Drought
I have been experiencing all kinds of droughts lately…it’s been over a month since my last post (blog drought), I haven’t bought fabric in ages (stash drought), no sewing by hand or machine (quilting drought), haven’t had a chance to check in on others blogs for fun and inspiration (quilting community drought)…you get the picture. But, the droughts aren’t all my own. I am always looking for certain fabrics: turkey reds, poison greens, indigo blues, cadet blues, yellows, golds, cheddars, shirtings. In my opinion, there is a drought in many of these fabrics in the reproduction fabric world. Since I got back to some blog reading today I see that Quilt Market is taking place so let me place my order: all of the above and in abundance.
I like to make quilts that have blocks like this one and went to my LQS yesterday looking for some inspirational reds and greens. Nothing. I like to give my local shops the business if I can but my shops are letting me down. There are batiks, asian inspired, Kaffe (love them too) and other modern brights in all three of the shops in reasonable driving distance to where I live. Repro fabrics? Not so much. So, I went online and even then cannot find the selections that spoiled me in the past – lines like Colonies Pinks or Quaker Reds (bring them back, please!) or the Lancaster I, II and III collections. I sense I am out of the mainstream of quilting (for now) but am I really that out of touch? Did my husband talk to someone in power at the fabric manufacturers and is this just one big plot to drive me to my stash?
This quilt is one of my most recent acquisitions and its reds are still in fabulous shape. I want to make a reproduction of it so I can enjoy the fabric combinations and style without over-exposing my precious reds to the elements. You can see from my first photo in this post that I have some good turkey red prints but I am loathe to use them up. I have this desire to always keep a selection of my favorites on hand for that day when all the quilt stores are gone. Yes, I have an irrational fear of such a doomsday scenario. Plus, it is clear that I did not buy my favorites in sufficient quantity to make a quilt that is not scrappy.
The dearth of blues is what I am finding most surprising. I think I took blues for granted. After all, blue is supposed to be one of the all-time favorite quilt colors. Indigo has been around (and fashionable) for a few hundred years. I’ve been itching to make a blue and white basket quilt. I wouldn’t mind using different blues but I do want them to be of a similar color/shade/hue; i.e., look essentially the same. I can’t find them now that I want them. Note to self: cheddar has been fairly abundant lately – stock up while you can.
Relief from the sewing drought came this week in the form of this adorable design offered free to all on Cheri’s blog. I adore her little primitive style projects she posts each month but never actually got around to trying one. Until this week when I was reminded, yet again, that it is wise to take the time to do what you love. So, I cleared some space and started following Cheri’s excellent directions. I love the result. Who would have thought I would have difficulty NOT cutting off points? My version came out less spontaneous looking than Cheri’s sample. I followed her lead and included an odd bit of color in the otherwise brown quilt.
I don’t do those things like Instagram, because all they are is pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I WANT THE WORDS! I want the back story, I want to know what the quilt maker was thinking about and why she/he chose those fabrics. The current quilt magazines have lost that. I LOVE BLOGS! Keep up the blogging.
I love your quilts and all the colors you put in them. I also enjoy making quilts and other items. Please join me at http://www.sewcraftykathy.blogspot.com
what a sweet quilt. I love this touches of added color.
You are not alone in the reproduction hunt. I have 5 quilt shops within about 40 minutes of my house and NONE of them carry reproduction fabrics anymore. I was told that no one wanted to buy them anymore. Surely I am not the only person in this area that still loves CW or earlier repro fabrics.
I like to look at the other fabrics and like what others are making with them, but I don't love working with them myself.
Oh, how you crack me up! Maybe you are right – that your husband has connections in high places… So glad you got out of the quilting funk – your precious little one is gorgeous, love the colorsplash and the "awry" HST:) U
Oh! I so know about droughts LOL!!! I have been experiencing similiar droughts and have so much blog reading to catch up on, my sewing machine is lonely and so is my stash, and my blog – well, it hasn't seen any action for a while either, life sometimes just gets its own way too much doesn't it? I hope there is a change in the air soon!!!!
Glad your drought is petering out in some areas! Love turkey red and poison green and cheddar and a really good dark black print. Those are all hard to find! My LQS has always catered to the modern quilter and is a bit stingy with repros. It seems I wait for a big quilt show to find those 🙂
To stop centering text, highlight the text you want to change and then hit the drop down box for the paragraph formating (little horizontal lines). Choose the one with the left edges all aligned. Hope that makes any sense!
Great post with very thoughtful observations. None of our LQS carry repro's either. The newer collections of brights & bolds are attracting young quilters though which is a definite positive…. the next generation.
Have been picking up some cheddars myself since our recent trip to the Wisconsin Quilt Museum – an all cheddar quilt exhibit! If you get a chance drop by & check out my 2 recent posts.
As for me, I have a serious drought of time:o)
I enjoyed your post. It was worth waiting for. The stores in my area seem to be after the new quilters with bright fabrics and "easy" patterns. I'm glad there are new quilters but there are still a lot of us seasoned quilters who like to do traditional quilts. I guess you're right about the cheddars, time to stock up.
Your little quilt is wonderful! I love those little bits of color. I feel the same way as you about those favorite bits – if I use them up I can never get more :0( Your new aquisition is marvelous – those are great reds!! I often feel that I am out of the mainstream of quilting – reading your comments here reassures me that I am not alone.
