You guys! There’s so much I want to chat with you about. Going weeks without much crafting makes my head spin with new ideas for projects and BIG thinking about what it means for me to make stuff. Well, okay, I’m also getting myself all worked up about the world in which we make stuff. Someday I’ll end up spilling here and piss off a buncha folks, but for now let’s keep it safely about me.
Here’s a radical notion: I don’t want to buy quilting fabric anymore.
I know. Right? We’re still looking for signs of alien abduction over here.
I find myself continuously angry at the industry. We’ll save those issues for later. More than that, though, I am continuously angry at myself because I can’t bring myself to use the contemporary quilting fabric yardage that I own. It’s not hoarding. I just know that I don’t design naturally with these prints in amounts more than a small scrap each. Yes, they are beautiful fabrics and I covet them all, but they are not me.
Okay. The exception is classic French country style in reds and whites: yarn dyes, linens, well-worn dusty reds and creams that are made more than amazing only with roosters. Every time there’s a new line from French General, I shove aside the prints and invest in the classy solids, neutral plaids, and heavier wovens. And I mean invest. These are not cheap fabrics; they are high-quality greige goods and the price reflects this.
And I’ve never sliced into them.
So imagine me in my quiet local T*rget on the day the zig-zags happened. After filling up on zig-zag presents for friends far and wide, I ran into these cotton/linen tea towels (the towels are available separately). For less than $30 I got 8 towels and in less than an hour I had a quilt top I’d always imagined making with those fabrics stacked above.
The quilting took a long time because it was tedious. A tight 1″ diamond lattice takes a long long time and just enough concentration to be horrific. The results are kinda almost worth the pain, however.
There was also RealJob and SmurfFest2011 and the quilt just sat there on the machine patiently waiting to be finished. Oy.
The result does not disappoint me. It’s incredibly tactile with all the nubbly natural raw wovens and it will be durable.
I think I just made this winter’s couch snuggler.
The Details:
Design: super simple use of fabrics on-hand
Materials: cotton/linen tea towels, cotton yardage for backing, osnaburg cotton for the binding
Techniques: machine pieced, machine quilted, hand bound
Size: 58″ x 64″
Started: September 5, 2011
Finished: October 10, 2011
completely cauchy. 
Your quilt is brilliant I tell you!! I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around the quilting cotton business as well. They need to sloooow the eff down!! It’s too much for our poor planet.
i LOVE IT. the simplicity, the stripes, the text, the use of the towels. and i’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the quilting industry, too– chatting with you on twitter about it gave me a lot to think about.
WHOA. C, this is … WOW. Words fail – fantastic? wonderful? gorgeous? inspiring? Yes, all of that, and more.
Beautiful quilt, I’m a sucker for French General fabrics too, they are just so tactile! I’m always in awe at your patience with the quilting, that’s the only bit I could take or leave in the quilt making process :-) The Flickr Stash Pact has permanently changed my approach to fabric buying, I can’t imagine buying for the sake of saving a couple of quid in a sale, or just because I need a quick cheer up fix. This might sound ridiculous, in the end the actual sewing is more satisfying than the fabric shopping. More power to you!
This quilt is awesome! I love the design, the use of a non-traditional fabric source, colors, quilting, everything. Your creativity knows no bounds! And I’m sure I’m not the only one who would welcome your thoughts about what creating means to you as well as the world in which we practice our craft. Have a good one!
I totally had the same idea for those towels!! This looks great! I have them in my kitchen and bathrooms. I may go buy some more today.
Oh, so wonderful. I picked up a stray cotton napkin from the clearance pile the other day. Even though I use cloth napkins every single day, the reason I picked this one up was as an addition to my little (though now a bit larger and brimming with possibility) (thank you) fabric stash.
This is breathtaking. Wish I could come snatch it away – just gorgeous.
