March 30, 2009

Baby quilt #1 & what to do with ugly fabrics...



I am going to post about this one again since something happened to the photo earlier, it somehow showed with weird colors.



Here is the exchange quilt all quilted and washed. It is as soft and crinkly as the first one in these colors.



Binding is again the funky star fabric and the backing that so many of you liked so much are again the same thrifty flannel sheets. I had enough for one more backing, so you'll see it again.

Now, how about those ugly fabrics.
I somehow became that person that inherits the fabrics from quilters that either are ready for some new fabrics or from families of pass quilters that don't know what to do with all that "treasure" , so they somehow find me. I am OK with that. Since I am student with limited budget that certainly helps to keep my creating on. It is sad sometimes to see the projects ( I found some real treasures...) that the crafter would hope will stay in the family for many many generations, bagged up in the pile of boxes to get rid off.
Well, so here is where I come in and gratefully take what is given to me and try to make the best out of it. It is the same with the this quilt and some of the quilts that will come. If fabrics are not really my style, and sometimes there is a lot of those I cut them up into strips and use them in scrap quilts.

An example: Well, purple star fabric is one of those I wouldn't normally use. I got that one from my friend Pat, she has been quilting for over 15 years and handed me the box of fabrics that she was tired of looking at. I 've used many many of Pat's fabrics in my quilts already and I still have a lot left.
You already seen it used above on the baby quilt for binding.
Look at the star fabric here, doesn't it add a little magic to the log cabin quilt (one of my WIP)?




I still have about fat quarter left. I am pretty sure it will find it's use.

How do you use fabrics you don't like? Do you throw them out? Do you give them to people like me? :)hehe
Do you have any ideas you would like to share?

PS: I understand that calling a fabric ugly is very subjective, but we all know about some, right?

6 comments:

QuiltedSimple said...

Oh wow you were busy!!!! And I didn't even get to touch my sewing machine this weekend! I try to pass on to others fabrics that I don't like anymore....or they sit and I look at them dreading using them.....funny how our tastes change over the course of just a few years.
Kris

Alicia said...

I love how the ugly fabrics come together to form one gorgeous quilt!

As for my uglies ... I only have a few true uglies, usually grabbed in my early sewing days from the sales table or an online fabric purchase that looked a lot better in thumbnail than in real life. Often they find new life as muslins, sometimes they get given to others who fit the fabric better (thinking of one soft lime green knit that found a new home - not my color!) and sometimes I let them age until the right year and pattern comes along.

Does remind me, one ASG meeting years ago we had an "ugly fabric swap" and I wound up with something like six yards of safety worker orange crinkle cotton. The hand was great but the color ... oh my. I dyed it, dyed it again, tried a darker color, and still wasn't quite happy with it. So stuffed it away until my little brother asked for a lot of fabric for something he was doing. Handed it to him and a week later found the fabric hanging off my parents' second story deck being used as a sort of cloth gymnastics rings. So that's one use for ugly fabric!

West Michigan Quilter said...

I love how these "ugly" fabrics have come together and made a really nice quilt. You are my inspiration as my tastes have changed since I first started quilting and didn't know what I was doing, and now I know (at least I will try) what to do with them. Thanks for sharing.

Kim said...

Sometimes a girl just needs to rethink the use of a fabric to make it pretty again. Chop it up small and all you see is color. I like what you did here. Another option for fabric is to tan dye it to take off the new fabric look. Helps settle down those "uglies" too. :o)

melissa said...

i love your quilt! i think it's really beautiful. you have done a great job of combining fabrics and they all look so harmonious together.

julieQ said...

Love your log cabin blocks! Very pretty...I am frequently the recipient of the "uglies"...I love them all!