Quilter's Academy - Volume 2 - Sophomore Year

Vol 3 - Junior Year


Friday, December 18, 2009

FABRICS

You may notice an 'interesting' selection of fabrics used in these projects.  Upon deciding to seriously follow the lessons & exercises in Harriet Hargrave's book, I realise I would be needing a fabric stash of some sort.

With a limited budget, I trudged around the fabric stores looking for whatever was on sale and I didn't totally hate.  I picked up quite a few at Spotlight @ $5 - $10 per metre and a couple at $12 per metre.  Now this is cheap quilting fabric cause the average is around $22 per metre.  Needless to day, the cheaper priced stuff is not the nicest or most popular.

The Quilted Crow supplied me with some lovely fabrics, but I only bought in small amounts.  They have packets of 10 reproduction fabrics for $15 but the fabrics are only 6" x 22".  For some patterns, this amount of fabric is enough - sadly not for any of the ones I'm doing.  Mostly these fabrics are the end of the bolt and there is no more.  So frustrating, as the repos are beautiful and my favourites.

Eddy's Sewing Centre (from where I purchased my wonderful Pfaff) has a good selection of quilting cottons and usually a selection of fabrics at 1/2 price.  I  bought a bunch of these - roughly around $5 per half metre.  Again, the fabrics on sale are the ones which don't sell well, so are not first choice fabrics.

I also purchased some fabric on-line, super cheap going for $5 per metre.  The fabric is fine, but alas, there is a problem with colours on a monitor and reality.  I bought some lovely repo fabric in green/burgandy/gold - which when it arrived, turned out to be teal/pink/gold.  Ewwwww.  I have 4 meters of this stuff - I suppose it will come in handy for backings.

For my next on-line purchase I selected a fabric I liked and emailed the site owner to suggest some co-ordinating fabrics.  Thank you Lara from http://chocolate-coated.com/ for her assistance.  The fabrics are fabulous.

Quilter's Academy has devoted a couple of chapters on fabrics - lots of hints on making the right choices.  Obviously I haven't reached that chapter yet :)

So I am making do the best I can with the fabrics I have on hand.  Most of the projects will end up being cat mats anyway, so I'm not too fussed. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Lesley
    I beg to differ and think that your Green is a perfect colour and makes a great contrast. I am a scrap quilter and follow the philosophy that if you run out of a piece of fabric there is always another that will do. I have been collecting lots of little bits for years. Must confess that with the great value of the dollar and the lack of Repro fabric supplies in Adelaide some of my dollars go overseas at the click of a button. Can afford half yards that way.
    I have not seen Harriets book but you are doing a great job.
    Cheers
    Lynne Rob's better half

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  2. Hi Lynne!
    Thanks for your comment. I suspect that I developed a grudge against this quilt top because of the problems it caused me. Maybe I will like it better once the borders are on and it's all finished.

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  3. I agree with Lynne! I think the green makes a dramatic contrast and looks fabulous. But, I know if it's not right for you-the creator, then nothing anyone says will change that. I like it though.

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