Love the quilt immensely and I too share your angst. Let’s look at the real roots of quilting here and what primarily used to be used – old clothes, scraps of fabric, sheeting, ANYTHING that these olden day quilters could get their hands on was used – because of necessity and resourcefulness. This, for me, (and of course, not everyone will agree) is what quilting is about – using what you have to hand and being resourceful with your materials – not going out and purchasing the latest designers’ range (not that I am saying there is anything wrong with doing that either). Sometimes, I think we need to take a step back and take a look at what’s going on and decide whether that’s really where we should be heading.
Anyway, just my small amount of input on the subject :)
I agree with this, and the general sentiment of the post so much it’s difficult to put into words.
I often feel sick after spending a lot of time online and in stores because of the marketing, volumes of stuff, over kill etc. It can truly turn me off of quilting for awhile.
and it makes me sad that i can really like a piece of fabric, wait a few months until i can save for yardage and then never see it again.
I love the whole story, and the Quilt, because it’s so different.
I have seen quilts that use the modern fabrics really well, but too often I’ve seen the reliance on the cute pattern of a fabric make a quilt just ho-hum. Anyway, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. This tea towel quilt? I LOVE IT. Beautiful!
Great quilt! Yes – it does seem crazy that pre-made items/towels can cost less than raw fabric!
I also need to do some evaluation of what I like to buy/collect vs. what I like to use – it’s hard. I am definitely a “supporting prints” person – also a “nearly mono-chromatic” person. Good for you for figuring your preferences out.
Curious to hear your thoughts on the industry – I haven’t been quilting long, but there does seem to be such a push push push on the internet – that is not what I encounter in local shops though.
This is why I have to read you. So many people are afraid of being honest for fear of offending others. Let’s just be real, please. After all, you’re just talking about yourself, not telling others what to do. I want to hear more. And, I appreciate you stretching my brain.
This latest work is inspiring, and as always, you encourage me to think about my actions. I always find inspiration when I come to visit your space. I seriously love this quilt.
Now I wish there was a Target here to go and get me some of those towels. I love the idea of using found fabrics as opposed to the proper quilting fabrics. £30 for a jelly roll that is sitting there because honestly, it needs something more *me* for me to make it into something. Once again, you are an inspiration!
I absolutely agree with you regarding contemporary quilting fabric yardage. I love to quilt, and have quilting since I was seventeen. For those of us keeping score, I’ve been doing this for fourteen years. However, in that time, I’ve never been that attracted to the enormous, nearly novelty prints that seem to dominate contemporary quilting fabric lately. Manufacturers have gotten stuck on designer names and pretty images, forgetting that usability is key.
Yes, I love my pretty fabrics, but I also know that I’m more included to use smaller prints that are tone-on-tone in nature, because I almost always design on a smaller scale. For this reason, I limit myself to purchasing those types of fabric, occasionally dipping my toe into the big prints, but only if I have a reason for them. My stash, as a result, is highly versatile, and not nearly as big as it could be. I can honestly say that the last large quilt that I made was completed entirely from stash, including the backing, and that the top currently awaiting completion was also entirely from fabrics that were sitting on my shelves.
Really, it boils down to the fact that I want my skills as a piecer and quilter to be what shines – not necessarily my ability to buy attractive fabrics.
I’d love to hear your comments about the fabric industry. I too have a lot of stash that makes me wonder what I bought it for in the first place. I need to stop buying prints, but I sometimes can’t help myself! I am starting to get old clothes at the thrifts stores and doing my own dyeing. The old fabrics have the advantage of being so soft and comfy. Oh, and I agree about the French General fabric, it’s really lovely, but I also love your tea towel quilt!
I love it so much – I’m a huge French General fan(I got to meet Kaari once too!)
