Fabric Shopping for Quilters: Follow Your Heart
A healthy fabric stash lends inspiration and spontaneity to the quilt making process. It’s an enticing library of possibilities, right at your fingertips. In this mini series about how to build a quilter’s fabric stash, I’ve discussed the importance of color, habits and plans when making new fabric acquisitions.
Typically my fabric shopping process is indeed a thoughtful, intentional one. But not always. At times it’s good to simply be moved by the heart.
Chance Encounters
Sometimes you don’t know what you’re looking for until you see it. Keep an open mind to new shops, new designers, new colors, new forms. Take time to browse and give yourself the chance to be surprised. When something clicks, you find yourself looking once, twice and again. This lingering pull may be the spark of your next best idea.
My shopping experience typically begins with a goal or two. After deciding that I will in fact be making a purchase, I allow myself to roam in search of chance encounters that inspire.
So, for example, I first found this beautiful teal Stitch & Repeat at The Confident Stitch. It’s what I call a helpful fabric, since it is composed of one main color and will suit many projects. While adding a few more helpful fabrics to my online cart, I was smitten by these Magnolia florals by Cotton + Steel. Aren’t they stand-out lovely? I couldn’t decide between the two color palettes, so I got them both! I might use them together as feature prints to set the tone for a quilt, or let them nestle into my stash to mix with come what may. I’m so glad they crossed my path!
Persistant Attractions
If you follow other quilters on social media you are exposed to lots and lots of fabrics all the time. I follow mostly other quilters, but also a few fabric designers, fabric stores and manufacturers, so that I can see what new fabrics are on the horizon.
There is always something new and beautiful, isn’t there? That’s a good thing because it means that you don’t have to run out and buy everything lovely that you see. More likely than not, other fabric will come along that similarly delights, when the time is right for you to buy.
Still, I don’t think it’s time-wasted to pay attention to the fabrics out there. Look at what’s new and pay attention to what you love that you see others using. Some attractions will be more persistent than others, and that’s when I take a mental note.
When the time is right and I’m ordering from one of my favorite online stores, I’ll add a few favorites that have been on my radar. These are fabrics I’ve noticed again and again. That persistent attraction undoubtedly means that they will make a persistently inspiring addition to my fabric stash!
That’s what happened with the above Sun Kissed fabrics by Maureen Cracknell. I have loved this collection from its release, and that feeling hasn’t faded. Luckily Winter Creek Cloth has a nice assortment, which I added to my stash along with these versatile basics: Carolyn Friedlander Shitake Foliage and Brown Leaves, plus Zen Chic Paper Washi Zen Gray, Spotted Rose Quartz and Celestial Ledger Rose Quartz.
Stash Smart: Check Color
No doubt about it, the hardest thing about shopping online is accurately gauging the color of fabrics. Color is an emotion as much as anything else. The slightest variations in hue and intensity can change your response - sometimes in a big way.
If you’re not feeling confident about the color, I suggest that you make an internet search for the fabric by name. Toggle to the image results. Hopefully you’ll see more photographs of the fabric, ideally with other fabrics or different kinds of backgrounds. Fabrics photographed outside in natural light are usually the most true. I use this method often to check that my emotional response to the fabric is really going to be positive in person.
Here are three fabrics that I double-checked for color recently. I was looking for a dark gray, and an image search confirmed Figo Land Elements would be what I needed. As for the Spark Evening print, it’s in a category of blue-purples that’s touchy for me. Seeing more photographs was what I needed to make sure that I really liked it. Same goes for Handkerchief Melon, which could have been any range of pinky-peaches. I was glad to see that it was a salmon-y hue that hits the spot.
Checking colors in this way is totally subjective, of course. You’re not matching the color to anything, just exposing yourself to alternative images to make sure that in real life your heart will respond to the color as you hope.
How Much to Buy?
Let’s return to that tricky question - how much to buy? I’m all for being sensible and buying small cuts, but there’s also a place for going big! Sometimes I buy more yardage than usual based solely on emotional attachment. Buying twice as much as my normal cut for 1-2 stand out fabrics at a time is probably my limit. I never want to feel overwhelmed by the size of my stash, instead of inspired.
I chose 1/2 yard cuts in all the fabrics you see in this blog post, with one exception: Michael Miller Candy Bars in Multi. That’s the stripey print below with a sort of watercolor-painted feel. I got excited about this print when I imaged it sliced in strips with a cross section of the stripes showing. I think it would be super cool to punctuate a whole quilt with this repeated stripe accent, maybe with a log cabin or rail fence style patchwork.
Naturally, the colorful Candy Bars print is the perfect jump-off point to set a palette for a quilt. When all my fabrics arrived home, I played around with the idea by assembling this coordinating fabric stack. It’s made up almost entirely of new additions to my stash! But, I won’t hold myself to the idea yet. I’ve put the fabrics away to focus on the quilt that I am sewing - - - ironically, it’s from fabric scraps!
But hey, to have great scraps, you have to start with buying great fabrics.
Well, now I’ve brought you along on my shopping trips with six of my sponsor shops, all located in the United States. That alone made my trip to the USA worthwhile (wink). My fabric stash is feeling quite fancy thanks to all of these new additions! I hope that you have enjoyed this mini series, and that it gives you some tips and insights for your next fabric haul.
xoxo,
Rachel
