I call this photo “Optimism.” You see, I haven’t made a quilt in a few years, but a friend of mine just became a grandma, and I want to make a baby quilt for her adorable new granddaughter.
So I picked out the fabrics one week, pre-washed and pressed them the next, and was supposed to start sewing this week.
Ahem. Here they are, still awaiting the rotary cutter.
I’m hoping to start sewing very soon. The fact that we’re moving 4-6 weeks from now looms large in my brain. I need to start packing. But I really want to make this quilt! So we’ll see…..
Picking out the fabric was something of an experience, btw. I wanted to buy new fabric because I figured the fabrics from my stash probably look too dated for a modern baby quilt. Most of them are 10-20 years old, and I even have some stuff from the 70s. All of my stash is good fabric, tightly woven with colors that are still beautiful. Most likely, all of my fabric stash was made here in the USA.
Several years ago, I read that most of the fabric sold here in the USA these days is made overseas. Like so many other things, fabric can be produced more cheaply in other countries, so why not? That explains why it took so long for me to find the fabrics I need for this baby quilt. I learned first-hand that cheaply produced fabric is most definitely cheap. I had to reject many fabrics that were not woven tightly, or not printed very well. Even so, a couple of the fabrics I chose because I needed them color-wise are not as high-quality as I would have wished.
Today I learned that there’s a wonderful solution to this problem. One of my favorite quilt supply catalogs, Connecting Threads, has announced that ALL of the fabric they sell now is woven and printed in the USA from cotton grown in the USA. How cool is that? And the price is still $5.96 a yard….how do they do it? They say they cut out the middleman, and I’m glad they do. Wish I’d known this before I went shopping for baby quilt fabric. I have a feeling that the fabric they’re selling is better quality than the imported stuff.
Those are beautiful colors for a baby quilt, very current and bright and interesting for a baby.
My youngest daughter, 16.5yo, has become interested in quilting and made a 36 inch square quilt over the past couple of months for a friend’s baby boy. We both were a bit put off by the quality of material for the price we paid but she managed to find some to her satisfaction BUT it’s good to know of a place to purchase USA material from USA cotton. Thanks for sharing that info. I’ve bookmarked the Connecting Threads web site and plan to look at it more.
I hope your quilt turns out well for you. Blessings!
I love your color choices! Isn’t Connecting Threads an amazing store? You can’t beat their prices on quality thread either! They definitely have made quilting more affordable for me.
Pretty fabric. I wish I could sew and do stuff like that.. I am all thumbs.
I don’t know squat about fabric. But those colors are very beautiful. Is $5 and some change for fabric relatively affordable?
I’m learning that you indeed get what you pay for. Sometimes, it just pays to pay more. Case in point: children’s clothes. Sure, they grow out of them quickly, but you want to be sure that they last long enough to be grown out of, instead of falling apart after a few washings…
Whenever you do get around to making that quilt, it’s going to be gorgeous! I’m glad that I’m not the only one to have little to no motivation to sew lately. I started my daughter on a small project six months ago, and it’s still not finished. We just haven’t been in the mood to get it done!
Thanks for the link. I’ve been looking for fabric to make slip covers for furniture and have been having a tough time.
DJ(Deb), thanks! Glad you like the colors. You’ll love CT….they have great service. Nice that your dd likes quilting, too 🙂
Thanks, Janet! Yes, I especially love their thread. What a deal! I do miss all the catalogs they used to send, but I understand how expensive that is.
Kristy, it does take time to get the hang of it but it’s so worth it!
Iva, for good fabric, that’s a good price. I paid less than that for everything I’m using for the quilt. But it was hard finding the quality. As for children’s clothes, I know just what you’re saying!
Thanks, CMM, for your kind words, and also for stopping by!
Michelle, I’m not sure that CT sells much heavy fabric for furniture. Do you have a Hobby Lobby in your area? They have a lot. Also Jo-Ann (use their coupon for a good discount).
My DH was sweet enough to buy me a sewing machine a couple weeks ago when he started his new job. So far I’ve made a kid’s apron and a pillow.
I’ve got a whole bunch of projects I want to try but I’ve been a bit intimidated to start on them. It’s been almost 20 years since I did a semester of sewing as part of my jr high home ec class. That was the extent of my previous sewing experience as my mom did not have own a sewing machine when I was growing up. I got a bunch of learn-to-sew books out from the library and have been reading them.
CW, you’re going to have so much fun! Let yourself make mistakes, as it’s the only way to learn. I made so many when I started out, and I still do, but not as often 🙂
BTW, do you like sewing videos? These are good:
http://www.monkeysee.com/video/search?search=sewing+machine
(P.S. Nice hubby!)