Thursday, January 18, 2007


Being goofy and fun...


This is me being goofy and fun. Dh Bill got me these tights for Xmas. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do with purple and black argile leotards... but I wore them with my black silk taffeta skirt and patent leather shoes. Tanya called them my witchy-poo socks and said I belonged on Hocus-Pocus. But I had fun wearing them and I had a good day- for the most part. See what I brought home with me? Beautiful, rich browns and blues. See? It was a good day! (Just to let ya know, I am doing much better. A bit of a fever from inhaling too much...you know... and a knot still lodged in my chest, when I swallow... but I'm feeling really grand, today!) I knew I needed them for a quilt I am hoping to put together. I misguessed the amount I needed- I need 22 blues, and 28 browns. So the hunt continues. And that's the fun part. I kicked out some of these blues- decided they were too dark, and I need them as a light value.

Which brings me to a question... I've noticed lots of resolutions popping up around here, as they do each January, about no fabrics being purchased- ever again. That people have enough fabric to make quilts for the rest of their lives. How can this be possible? So, I did some deeper reading and found that most people consider the B's as acceptable purchases: Borders, Bindings, Backings. And of course, Batting. But this still leaves me in a puzzled state. I was looking through pattern books and most quilts, that I would consider making, require 10-12 yards of fabric- for the top alone! Now do you guys really have that kind of yardage in your stashes? Really? I can understand a few compulsiver shoppers out there- I have that kinda day, myself, sometimes. I was looking at my stash and I am pretty sure I am operating at an all-time high capacity, and I have maybe 5 pieces of fabric that are more than 2 yards. And very few full-yard cuts. Maybe 12. And then, do these fabrics match and go together? Would I actually put them in the same quilt? Not hardly! They are just things that I liked and had to have, but one yard of fabric seems a big investment to me. $9. So I want to spread it out and buy several different pieces instead of just one. The occasional clearance fabric thrown in - they are usually large cuts and I use them as backing. Apparently, the next time I love a particular fabric, I need to buy at least 4 yards. And I don't know if I am ready to go there! But I'll consider it. It seems to make more sense. Now, Sarah sometimes tells me that I put the most unusual colors together and that they still look nice. Well, sometimes I do just make do with what I have. I figure if it's good enough for grandma, it's good enough for me. Keeps things from going all "designer" on me. And I'll say the same thing I said last year, I enjoy buying fabric. I don't go into a quilt shop and walk out with 5 yards of fabric. That just doesn't happen. Once or twice a year I buy enough fabric- all at once- to make a quilt, but then I make the quilt and it is no longer in my stash. And I figure that if I have fabric in my stash for years... well, I expect it'll keep there as well as it does in a quilt, right? I've always considered myself to being luxuriously living, stash-wise, but apparently I have a lot to learn from some of you. But don't you think that life is already so full of guilt? Quilts I want to make for so-and-so, quilts that need quilting, quilts that need binding... I am firmly resolving to not feel guilty over quilts that haven't even jumped out of the hopper just yet!!

11 comments:

Sarah said...

I am not sure I have ever seen you in a skirt that short! Ususally the hem is down around your ankles! Glad you are recovering from your brush with death!

Miss you!
Love, Sarah

Pamela (Peni) Teel said...

Oooh...Aaaaah....lovely browns and blues.

You're right about guilt - quilts and guilt should never be combined in or out of the hopper!

Love you so, Mama

Vicky said...

Cute leggings!

I'm one of those quilters on a diet. I really need to be. I can't even venture a guess as to the amount of fabric I have, but I would think it would be in the thousands of yards. I have thoroughly enjoyed purchasing each and every inch of it, but enough is enough! So this year is devoted to seeing how much of it I can deplete from my stash! Tired of feeling guilty about the quilty stuff!

Hugs

Susan said...

I understand where you're coming from. I was a quilter long before I opened a shop - I was the FQ queen! So, now I have pieces and parts of FQ's that are OLD. I have some yardage (usually bought on sale - and most of it UGLY) and never enough background. I could make all kinds of scrappy quilts out of my stash, but not one that needed actual yardage. If only I had the TIME to work my stash down...big sigh...That's my secret dream.

Susan

His Office, My Studio said...

I am on a no buy because I have to much fabric and I am running out of storage space. I am not making many bed quilts so I have enough fabric to make wall quilts for a few years.

Love the tights and fabric!

Darcie said...

Hocus Pocus...move over Bette Midler...there's a girl named Nines that's gonna rock your world! Too cute!

Love your words of wisdom...and I'l have to side with you. I don't ever want to feel guilty about buying something quilty!

Perhaps you need to dye some fabs to go with your collection of blues and browns? Sounds like fun to me. Oooh...like mixing up potions, isn't it!

Quiltgranny said...

I am making almost all scrap type quilts these days. I've done with the two color quilts, and I am most happy to use what I've got. And, yes, I have a bunch! Look at how many quilts Bonnie can make just using the scrap bins! I generally only buy 3 yard pieces of something I love, and that would be borders. Backing are generally pieced. And remember, if you put at least 25 colors together, they will ALL match - that includes even 25 different reds. Try it! (love the socks!)

Sharon said...

I have enough fabric in my basement to make, easily 100 quilt tops (if not more)!! I have been collecting fabrics since the early 1980's when I started quilting. . .and after buying yards and yards at a time decided that I like scrap quilts more than planned quilts. Now I'm having a dickens of a time trying to get the stash under control. . .which is why I am on the NO BUY bandwagon.

BTW, I love your tights!!

Isobel said...

I knolw what you mean, Nines. I have lots of fabric but not in such large pieces. When I do get ready to do something, I don't usually have what I want to match things up so I buy some--usualy too much and then I have some left over and so it goes. I'm having a wonderful time making postcards but find that even with 1/4 yards, I get tired of the fabric before I run out of it. Perhaps I should share some of my larger scraps. Hmmmmm.....

By the way ....I love the tights!

Judy said...

When I buy for the stash, I buy half yards normally. But in the sale section I buy great fabrics for backing and borders. Backings.... I buy 5 yards each. Borders usually about 4 yards.

Now I did make myself a promise to stop buying for a few months because I have run out of space to put fabric I have soo much. I have a cabinet 6 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide and about 18" deep and it's PACKED. 2 layers deep with fabric. YES, I have that much. 4 large (queen or king size) quilts are ready to be started and I have all the fabric for them set aside and ready to go.

Shelina said...

Nines, I don't have a lot of fabric - if I feel like splurging, I might shop for the perfect fat quarter to add to my stash with my 40% coupon. But some people have big stashes. I have decided I don't want a stash. So I am trying to use up fabric I have at home. I can make scrappy quilts, since I don't have big pieces either. If I want to buy fabric, it has to be for a quilt I am going to make right away - not for something that I might never get around to making.