed.
The Dritz Iron off** is THE BEST. It works quickly and well for cleaning your iron.
The other elastic came in great colors (photo right), but isn’t quite as stretchy as the elastic referenced above. Still, I am sure I’ll be able to use it.
I needed to replenish my stock of vinyl. I have been going through it at an alarming rate, especially because I have been making so many I Spy pouches.
I decided to get some of the Tula Pink tent stripes to use in Stay Tuned. Whenever I place an order with Sew Hungry Hippie, I also get some of the Riley Blake black and white stripes (photo above). They are great for bindings and I go through a lot of it. Especially lately, I have been using quite a bit of it for bag bindings.
I decided to level up to get free shipping and bought some more glitter webbing. I plan to use the blue for another Essential Tote. I don’t know what I’ll use the black for, but probably another Essential Tote. I am determined to change my machine needles more often, thus the needles.
I want to make some pillowcases for my Dad for Father’s Day, so I went looking for fish fabric. He is a passionate fisherman. I was pleased to find that Martha Negley has put vegetables aside and has a recent collection with a fish print.
I couldn’t stay away from some additional Philip Jacob prints. I don’t have plans for most of them, but I keep thinking about a new version of “He Tried to Make It Up to Her.” The Philip Jacobs fabrics would be perfect for some of the broderie perse on that style of quilt.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I wanted to get ahead of the ‘pillowcase for the college nephews project’, so I stocked up on some themed fabrics. The Valentine’s fabric was backordered, which was a huge disappointment. I sent them cards and socks. I ended up buying some chili pepper fabric, which I think will work for the Valentine’s pillowcases. I didn’t have a chance to make them yet, though. I might do it and send them late. We’ll see. I don’t need a yard and a half of chili pepper fabric hanging around.
On my birthday, I went to the Granary and found some fabric for April and May. For April, I will make Easter pillowcases and the May pillowcases will be ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ pillowcases.
You can see that I bought a few other items as well.
I didn’t want the Easter pillowcases to be boring, so I chose some dancing rabbits. These might be on the edge of Easter, but I think they will work for my nephews.
I think the ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ pillowcases will be fun. I didn’t know what to do for May and I think these will be perfect. I could have done Cinco de Mayo. The ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ theme will be perfect for 19 year olds.
I also got some St. Patrick’s fabric for March. This isn’t great fabric, but I think it will be ok for the boys.
Let’s get these made!!!
I am just back from Portland where I went for a few days to relax and see friends. I also went to my favorite quilts shops and stocked up a bit. Mostly, I bought fabrics for future projects and some gifts.
After having lunch with my friend Amanda, I went to Cool Cottons. It is a small store, but I wanted to take a look. I can often find good fabrics there. I just like looking. That store has fabric stuffed in every corner even though it is a small store.
The fabrics are all on the dark side. The bottom two on the left are for Stay Tuned. Yes, I switched gears on that one and got some different fabrics for the alternating squares and the borders.
I will make some gifts from the typewriter fabrics and bind quilts with the grey stripes and the black and white stripes. Only two are on ‘spec.
I made a huge effort to visit Pioneer Quilts. I love that store and always like to visit. I got some gifts for people and really enjoyed looking at their fabric.
I didn’t buy a lot there, but I did look at all of their wool felt patterns and fabrics. I have bought wool felt there in the past and wanted to get a pattern or something to do something with it. I finally decided to get inspiration from the book and do my own thing AFTER La Passacaglia and the Half Hexie Star quilts are finished. I bought that book, Wild Wool and Colorful Cotton Quilts**
I have used Chenille needles for hand stitching for a long time. They have big eyes and are sharp. I was finally able to look at a variety of sizes. The 22 or 24 sizes are the ones that are perfect for me. I bought two packs.
We went to Sunshine Quilts in Medford, which used to be Cottage Quilts. I am glad they stayed open. It is a nice space and there is a lot of potential for more fabric and supplies. At the moment it was a little light on fabric and notions, but I think they will get more based on the amount of space they have.
The packet on the right is filled with ruler stickers. You can outline where you need to cut then peel off the stickers with no residue. Interesting, right?
I am going to make another Cha Cha Cha table runner from the charm pack. I am not sure what I’ll use for the border. Maybe pink.
A good time was had by all.
**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I was so fortunate to receive some fab gifts for my birthday. First, my husband let me open my gifts early in the morning.
Of course, I always love the gifts he gets me, but I really liked the card. It says “Part Rainbow Part Tornado” and I think it is fairly perfect for me.
As usual, Julie and I went out to lunch and to a quilt store. She got me A LOT of gifts! I was so thrilled to get so many. I really liked them too.
The guild retreat is coming up so I look forward to using the wool pressing mat. Julie assures me it doesn’t smell. It goes with the mini Oliso she gave me a few years ago. Julie also stocked me up on Tula Pink ribbon from Renaissance Ribbon and Tula fabric. Yay!
The minerals are really good tone-on-tone fabric. I might still be able to use some of them for La Passacaglia.
In Portland, I met Amanda for lunch. She also gave me a gift. I was surprised and pleased!
First of all, she made that fabulous pouch. I’ll show more of it another day. The top stitching is amazing, then she filled it with totally useful gifts – items that I will definitely use up. And candy. We all need something sweet, right?
