Two Bags Full

One thing about being a seamstress/quilter/crafter, is when anyone offers you free fabric you take it.  Doesn't really matter what it might be, you haul it home.  I was gifted a couple of bags of fabric recently and brought it home, like a stray dog or cat, to take up residence.  

One of the pieces was about three yards of this...

Not sure what I could do with it and then it hit me!  I don't have curtains in my room and the green in the pattern matches the green of my walls.  My window in my bedroom is long and narrow, horizontally.  I really didn't want curtains to block out the east light completely, but needed something over the bare window.  

So with a few thumbtacks and about 10 minutes, it was hung over the window.

As Savvy says, very 'bohemian', a look I was going for.  Free and pretty are a great combination any day.

There are several pieces of upholstery fabric which I will hold onto to make bags or journal covers.  And a couple of pieces which might be turned into a Victorian-looking suit for cosplay.  The colors don't thrill me, but a package of dye might solve that problem.  And a lot of 'silky' fabric.

This is what I have planned for these two pieces.  And the lighter piece is about 5 yards, so I have plenty to then do this...

Out of some of the other pieces, I will make Savvy some little tees to wear with slacks and skirts, under a jacket or sweater, for work.

The downside to all this generosity is I now have several additional projects on my list.  And now I really want a serger for the seams on the tops, to make them more polished looking.  

I was strong and sorted out the fabric I don't want.  Now I have about half a bag to take to the thrift store for someone else to take home. 

So I am off to rearrange my project pile to accommodate the new projects.

Mystery Quilt and Stash Enhancement

I have committed to a friend to do the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt this year.  One, because wherever KE leads, I just need to follow.  Second, it's based on Italy!  Italy...what could be wrong with a quilt based on one of my favorite countries.  So I am batik seeking.  I decided I would do it in batiks.

So the grey to the far right is my 'constant'.  Then I have my golds and I need some more black.  I have discovered one problem with my batik plan is the fluctuation in tones throughout the fabric.  So I will probably get a bit more fabric than called for by Bonnie Hunter in order to do a bit of picking and choosing for the correct look.  Now I need to get 1 more yard of blacks, some brick red and the biggie - whites.  And not just any whites.  This may be an issue too.  But I'm up to it.  KE also said I could come raid her stash and she has a stash very raidable!

In addition to the gold and black I picked up yesterday, I also found a couple of fabrics on the clearance table.

I have to double check, but I think the far left piece is part of a collection I have some fabrics to already.  And the smaller flower matches pretty well.  With them being on the clearance table I was 'forced' to buy a yard of each.  Twist my arm why don't you!

Now I need to start thinking about what colors I want for a quilt if I get accepted for the Bee Hive Swap 2016.  I'm thinking bright!  Purple and yellow maybe?   Those should be fairly easy for people to get their hands on.

I'm a Winner!

I follow Vicki Welsh at Field Trips in Fiber.  She is so talented with her hand-dyed fabrics and quilts and fused glass and....well, there is just not anything she isn't great at.  But I won a fat quarter of her fabric last week (and sorry that it took so long to post about it).

It was great walking out to the mail box and coming back in with a lovely card and this great little package inside.

I braved the single digit temperatures in order to photograph this in natural light, by the way.  It's a lovely blue/green.  I can see going a little fussy cutting in order to utilize the wonderful right corner of this piece.  Right now I am leaning toward making it into a compass rose or center medallion paired with a red (leaning toward the maroon side) or yellow (leaning toward gold side) batik.  I am going to tack it up and think about it as I want it to be a featured fabric and don't want to waste it.

Such a lovely way to start out the holiday season, don't you think?

"Joy"

Like I need MORE projects, I signed up at The Sewing Palace for this year long MODA U class.  The pattern we are using for this class is called "Joy" by Whirligig Designs.  This is the pattern we are using....

Of course, I have to be difficult different.  So I am going with a 'reversed' design in coloring.

And it is all because of this fabric, "Autumn Harvest" by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning Fabrics. 

Isn't it yummy?  I wanted to use all of this fabric that I could in the quilt, so I demanded decided I would go with this as my background. Not only were the colors luscious, but with the circles it brought out my love for mandalas/compass roses. This is the remainder of the fabrics I picked out.

From left to right, Dit-Dot by Jason Yenter for In the Beginning, Acacia by Tula Pink are the Racoon and the circles.  The rest is back to Autumn Harvest by Jason Yenter.  So I have 2 lights, 2 mediums (I am considering the fans medium) and then 2 darks and my background.  (I am proud of myself I remembered to jot down the fabrics I am using for the posting.)  On the pattern, I have to remember to reverse the fabrics when they specify light and dark.

Crazy, right!  I may have made the biggest design errors in selecting what I did, but I was going with my gut on this.  I just wanted these fabrics and I may be making the craziest quilt around, but right now I am happy with my choices.

This is what block 1 looks like.

It is definitely not a QUIET quilt by any means.  I can't wait to see how this quilt goes together over the next year.  I am so jazzed about it I just want to start cutting and sewing on it, but I will be a good girl and stay with the class on this one.  

It does bring "Joy" to my heart to see it and I guess that is all that matters.