I would love to have you rant more…. you always get me thinking about things I wouldn’t normally ponder. I feel like you are my little bit of brain-atrophy prevention. So thanks for that :)
xoxo
Beautiful quilt! I completely understand what you’re saying about the industry. I’ve been feeling the same way lately. Fabric seems to be so much more expensive, however the quality is much less desirable. I always feel fabric at the quilt shops that I visit and I’m just not feeling that soft, cotton quality anymore. Such a shame. The rate in which the various designers are cranking out fabric has my head spinning. I would rather have a beautiful, quality line of fabric come out rather than just quantity. There ya go……two cents thrown in. Again, your work is lovely as usual.
There is so much here that you are saying (and just alluding to) that resonates with me. i need to knock it off with the quilting cottons too.
I know what you mean about quilting fabric. I love it all, but its hard for me to know what to do with it sometimes. I seem to work better with scraps as well.
i like this a lot. and i like that you used unconventional materials. and i think that if i ever finish my mini quilt and head down this road again, i might do the same (use unconventional sources, not copy you). (i saved a pair of old worn out off-white linen pants for just that purpose).
also, can i just say that i’m so sick of pink as a dominant color in so many of these quilting cotton lines? i hate pink!
The diamond quilting is wonderful, and the design so inviting and friendly. It really is a wonderful success. Genius in it’s discipline and simplicity. I sometimes find myself fighting the urge toward complexity, just to amuse myself. It’s great to have examples where the bold stroke and clear vision are so striking.
Like greycatquilts, I buy fabric because I think it will be useful. I never design in order to feature a print because that stuff is all fashion anyway. It’s cute and adorable now, but it’s not timeless. The amount a print seems fresh and exciting is directly proportional to the speed and extent to which it will seem dated. I think it’s great for a quilt to have a sense of time and place, but I have a feeling that’s not how most people think about it.
I’ve had a few projects that use large scale prints that I’ve been very happy with, but the design always comes first and the fabric serves the design.
I admire your resourcefulness and just love your quilt. Because of the expense of many new fabrics I’ve been looking at repurposing things I already own or things I’ve loved. Like my childhood bedroom curtains or a skirt my Mum wore in the 70s. It makes what you create mean so much more. I like the look that secondhand and vintage fabrics give sometimes too. I’m not saying I don’t ever buy new fabric but I do like to try and reuse when I can.
……and don’t hold back I’d love to hear what you think :)
What a great looking quilt! And I love how you are always challenging me to think about my crafting and whether it is truly an expression of myself. I, too, would be interested to hear your thoughts about the quilting industry.
Huh, yeah. I’ve also mostly stopped buying quilting fabric. (It was all impulse buys for me… even buying it with a project in mind was pretty impulsive.) My little apartment is not getting any bigger and I am not finding any new uses for big flowery prints even though I love them. I bought a six-month membership to one fabric club and even that modest stash influx each month has started to feel overwhelming.
What motivated me to knock off the stashing was watching people document their wardrobes through Self-Stitched September—made me think about what are practical things to do with fabric that I would get joy and use out of, and putting together a more versatile collection of well-made clothing instead of e.g. another set of Anna Maria Horner pillowcases. I love to sew too much to do it any less, but maybe some quilty energy and excitement can get translated into sewing clothes that actually fit my unevenly-shaped-and-scuffed-up body.
p.s. that French General stack is a thing of beauty. Those textures!
I buy prints but all my favorite quilts are made of solids. I have some crate and barrel tea towels though that I always thought I would cut up but after seeing this maybe they need to be left whole
LOVE IT! Total quilt envy over here. If you ever get tired of it, it would be perfect for my bed in my white and red room ;)
LOVE LOVE LOVE….it’s the whip!
gorgeous quilt! reminds me of utility quilts made out of sugar sacks. I keep buying fabrics and I already have waaaaay too much. keep telling myself I’m going to stop and then I see some new Halloween novelties and there go my good intentions…
I love this so much it’s frightening me.
i love the simplicity and especially the texture in this C. i can imagine the comforting weight of it too.
oh i really love this!! reminds me of a quilt i saw in a japanese quilting magazine once. amazing how the simplest fabrics make the most stunning quilts. i’ve actually come to a very similar conclusion about not buying quilting cottons. not so much because of anger with the industry but because my purchasing of it vastly outpaces my ability to use it. i feel like i already have enough to last six lifetimes. no need to keep adding to the pile.
