Monday, March 28, 2011

Feel Good Fabric...

Have you ever worked on a quilt where the fabrics just made you smile?
The current project on my cutting table is doing just that!

Most of the time I am a pretty traditional quilter. I've gone through a batik phase, an oriental phase, an all-thing bright phase...but at the end of the day the one constant has been my traditional fabrics. I've also had some fairly strange "rules" like I don't generally mixed batiks with regular fabrics...30's repros with current florals...civil war repro with just about anything else...

"multi-generational" quilt...top purchased in Maryland 1994, quilted 1994

So why am I busting through the rules now...first, I used some of the Kaffe Fasset double shot cottons in a civil war repro quilts. They worked great. Then I spent a lot of time studying fabrics in an old quilt I was hanging in my hallway. I've heard it called "multi-generational"...basically it has fabrics from the late 1800's through to the 1930's. (Seems we aren't the only ones who thought that putting some old quilt blocks together may be a good idea!) Finally I have spent a lot of time paging through the two Material Obsession books. It occurred to me that have a lot of fabric like what they showed in the book..only mine is segregated - the Kaffe and large prints are in baskets on top of the bookcase, reproductions are in the guest room dresser, brights are in boxes on the top shelf of the closet, and 1930's are in the child's chest of drawers in the corner of my closet.

So I grabbed my laundry basket and went room to room and stash to stash pulling blues, purples, yellows and pinks (a few reds slipped in there so I know my eyesight isn't up to par yet!) I even raided the linen drawer in my dining room where I hoard (whoops - store) fabric from cut-up shirts for that someday recycled shirt quilt. I pulled the bin labeled 2-1/2 inch blocks that last year I filled vowing to use the Bonnie system...only I really haven't made a dent in anything other than the 2-1/2 inch strips.I'm having a blast! This is the happiest quilt! Amazing that fabric I would "never" put together look great in this 36 patch block! I mean 30's with Kaffe with a bit of "Piece of cake plaid"...say what? I love it!

Macbeth checking to make sure there is some 1930's scottie dog fabrics in the quilt....

I like knowing I hit almost every fabric hiding spot on the house and that I am not just using the same old fabrics.

Now for some blog followups....

1. the arrow head blocks shown in my "maybe its the moon" post were from the Quiltmaker #136, November-December '10 edition. It is also from the book ary Cutting Revolution by Anita Solomam.

2. Brownie rose from her sickbed and saved the day by capturing the gecko in my Dining room an hour before the guests arrived....she has been richly rewarded!

21 comments:

*karendianne. said...

Dear fabric hoarder friend (I mean fabric storage historian),

What a lot of fun you're having! This is just a feel good post and I'm thrilled to see my favorite Brownie! Knowing she saved the day before dinner is icing on the cake. Sure love me that Brownie girl. :)

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

I absolutely love that you are taking multi-generational fabrics and using a traditional pattern - it really "kicks it up a notch". Looks like McBeth approves too.

Me and My Stitches said...

I would have caught the gekko for you if I would have know that the prize was that stack of quilts that you gave Brownie!

Scrappy quilter said...

It sounds like you're having a delightful time playing with different fabrics. I love it. It's going to be neat to see how it all turns out. Hugs

Judy said...

It sounds like you are having a grand time mixing your fabrics. Rediscovering fabric from a stash and using it in a different way sounds like a fun challenge!

Tonya Ricucci said...

I learned that fabric lesson from Bonnie. Just how joyous and fun her completely scrambled fabrics are together. I'm still not as loose as I could be (not by a shot) but the one project where I did all this? love it. love to Brownie!

Loris said...

You are right! The new mix looks wonderful. I hope MacBeth found what he was looking for. Give Brownie some love from me too :-)

Impera Magna said...

How beautiful... and what fun you must be having!

quiltmom anna said...

I had never heard of multigenerational quilts but it makes perfect sense.
I love the mix of fabrics in your quilt- it is totally fun.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Anna

sewkalico said...

Break the rules quilting! If it makes you happy, it certainly makes us happy to read it!!! Enjoy!

Bonnie K. Hunter said...

Fun fun fun fun!!! Love breaking those "rules" that NEVER should have been rules in the first place!

Fabric is fabric, fabric is color, you can put anything next to anything and enjoy getting away with it :c)

Bonnie

Maureen said...

I love what you're doing. Can't wait to see it finished! It's so cheerful. Macbeth seems to approve!

judith lockhart said...

Isn't it funny how all those fabrics go together so well! I know exactly which pattern you are using in the Material Obsession book without evening looking - one of my favorites with the center stripes and beautiful florals........can't wait to see it at the quilt show completed!

Dionne said...

I LOVE that quilt! I can see why the fabrics make you smile, just the pictures make me happy. Seeing quilts like yours are why I continue to quilt when life gets busy and why I read blogs when I should be sleeping!!
Cheers,
Dionne

Donna Keating said...

So glad Brownie fixed the gecko problem he/she created. My Maine Coon loves to share lizards, crickets and snakes with me. Geckos aren't too bad, but the snakes (never big ones so far) and an awful huge green lizard freaked me out. He never finds them after they get away. I have to dispose of his treasures myself. Yikes!

Lynda said...

I love mixing types of fabric, and the only ones I find difficult are Kaffe Fasset's gorgeous designs. They seem to play best with each other - except when you use them! Way to go!

CCnUK said...

How fun love the quilt and thanks for the info on the arrowhead block!

AnnieO said...

Bonnie definitely mixes everything and her quilts always look so good! It is amazing what "goes" when you are making scrap quilts.

Thanks for the updates, LOl!

Marilyn said...

I have been lurking lately and loving reading your blog. So sorry for your MS problems and congrats for making the best of a bad thing! I laughed at your "fabric storage" sounds a lot like mine. I have been sub-cutting my scraps to do a Bonnie quilt and mixing up the fabrics. I love it.

Meredith said...

I loved this post. I can feel the fun you are having. A few of Kaffee quilts especially the lighter ones have his fabrics and 1930s fabrics in the same quilt. Sometimes I do not throw in batiks if I am going to hand quilt the top.

Katie said...

That's going to be a fabulous quilt! I'd be having fun too! :-)