I love quilting cotton, and that love runs the gamut of manufacturers and modern designers. I am also a stasher. I applaud quilters who buy material for particular projects, but I like to be able to start something new whenever I want to without running to a quilt shop or placing an order online. The downside of this stashing philosophy is there are times when it feels as if my real hobby is fabric collecting and quilting is my way of justifying my fabric purchases!
But I do use my stash, and it’s all for sewing, not just admiring. Whenever I am considering a project, I start with what I already own and try to purchase only if I need to flesh out a palette or meet a particular pattern’s fabric requirements.
This week I placed an order with Sew Lux Fabric for eight yards of fabric. That’s a decent-sized order for me! The main objective was to purchase a selection of Starry, a new collection from Alexia Marcelle Abegg of Ruby Star Society (see pic, below). I’m making a rainbow quilt that requires seven different colors. I purposely selected eight colors so I would have a little wiggle room in homing in on the final seven. Now I’m thinking I should have added a ninth, just to be on the safe side. (Could another fabric purchase be on the horizon?!)
The way I see it, there are two issues with online fabric purchases. First, it’s easy to end up with fabric that looks a little different in person, thanks to discrepancies in monitor settings and such. (Often I’ll purchase multiple cuts, especially of solids, to account for this. Now, that’s a fast way to grow your stash!) Second, is the shipping. I am known to add to my cart willy-nilly to reach a free-shipping threshold. In the case of my Sew Lux order, I added four additional cuts not because I was going to get free shipping but because I knew I would be paying for shipping, so I thought, Hey I might as well stuff my package with more fabric. Below you’ll see two cuts from Tomato Tomahto by Kimberly Kight/Ruby Star Society, a pale floral from Basic Grey’s Cider collection, and a dark navy floral from Fancy That’s Songbook line. I know I can easily put the flower prints to good use, but I have no idea what I’ll do with the tomatoes yet!
Do you have a stash, and if so, what is your philosophy to what you buy and what you don’t? And do you have any favorite websites for fabric purchases? I have a quilt shop about 25 minutes from me, so when I need to buy fabric—especially solids—I try to start there. I found Sew Lux about two years ago. Chrissy and Linda stock a great array of fabrics and a ton of my beloved Moda. Their response to emails and their processing of orders are super quick. I highly recommend the site!
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I stash solids. Prints are more like scraps to me unless I'm buying for a particular project. I know that makes me weird, but it's what works best for me!
ReplyDeleteAnd the new starry prints are so fun. I look forward to seeing 7 of them put to use in your new project. :)
DeleteI have to say, my fav place to buy these days is GE Quilt Designs--Gudrun puts together "stash builder bundles" that include 12 coordinating prints, half yard each. Just add blenders from your collection and a quilt is ready to be made!!!
ReplyDeleteI order mostly overseas (from the US) because even with shipping and occasionally customs it is cheaper and I have a lot more variety. I mostly order from Fat Quarter shop because shipping costs are high and I need a shop that carries all/most of my wishes. I also mostly stash and put a quilt together from what I have. I just love to mix designers and collections. Sometimes I order specifically but then that is mostly solids (Kona I order in Germany) or something urgent I order/find here. Have fun with your rainbow stars! xo
ReplyDeleteLike you Michelle, I like to pull from my stash when I am inspired to start something new. In fact, I always seem to start a quilt with an inspiring fabric and not a design or pattern.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle! I don't have any quiltshop around. So I have to order most of my fabric on line. I don't place an order if I don't have a specific need, but like you I usually add to the order, either to reach free shipping or to make the shipping cost worth it. Living in mainland Europa, I don't have that much choice for online shopping either. Brexit made th UK shops less attractive for us, but I can still order in the Netherlands, France or Germany...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fabric. I usual bought most of my fabric online but having moved recently has made me realised how much I already have... so I've been thinking twice about ordering even more....
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