Love, love your new old quilt, it would be fun to reproduce that one. My biggest problem is the cost of the fabrics is high here and when I do find good colours, I cant have everything. I noticed the range of blues are thin on the ground.
Your new little quilt looks great, I love the design.
I have been having the same problem, sure hope they make a comeback!
I'm having the same problem. Very few Civil War repro fabrics available. All my LQSs carry are batiks, novelty fabrics and a lot of the moderns. And while I like some of them, my true favourites are the repro fabrics. So, I've taken to shopping online. It's not quite as much fun as going to the store and pawing through those lovely fat quarters, but for the time being, I guess that's the best I'll get. Perhaps we should all get together and let the fabric manufacturers know we would like to have more choice in the repro fabric collections.
I so agree with you! It seems like GOOD reproduction fabric is hard to find. I do love that stuff, but looking through my stash and scraps it seems like my favorites are the older lines and it is hard to find now.
Kristie
Thanks for turning me on to Cheri's blog. I love her little quilts. Hoping your "drought" is over and you can revive your former spirit in more ways than one.
Your post made me laugh. One of my LQS used to have an entire reproduction section. They got rid of the entire thing to bring in more of Moda's "new" designers. I try to support the local quilt shops but they are not carrying what I buy.
Some of my friends tease me about mostly buying yardage (for certain colors).They buy fat quarters. I think it depends on what you want to create.
I like to reproduce antique applique quilts so I know I need yardage for vines, leaves, flowers. Plus I like borders on my pieced quilts. I prefer to make bed size quilts.
Your quilt is adorable.
I love your little quilt. I will have to try and make this one. Thanks for the source. I have felt a drought in blogland this week too…..wonder why.
Judy Hansen @
http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com
Please Taryn, when you find these fabrics will you let us know where to get them.
Hear, hear Taryn ! I agree with everything you have said but would like to add Prussian blue to the mix as well. Just can't find that fab colour anymore. The other thing is designers using antique prints but modernizing colours!! What the? By the way so glad you are back have missed reading your blog 🙂
I love your latest acquisition and hope you will show a full picture of it. I love the reds and greens and just finished piecing a close reproduction of a red, cheddar and green quilt from one of Sandi Fox's books. I have a large collection of reproduction that fabric that I've bought over the past 31 years so I usually have a good start for a quilt.
I recently traded blues for an indigo and white quilt because good dark blues are currently hard to find. I wish the fabric companies would make more Turkey reds, Prussian blues, poison greens and cheddars so I wouldn't have yo use up what I have. I just found a few more of the Quaker reds last month so keep looking and you might run across them too.
Cheri's quilt is adorable, I should whip that one up too!
love those few odd hst in there!!!
ok I am so with you on the reds/greens/ chrome yellow
I have been pleading my case too
rumor has it we will be seeing some late summer fall….
Kathie
Hi! I do sooo agree with you, it's getting really hard to find the above fabrics. And those are my favorites too!! Whenever i happen to find some on a fair, i immediately buy whatever i can… There are many shops here that specialize in reproductions, i work in one myself, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. And our shop has also run out of the cheddar, pink, chrome, poison green and red… although i have to admit, that quite a lot ended up in my own stash, haha!
Taryn, so glad you are back to your blog. I've been checking you to see what's new and glad to see you're back to posting. Hope all is okay with you and you "get your groove back!" Love the red, green and white quilts. I think I need one of those! Mary in Richmond VA
Cute post! I hope the day never comes where we can only buy from online shops. I guess the more people buy from them the harder life is for shop owners. I work in a wonderful quilt shop here in New Zealand, but we are faced with the problem of our suppliers don't always get in what we would like to stock.
I guess the true passion of quilting was born from such little choice of fabric & making do with what was in the scrap basket, we sure are spoiled now days.
The Friendship collection by Moda has some turkey reds that are really nice (would be goof for that quilt you want to reproduce.) Also Primitive Gatherings has great blues coming out this fall (also by Moda I believe.) This year at Paducah I was on a mission to find blue…repro blues. Had so great finds. Now I am looking for good shirtings….
I am buying purples in the repros because there seem to be plenty of them now and they used to be hard to find.
I love Cheri's little quilts, too, but have never actually made one. Yours looks very nice! Love the splashes of color.
I SO agree with everything you said about fabric colors. I was always afraid they'd stop printing what I use most so kept buying them, unfortunately in small pieces. I should get more cheddar while it's here, I guess. I've been looking for a good cheddar for over ten years. I'm glad I got all the fabrics I did even though I consider my stash a small one.
To stop centering – on the format bar when you're creating a new post, there's a page-looking icon 6th from the right (on mine at least). Click it and you'll get a drop down menu for justification. You can pick left rather than center or wherever you want the edges to line up. I've been using the new format for several months and like it really well, especially the photos going where I want them part!
I am glad you are back. I have a fabric collection that spans 45 years so I have hues from the past. But, my quilting interests were different then, so my choices were too. U r right on the cheddar thing. It is hard to buy fabric in case it is gone in 20 years. cause we might be gone in 20 years too..Thank goodness for the internet and for sharing tips with each other.
your post made me smile and then smile again. i love knowing there are other quilters out there with similar thoughts.:)