Sunday, October 14, 2012

Too much fabric

It's true. I have TOO MUCH FABRIC. I've been buying it like I need to insulate my home with it. I can't even blame Flickr or Instagram or other blogs for my current addiction to purchasing - I did this all on my own. I need to take 6 months off work to make all the quilts I want to make and that are swirling around my head and in my quilt design book.

Farmers' Market HST quilt

First up is my Farmers' Market quilt. I bought these fruit and veg fat quarters in Townsville and Charters Towers while I was at the SCQuilters retreat in July, and today, in less than 30 seconds, I picked that green spotty background fabric at the quilt store this afternoon. Fastest shopping ever. I'll be using half square triangles (HSTs) because at the moment I'm having a HST thing with my quilts. I am dreaming about HSTs. Unsure why.

Dresden Plates

Next is some fabric I purchased in Perth at one of the most beautiful stores in the world, Calico and Ivy. Straight away, in the store, I knew it would become a Dresden Plate quilt.

Keiko Goke - circles quilt

These are amazing Keiko Goke fabrics by Yuwa. I couldn't resist, and they were on sale too. The prints are incredible, and too beautiful to cut up so I'm thinking of a whole lot of big circles appliqued onto a background. Probably grey because I have 10 METRES OF THE STUFF because I love using grey in quilting.

Made in Limoncello (Made in Cherry) fabric

I bought this fabric last year to make a Made in Cherry quilt (which in my case I'm calling Made in Limoncello). I still have yet to make this quilt, and I really should because I love it and I want to make this and I don't actually have a quilt big enough to put on my own bed (the monster twisted hexagon quilt is on the spare bed).

St Ives - unsure what to do with this

This is a whole set of St Ives fabric by Sarah Fielke that I bought from someone on SCQuilters who was doing a sewing room cleanout and the set wasn't their style. Well it's my style, but I still don't have any ideas as to what to do with it. It can stay in the thinking stage a little longer.

Bella - unsure

I pre-ordered the whole range of Lotta Jansdotter Bella a few months ago, and now it's here I have absolutely no idea what to use it with. Something something, perhaps. With HSTs. And hexagons. And grey. I have enough grey I think.

Scrap Vomit swap

I took part in Angie's Scrap Vomit swap recently and some of them are still trickling in but I have lots. I might get to this quilt in 2016.

Modern quilt group HST wonkies

The other night at our modern quilting group we were playing around with HSTs and a wonky version of them, a la Sew Katie Did. I was heaps of fun seeing what people could come up with in the group. I got a bit caught up and I think I want to make a whole quilt like this. So while this didn't involve fabric purchases, and does use a lot of scraps and stash, I'm adding it to the list because I just don't know where I want to take it. To the moon perhaps.

Of course I still have projects on the go. While I finished a big one yesterday (hooray! Reveal soon) and have another quilt ready for basting, I also have three steady and very unfinished English paper piecing quilts on the go.

Lotta Hexagons in progress

Lotta Hexies is currently on hiatus. And my plans for it may have changed. My local quilt store managed to get in some of the grey background fabric (HA! Hence the 10 metres in my stash!) after I'd run out so I can now do more piecing and less border. I'm actually kind of happy about that.

One inch hexies in progress

My one inchers from Rita are still toddling along. I am just piecing and joining, piecing and joining and I don't know how big it will get. Possibly fairly big (like lap sized). I'm still madly in love with it.

Hexy MF in progress

And lastly my Hexy MF quilt. I managed to make all 72 flowers in a very short period of time, and now I'm sewing them together. But it's too fast for me - I'd planned to make this quilt over a few years, so I have put this one on hiatus until I have Lotta finished. Or not.

We won't talk about the unfinished His Royal Kaffeness. Or the jelly rolls and layer cakes and kits that I have coming out my ears.

I'm really lucky that I have a great quilt store near (well, 20 minutes away) me that satisfies my taste in fabric, and I'm super lucky I have a job that means I can afford to buy fabric and keep it as a pet. But I'd really rather make quilts from them. This makes me less anxious about the amount of fabric I have lying around, and less guilty as well. I'd love to say "Oh once a month I'm going to show you something finished or near finished" except you all know by now I don't do deadlines, and I'd really be setting myself up for failure.

In the meantime, I will think and sketch and pet. That will have to do. And I'm not complaining about that AT ALL.

11 comments:

  1. Words cannot describe your collection of golden quilting fabric. You have enough to officially claim your own little store right at home...pet away!!!

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  2. That yellow pile is just delectable! You have lots of beautiful clear colours. I drudge away every day for money to buy fabric, and maybe shoes...

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  3. I have the same problem after a year or two of constant online shopping for fabric. I am now on a buying freeze and trying to use some of it :-) Enjoy it, nice collection.

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  4. All such gorgeous fabric!
    This is exactly how I feel about my yarn stash - and why I am not letting myself look seriously at quilting just yet...

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  5. I have a theory that applying deadlines to doing something you love, it takes away a whole chunk of excitement. Course this could be just another of my ISHEWS. Meanwhile, I reckon you gotta get back to Lotta. Those prints and colours (grey!) are singing...

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  6. im 'sew'jealous at the array of fabric and the fact you are so motivated to producing all these quilts. Keep on inspiring us all. love what you do and have fun selecting more fabric (if only to entertain us-there now you have one more legitimate excuse to play in the fabric store.) Fun as always = still feeling green with envy..tx

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  7. I'm just like you in the fabric purchasing category....I have made myself go this entire year (2012) without purchasing fabric. It's hard to do! I love all your wonderful projects.

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  8. Just looking at your fabric stash photos made me smile, and I'm not a quilter!

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  9. I am totally in love with all your fabric! I have wanted the Bella group ever since it came out. I have plenty of time to quilt, but not enough money for fabric, so I love looking at other people's finds. I am especially drawn to the bundle from Calico and Ivy. Whatever you make from this will be stunning.

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  10. I used to be addicted to buying shoes and the high I got from a new pair. Now, it is the high I get from fabric that I am addicted to. Initially my husband thought this was a good 'swap' until he realised how much fabric one could purchase. Like you, I have so much fabric and ideas swarming in my head, but just not enough time to do it all in. I figure by the time I retire, and if I find that money is tight, I will have luckily gathered enough to keep me going. They will be vintage then and hopefully highly collectable should my tastes have changed, so I will be able to swap or sell to get the latest designs. Win win I say, hubby not convinced!

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  11. Love the Lotta! I have Bella too, and ideas for it are emerging. I was on a fabric purchase hiatus for most of this year but over the past month I have gone a bit nuts- but it was mostly for projects I have in mind. My problem now is eking out little spare bits of time to work on those projects! I am like you in taking time to finish quilts, I am working on one for Abby's birthday right now, the other three that are in my head will be the next couple of years in the making... I think they are better if they marinate longer...

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