Work Days
Lately I've been thinking about sewing and fabric a lot, but not doing much else. I love so many of the new fabrics in, like this Chez Moi. The blue is particularly lovely and its the perfect focus fabric in so many ways, lots of color, good scale. When I put it up on the table I can make big piles of stuff to go with it, but then I just get caught, what am I going to make with this? I want to be cool and hip, but I also don't want to just sew big chunks of fabric into a rectangle, quilt it and call it good. I tried a couple of good traditional blocks, thinking maybe it would make a cool background.
Maybe, but clearly with mixed results. They're everything I love in a piece of fabric but they're all border prints to me. Am I just too much and old woman to 'get it'? Or are all these new bold Amy Butler style prints destined to big chunks in simply pieced projects. Or aprons? Or purses? Maybe I'm just not hip enough.
I'm not working on anything right now, and I wanted to start a project but couldn't find the exact thing I needed so I started putting together a pile. I love the pile. I have the two focus fabrics, lots of color, scale, pattern, texture.
All I need now is that really good idea.
**updated to add a thanks to KathL for reminding me of the Material Obsession girls..
http://materialobsession.typepad.com/material_obsession/
I love how they mix the primitive designs with the bold new prints. Lovely! Inspiring!
posted by PamKittyMorning at 10:46 PM
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15 Comments:
Hmmn...they do scream large rectangles, but what about applique circles? Some of the "calmer" prints like dots could really be cute with applique flowers and/or circles. They could also make great "string" blocks. Could also work as chinese coins or just HSTs joined together -- just some ideas. I've sen those fabrics as well and been thinking about what to do with them myself.
... you'll need to pay a visit to the MO girls http://materialobsession.typepad.com/material_obsession/ they know what to do with large prints :). Happy sewing, kl
Okay, so I do I get my hands on a 1/2 yard of each of those fabrics in the pile to the right??? Can I paypal you?!? Love your choices!!!! I even set that picture as my background for today. :o)
Martha
What I meant to ask was...how DO I get my havds on some of that wonderful fabric. Proofreading is a good thing!!!
LOL! I'm an editor's nightmare!!!
ooooo, I like those piles too. MUST NOT BUY FABRIC...... Ok, so, gosh, I have no suggestions. I agree, most of them need to be BIG in the quilt so you can really enjoy them. If I think of anything, I'll let you know. For now, fondling would be fun! :)
wow. I don't know a thing about quilting, in fact, it's slightly intimidating...but yeah, those fabrics need to be in big chunks....I HAVE to have a skirt out of that brown Chez Moi fabric. It's making me slightly drooly....
I'm with you. There are so many great fabrics right now. I have piles of them stacked in my room and just can't decide what to do wtih them. But....they do look wonderful just setting there looking at me.
Pam, you have raised a point that has been on my mind lately too. I have been wondering if the "hip" factor has deserted me as well. I love these new gigantic prints, but to me they say "border" as well. The first person who commented has a good suggestion as to using them as an appliqued circle--it would raise the difficulty level and put the focus on the fabric at the same time. Those big prints just get lost when they are chopped up into teensy weensy pieces.
It's a very dangerous thing for me to come to your blog - because I love all of your fabric choices and then go in search of them.
Circles might be a great idea! I know I saw a pattern/tutorial somewhere where they made perfect big circles using cardboard and foil.
Pamkins, How about my pattern Gabriella's Garden. Made especially for big bold prints & you already have the book. Wink, wink ; )
I too see borders. Does this mean I'm not hip and young? Crap... I know the answer to that. I see purses, aprons, pillows, curtains... so much! Maybe some of the Terri Atkinson patterns look like they'd work well (especially that new one with all the squares).
I LOVE the light blue one with the red bird in the last photo. I want to cover all my walls with it! OMG... I must learn more about that fab!
Pam, I bought fat quarters in the Chez Moi when I went to Hancocks of Paducah (KY) a few weeks ago. I remember you telling me that you loved those fabrics and couldn't wait to see what I was going to do with them.
One of my son's friends graduated from High School. She really wanted a Piglet (from Winnie the Pooh) quilt. The only half way decent Piglet fabric I found was in fleece. The color went really well with the Chez Moi, so I fussy cut 4 Piglets to put throughout the quilt.
I started working on it tonight, so maybe tomorrow I will have something to show you.
Hopefully, the girl will love her quilt so much and think it's "hip". I have noticed in Pottery Barn and other catalogs that large blocked quilts are popular.
I really love the polka dots, stripes, and plaids you have chosen to go with Chez Moi. I haven't found anything like that around here.
Love the fabrics but with big bold prints don't really know what to do with them other than a border. I especially love the brown paisley behind the bolt of yellow fabric in the last photo. Thanks for sharing!
I love, love, love that pile of fabrics! I want! I also love the Chez Moi--in fact, I posted a big picture of the exact same print a couple of weeks ago! I couldn't cut it up either, so I'm thinking pillows and purses.
If you go with circles (which I think is a great idea) the foil trick Michelle mentioned is on the Anna Maria Horner website, in a post about her lollipop quilt.
Gorgeous!
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