I know a lot of people donated to the charity I chose on Facebook and that just warms my heart. I am so fortunate to have so many good friends.
My fabric and supplies for Month 17 arrived. I like the colors even though it includes more green. This particular green is more appealing to me than the previous groupings, such as Month 7, Month 8 and Month 10. It is more of a blue-green than a yellow-green.
Note: I don’t sincerely dislike any of them; I just prefer more green in nature and less green in fabric.
For those of you keeping track, you might be wondering what happened to Month 16. Month 16 will be coming at the beginning of December. Pink Door did not receive all of the fabric for Month 16 so they switched the months. No problem for me and a quick creative solution IMO. We have to make all the rosettes anyway.
I thought that Month 17 was the last large rosette so I was disappointed that I needed to change out all of the green. I moped around for a few days, then looked at the plan and realized that (duh!) there were two rosettes and they belonged in the middle of the quilt. When there are two rosettes, they are usually on the smaller side.
Tula’s Moon Garden fabric is included in this month’s fabric grouping. I bought some extra yardage when Pink Door offered pre-orders and that arrived this week, too. Glad it did! I wanted one particular bird from the “In a Finch” Dusk colorway (the darker green) that just wouldn’t fit. I used a bit of what I bought and everyone (me) was happy. I won’t use the owl faces as indicated. I don’t want eyes looking at me (sorry, Tula!). I may use another part of that fabric. I’ll need to look at it and see.
I like what Pink Door has planned for the centers, but I really would like to use that large flower. I am still thinking about that. Stay tuned.
I talked about the parameters of the Pantone Project in July, then again in early August and mid-August as my attempts to select fabric started. I didn’t feel confident after these attempts and the postcards started to stack up. As the postcards stacked up, the project started to weigh on my mind. As Friend Julie made progress, the project started to weigh on my mind.
I finished a big project on Saturday night and needed something different to work on. I was spurred on by wanting some basic piecing. The blocks for the Pantone Project will be basic piecing, but I had to choose fabric first. I was not excited, because I am getting a little annoyed with Pantone. Piecing starts with fabric, however. I decided that I had the time to pull fabrics for this project. First, I laid out all the cards I had received, so I knew what I had to work with.
Yes, Pantone 350, in the upper right hand corner is that green with which I started. It was still in the mix. I had the greens I had chosen separated out, but kept it in the mix since I thought I might find something better. I have to say that I made major progress on the Pantone Project on Sunday.
I started with the easy colors such as the reds and pinks. Fiesta and Cactus Flower were pretty easy, but I quickly realized that I had to pull out much more fabric to get more choices.
I even dragged out a bin that includes solid neutrals and found a beige that matches Rainy Day pretty well.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, a lot of my older fabrics are much more aligned to these colors than the newer fabrics. This could be my buying habits as well. I stick to pretty clear colors when I buy fabrics now. After awhile, I had only a few left. I had to not only pull out old fabrics, but I used several hand-dyed fabrics. I haven’t dyed and printed fabric in years so lots of old fabrics are getting an airing.
Eventually, I found fabrics that were good matches to the postcards I have received. Some cards span 2 or more fabrics as I am still deciding. Some fabrics were a great match. I was really pleased with the fabric I found for the Swedish blue (2d row, 2d from right). It is a perfect match. The Nile Blue (bottom left corner) is a problem. The three fabrics I chose look better in person than they do in the photos, but are still not perfect. There is also a peachy pink, Peach Pearl, (2d row, 3rd from left) where I found a good match, but only have a little of the fabric. I’ll have to be very careful when I cut it.
I have to say that I have a lot of questions for Pantone, most importantly: why so many beiges? I need to read up a bit on Pantone and get a better sense of their business.
Now, I can get to piecing. I do feel a bit of a sigh of relief that I have made a start and nothing awful has happened when the fabrics weren’t perfect matches.
If you want to play along, you will need:
Decisions to Make:
**Obviously, you should shop at local fabric, knitting shops or quilt shops. However, if you can’t, please know that I use affiliate links. I may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I do not recommend items I don’t like. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.
I know I already talked about basting La Pass Month 14, but I forgot to show the fabrics.
These are all pretty good except I am not using that green in the lower left hand corner. I decided I have enough green in the quilt and decided to pick something else.
Julie and I went out the other day to Golden State Sewing. We usually meet for lunch and visit the Granary, but I suggested we change it up. They have really good fabric at Golden State. More on the visit later.
One of the things I wanted to do was look for fabrics for The Pantone Project for the cards with which I was struggling. We also chatted about ‘good enough’, which is de rigeur for this project. We agreed that neither of us want to buy a lot of fabric.
I finally crawled up into the fabric closet and got down the cool solids bin and pulled out the greens I remembered. Neither were exactly right, but Julie and I decided that two of the three fabrics would work.
We think the Tula Pink Tiny Dots is the right color, but lighter. We think the top right solid is dark enough, but doesn’t have that black (or brown?) tinge to it. We agreed that either would work.
One strategy I haven’t tried is comparing the postcards to the color cards I have. As I said, though, I don’t want to buy a lot of fabric; I’d like to use what I have.