Over the last week I've managed to find little bits of time to work in the studio. Usually about an hour or two but there has been a couple of days I never even stepped foot in here. Working out of my color pallet normally is a chore but when you all you have time for is working out of you comfort zone it's much easier. I didn't care about the colors as much as did about just getting some time to play with fabric. Lessoned learned, no more whining about color pallet, just enjoy that you have the time and fabrics to play with. Not everyone is lucky enough to have both.
I must say there is a couple of fabrics in this quilt that I still love even though they are not my typical pallet. The green one below with the gold accents is a long loved Joann's fabric from years ago. It could be the tiny yellow an red flowers that make me love it so much. Over the years it has been used in other quilts. There's still a few little scrap pieces left in the scrap bin for one last scrappy quilt.
Along with a few prints I love there are many fabrics that make me say....UGG. I wonder sometimes what I was thinking when purchasing some of the fabrics in my stash. Times were different way back then. Fabric styles have changed and so have quilt designs. Funny thing is I'm starting to see the older color pallets and styles come back around.
Most of the new lines of fabric remind me of the late 80's and early 90's pallets along with quilt panels. Panels!? Why? I suppose they are great for beginners but I've never been a big fan of them. Sure I've used a couple over the years....with regret. More often than not they are not square and give me fits of rage because of it. So I stay away from them. And when panels are the hot item it seems that novelty fabric is also popular. YUK-A DO! It's times like this when I'm grateful for being a fabric hoarder. It also frees up time. No reason to shop for fabric because there's nothing out there I want. Not even my favorite designers. Maybe this is more of a sign of my unwillingness to be trendy.
Trendy doesn't appeal to me at all. I like bright and happy colors, they make me happy. The toned down, muted and drab colors do nothing for me. And I have a ton of it already in my stash and feel no need to acquire more. I can enjoy sewing and cutting them but I don't want to purchase more. Of course I also would never turn down any should someone want to give me some. I only bring this up because I'm in a few quilters wills. One of them being my Aunts will. Her stash is full of older darker fabrics as well as a few brights.
Like I said earlier, I'm grateful to have fabric stash and finding time to play with them. Some of them hold memories good and bad. Like the green plaid in the image below. Not a good memory, and we'll leave it at that. But even a not so good memory can be a reminder of why I should be grateful for where I am or what I have today. Things could be much worse. The 1930's are proof of that. I can't image what it would be like to send Mr. Podunk to buy the right feed sacks.
Sigh....Rants are never a good thing. I've rattle on way too long, it's what came to mind as I wrote this post. The plan was to tell you a little about some of the fabrics in this quilt but it took a different path. Well that's just me, I tend to speak my mind and tell it like it is.
You have just witnessed a little of what goes on in my mind when I'm quilting. Random thoughts most of the time. But somehow it all comes together and makes sense. You see as I cut and sewed this quilt my mind was fixed on how much I disliked this darker color pallet and how I couldn't wait to finish the quilt just so it would be over. Ungrateful to say the least. Karma has a way of teaching me a thing or two. Here's a prime example. As I put the blocks and sashing on the design wall I realized the quilt just didn't feel right being all green. I needed break it up a bit with another color. Adding a cornerstone of brown could bring a little life to the otherwise drab quilt. It's going to be Mr. Podunks camping/hunting quilt, so brown would be perfect. No problem, I've a whole cabinet full of fabrics I don't really like. And look what I didn't find...
BROWN.
Oh Lea Anne doesn't like dark drab fabric. HAHAHA! Karma! That'll teach you to whine and rant about fabric. Yes my friends I was shocked at the lack of brown. In the past it was my largest hoard. I guess I used more of it than I thought. Oh my, I might need to do some shopping. I tried adding other colors as the cornerstones but they just didn't give the quilt the look I wanted. Geesh...talk about eating a bowl of crow.
Maybe my brown scrap bin will save the day? Please, please, please! I'm sorry and I'm grateful for all my fabric.
Yes!! I found a fat quarter and a few smaller scraps of this brown. I'm truly blessed to have a large stash of all colors and pallets.
Moving along my green scraps!
It's interesting how our tastes change over the years. Years ago all that was available was calico fabrics in the drab colors. I'm like you now... bring on the bright and happy! I've cut all of my reproduction fabrics up and have used a lot of them in scrap quilts to get rid of them. There will be no more of those coming into my cabinets. (I say that now, but in 20 years... who knows!) Your quilt is wonderful, by the way. Great use of off of your greens.
ReplyDeleteI understand completely what you are saying. I'm making some quilt blocks now that will become a charity quilt using these older dreary fabrics. They do look nice though when adding some dark brown. And the comforters will keep someone warm. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am the oddball as I love all fabrics old and new! All colors too, I do use older ones in donation quilts and except what others give me with open arms! I too don't make apologies for having a large stash, it's great to shop the stash and have just the right thing and not run to the stores! I like your idea of using cornerstones in this easy to make quilt.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to read your post: Yes, we probably all wonder what we were thinking when we bought some of our fabric. ;-D And your quilt will be perfect for a camping quilt: sometimes we need something that is meant to be used! Can't wait to see your next project: I love your bright and happy colors that you usually quilt in! Hugs, H
ReplyDeleteI didn't read this as a rant, I have so many of the same thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have some of those "old" fabrics, I recognize from my own stash. It will make a great camping quilt for your hunting hubby.
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