Yay, I can’t wait for the spilling and the pissing of of folks! You can’t beat a good rant! Bring it on…
Love the quilt.
love it.
You amaze… and educate me all at once. Love the quilt/couch snuggler :) I recognized it right away as I bought the tea towel with the whisk design and really like the feel of it.
Why buy quilt fabrics when you can buy tea towels from your friendly big box store? :) Seems like a reasonable trade-off.
Post like this are the reason I stalk your blog. You are always inspiring me to think outside the box and to take a different avenue of thought, when creating. Your quilt is beautiful and will absolutely make a wonderful couch snuggler!
Your quilt is brilliant and it has lit a light bulb in my head. I will certainly be looking at tea towels in a whole new light.
Stashpact2011 has been good.
I’m still using fabrics scraps from stuff I made back in the 1970s. Yeah, when you cut it up small, who would ever know?
I love the feed/sugar sack look of this quilt.
It all looks so tactile-ly wonderful!
I’m chompin’ at the bit about what you’re going to do with all that gorgeous red fabric now that you’ve tested the waters with the towels.
Fantastic and innovative! I’d love a snuggler for the couch like that too!
I’ve been collecting red fabrics for ages, to make a red and cream quilt….still collecting and dont like many of the fabrics any more. What to do? Maybe I should cut it up small like Lynne said???
Think I’ll check out my local T*rget too. They would make great quilts for my boys (men actually these day, 26 and 23, but they still dont mind using their quilts to keep warm and snug on the couch).
Brilliant post and thanks for sharing..
Jacky xox
I totally agree. I like using solids and use a lot of sheets from the thrift store as well as old fabric from auctions my dad goes to.
I fall in love with these designer fabrics but then it’s too much pressure to cut into them, and I feel like they already did all the smart creative stuff, and I’m just sewing together.
I’m sure other people can retain their voice while using fancy schmancy fabrics, but it’s hard for me!
Also, I am a CHEAPSKATE.
Have to laugh, in a way — I NEED the tea-towels LOL so will go check them out. We only use these kind of tea-towels, and use a lot of them, so they do not last forever. Decent ones are hard to find, even in Europe these days — the “only llinen” ones used to last forever, and get a silk patina. But they are just about impossible to find.
I love the “cough snuggler” — it has your name on it!
On the other topics — I’ve gotten to be like this now with my knitting stash. I’m going to give a ton away — my color tastes are changing, and I’m tired of looking at nice yarn in the stash but saying “don’t want to use that today”. Also, some of the the things I’m not using were bought online, where the colors sometimes just aren’t “true to life.” Sigh.
This came out gorgeously! I love how simple yet complex it looks. Lovely!
Whenever i visit you over here, I leave with food for thought. I adore modern prints myself, but cannot believe the volume of them, nor the emphasis by retailers for me to purchase an entire line- be it in a jelly roll, FQ stack, or whatever.
The fabrics we use in our quilts are the narrative, plot, place, and the characters of the story. Each fabric has the potential of carrying so much meaning or NOT – especially if it’s the most recent color coordinated fabric line out by the latest crafty pop designer.
Most of it is just not me, either, and I prefer working with other types of fabrics instead. I have bought some quilt fabric, but on the whole it just sits there, not inspiring me.
I was out in civilization earlier this week, however, and stopped in at T*rget, where I hunted down and purchased some of those towels for my kitchen! Thanks for letting me know about them.
shazzzzaaammmm! word!
I just think it’s fun to find alternatives to the astronomically priced quilting cottons. I made a quilt from napkins I found at Tuesday Morning a couple of months ago. Just knowing I had so little invested made it easy to start cutting.