No one has ever accused me of liking boring colors! That occurred to me as I walked past my table this morning. It is piled high with the Cool Jazz quilt, which is now quilted and waiting for binding, my Treadle On hearts quilt, which I'm putting a sleeve on, and the backing for my Triple Star quilt, which I was measuring, getting ready to stitch. It's certainly a cheerful sight to start the day.
I think every quilter has a favorite "genre" of fabric, the one they are automatically drawn to. For me, it's certainly bright and colorful fabrics, jewel tones, brights, batiks, and so on. Some lucky people can focus on their favorites and pretty much ignore other types of fabric, unless they are making a quilt for a specific purpose.
I thought about this the other night at quilt guild. One of our members, who also loves brights, brought in a beautiful quilt made in pastels. It was a gift, made to suit the colors of the recipient. Another guild member loves Civil War repros, to the extent that she has gotten rid of most of her other fabric.
In a way I'm envious. It must be nice to know your focus and be able to pick fabric that always goes together. I'd certainly have less fabric if I didn't love all of it. But while colorful fabrics are my favorites, how could I live without all the other fabrics I love. The subtle colors and prints of Civil War repros, the cheerful pastels of 30s repros, the graphic impact of black and white, the possibilities of floral and landscape fabric, the whimsy of novelty fabrics.
No, I just can't do it. It would be like going to a buffet and only eating steak. I enjoy steak, but I want some vegetables and shrimp and potatoes and cake and..... You get the picture.
I am excited that I finished the quilting on Cool Jazz last night. I decided to stick with the same quilting I'd done in the center sections, since anything more elaborate really wouldn't show up against the print fabric in the border. I've decided to quilt the Triple Star next, since it's the largest and will take a little longer – I'm starting to worry about time as the show gets closer. I did a test swatch last night with the design I want to use, so just need to try it again with the thread I picked out to make sure it will work. So, I just need to get it pinned (my least favorite part) and I'll be ready to go.
Time to get busy. More later.
