This is one of my most treasured vintage fabrics. If my craft cupboard was on fire, this is the piece I would save. I love it’s red and it’s polka dots and it’s bright happy flowers. A few years ago I used strips of it to make pincushions for my little technologists. At that time it was the red and aqua combination I was in love with but yesterday, I was drawn to the red and yellow.
I pulled red and yellow from the craft cupboard, determined to make this a stash quilt. Added a couple of pillowcases and some vintage pieces I inherited from Mum’s friend. There wasn’t much yellow so I gave in and walked down to the local quilting shop. “We don’t really have such garish colours” said the helpful lady. Garish? Really? “Maybe try Lincraft” she offered. Lincraft didn’t have garish yellows either. Nor any bright clear reds. And neither did any of the other fabric shops I visited. It really was going to have to be a stash quilt.
I’m going to brave and make something with angles – a kind of cheating hexagon quilt from the book Everyday Handmade. The quilt is called Weird Science and here’s a flowery version of it. I can see why it’s made with solids in the book (last image) – fussy cutting some of my patterned fabrics took time. But here is the first arrangement:
Just random hexagons in red and yellow and lots and lots of white. It’s supposed to be a lap quilt but it’s enormous. It covers most of the spare bedroom floor. The weather this weekend is predicted be horrible. Perfect for stitching together hexagons.
that looks like fun, great design. And what do they mean, “garish”?!!
I know – I was going for vibrant or cheerful or even sunshiney. Garish indeed!
What a stroke of luck that “garish” is in fashion at the moment! Not really a good sales technique is it?
I was horrified to see acid-toned neons at the mall yesterday. I thought we’d left those safely in the 80s!
Ok, I’ll bite. Which shops did you go to? These days I can name so many in CHC, lol.
That yellow isn’t garish (how dare they? Not good sales technique indeed!), it’s sunshiney!
I started off at Cottonfields and after Lincraft I went to Hands and Fabric Vision. What I needed was a really good garage sale!
Now I know which quilting shop you mean! I also walked down there one day through curiosity and while I was browsing I could feel several pairs of elderly eyes from behind the counter, following me round the shop. I felt so uncomfortable browing that I left.
I buy all my quilt batting from there but usually go in on Sat mornings when they are really busy so I can have a good poke around without the eagle eyes. Their fabrics are mostly very muted and traditional but they have a great selection of books and patterns.