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F is for fabric!
The definition of a quilter in the dictionary should include, "loves fabric".
We love to look at fabric. We love to touch fabric. We love to buy fabric. We love to cut up fabric and then sew it back together. We are what's called Fabricholics.
Almost every quilter I know has a stash of fabric, because we love to buy it. Sometimes we buy it because we have a project for it and sometimes we buy it because we just like it and have to own it. Some of us display it proudly and some of us squirrel it away in drawers, in plastic bins, under the bed and in closets.
None of us want to think about how much money we have spent developing our stash!
Something that non-quilters might now know is that stashes need to be managed. How do we manage our stash? We do it by organizing and folding and refolding, especially when we are done with a project. We also make an assessment from time to time. This is when we realize that there may be holes in our fabric collection, whether it be a color or pattern. This gives us another good excuse to buy more fabric. After all our stash is our palette.
I spent this week "managing" my stash.
Messiness, fabric on the floor and bulging shelves were a few of the motivators. It is rewarding to see my fabric organized and neatly folded.
It is not a big stash. I have seen much bigger, (not to mention any names my dear friend S).
And it's not a small stash.
As written in Goldilocks & the 3 Bears, it's just right for me.
But that will not prevent me from buying more.
So, F is for fabric.
I started with a low contrast printed piece of fabric.
Then I used my printer to print the word "fabric" in a contrasting color,
over and over again in many different fonts,
just like there are many different types of fabric.
After printing, I layered it with a low loft batting and quilted it.
The quilting obscures the words somewhat and that makes it a happy little surprise, once it is noticed.
Then I used my favorite sequins in chartreuse to decorate a large applique F (for fabric!!)
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How do you "manage" your stash?
Or don't you?
Very cool! I love the way you took an unexceptional print fabric and made it sublime!
ReplyDeleteThat is a really fun piece, creative idea.
ReplyDeleteI have shelves in my room and I organize it by types, then I make a mess of it again, lol.
Debbie
I went on a fabric diet for 3 1/2 years, in order to tame mine to a more manageable level. I keep most of mine in drawers in the closet in my sewing room, though I do have a couple of bins for the excess. A couple of months ago I went through every piece, sorting out the ones that I no longer wanted and folding the others more uniformly. I tied some fabrics that I coordinated for specific projects that occurred to me as I folded, using a strip from my scrap bin to bundle them so that they are ready to go when the whim strikes me. I shared the rejects with my friends in my local guild, as some of them have generously done with the pieces that they don't want any more. Now that my diet is over, I buy for special projects or to fill "holes" where I've used up a certain color or type of fabric.
ReplyDeleteI don't but I need to! You have got me thinking that I need to clean up my stuff!
ReplyDeleteAt first I didn't realize those were sequins. I like how you printed the word "fabric" on the background, very cool.
Your hard work paid off. Your stash looks beautiful! I love your block and those flower sequins too! Now you are all ready for your next project.
ReplyDelete