Now we have quickly moved into Monsoon Season. This is the time of year when I live on a lake. My backyard typically floods a little when the rain is consistent and heavy like it was last night and is today. Landscaping is on hold until next week. It's all good. The plants, bushes and trees are very thirsty. They appreciate the drink. I appreciate the cooler temperatures.
As Edith alluded in her comment on the previous post, it's true I have an eclectic fabric stash. The main reason are the words, "Sure, I'll take that fabric!" when offered a box, bag or trunk full of free fabric.
It started innocently enough about 15 years ago when a friend called asking if I wanted some fabric. Mary was in the habit of stopping by her local WalMart where they carried drapery weight seconds for $1/yard. She must have been in her English Floral period because many if not most of the fabrics were florals; like 8-10 yards of florals. I happily took them all off her hands. At the time I thought I would use them to redecorate the house I shared with my former husband. Yea, that didn't happen. He didn't like English Florals. I still have some of them but a good portion have or will become community quilts.
The second call came when she cleaned out her nursery prints. She was working in an office and stitched a few nursery sets as gifts. Next thing she knew she was getting orders for nursery ensembles. So she started stock piling WalMart $1/yard decorator prints again. Tons of pink, blue and lavender prints filled 4 or 5 huge tubs. Young mothers' tastes changed and no one wanted the traditional colors so Mary wanted to clear out her sewing space. Enter me.
During that time I also bought fabrics but they were mainly quilting cottons. Nothing anywhere near the amount Mary gave me though. I did buy decorator tropical prints for house decorating. One piece, a red floral, did not get used in the original intent and I have about 4 bolts of it. So that is always on the short list to be used although it's rotation seldom happens.
Then Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. Mary's house flooded. Her sewing room and supplies were on the 2nd floor and were unscathed. But, she & her husband had to evacuate for a total home renovation and she decided all the fabric was leaving too. Between me and the local quilt guild we cleaned her out. She was very generous and I made 2 or 3 trips with my SUV packed solid bringing fabric and supplies back to my studio.
This trip was mainly quilting cottons and flannel. She bought a large cache of trendy cotton offcuts from her nail stylist who cut clothes for a small local children's manufacturer. Those were included & she threw in applique blocks, some lingering decorator prints, buttons, books and any other miscellaneous supply that looked handy. There were no strings attached. I've sold some of it but mainly I am using it for community quilts.
Last month my neighbor who works for an estate liquidation company came over with 8 bags of decorator fabrics for me. And, the sewing group from church regularly gets boxes of donated fabrics from deceased estates. While most of it is usable, it's mainly dated and unacceptable for the group's projects. I usually bring it home. So you can see. Once the word is out I will take fabrics for my community projects, it just shows up! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
I haven't bought new fabric in 10 years; easily. I have bought thrifted fabrics, home decorating, & clothing items for their fabric that I have & will use in projects. I don't have a sewing budget that allows me to buy yardage off a bolt. I enjoy working with an eclectic collection of fabrics. This year I have really started pushing the design ideas with simple layouts but letting the fabrics play together for fun quilts.
I'll go on record saying: No one has ever returned a quilt because of the fabric. 😎The advantage of distributing my quilts through the Houston Furniture Bank is the parents choose the quilt for their child so the final decision is on them instead of me. It gives me 100% creative space to design as I want. It really doesn't get any better than that!
Last night I was able to snap this picture of the 3 quilts rolled on my longarm. I'll be trimming and binding them today. What a fabulous process to get quilts finished and into the hands of families making their houses homes.
As Edith alluded in her comment on the previous post, it's true I have an eclectic fabric stash. The main reason are the words, "Sure, I'll take that fabric!" when offered a box, bag or trunk full of free fabric.
It started innocently enough about 15 years ago when a friend called asking if I wanted some fabric. Mary was in the habit of stopping by her local WalMart where they carried drapery weight seconds for $1/yard. She must have been in her English Floral period because many if not most of the fabrics were florals; like 8-10 yards of florals. I happily took them all off her hands. At the time I thought I would use them to redecorate the house I shared with my former husband. Yea, that didn't happen. He didn't like English Florals. I still have some of them but a good portion have or will become community quilts.
The second call came when she cleaned out her nursery prints. She was working in an office and stitched a few nursery sets as gifts. Next thing she knew she was getting orders for nursery ensembles. So she started stock piling WalMart $1/yard decorator prints again. Tons of pink, blue and lavender prints filled 4 or 5 huge tubs. Young mothers' tastes changed and no one wanted the traditional colors so Mary wanted to clear out her sewing space. Enter me.
During that time I also bought fabrics but they were mainly quilting cottons. Nothing anywhere near the amount Mary gave me though. I did buy decorator tropical prints for house decorating. One piece, a red floral, did not get used in the original intent and I have about 4 bolts of it. So that is always on the short list to be used although it's rotation seldom happens.
Then Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. Mary's house flooded. Her sewing room and supplies were on the 2nd floor and were unscathed. But, she & her husband had to evacuate for a total home renovation and she decided all the fabric was leaving too. Between me and the local quilt guild we cleaned her out. She was very generous and I made 2 or 3 trips with my SUV packed solid bringing fabric and supplies back to my studio.
This trip was mainly quilting cottons and flannel. She bought a large cache of trendy cotton offcuts from her nail stylist who cut clothes for a small local children's manufacturer. Those were included & she threw in applique blocks, some lingering decorator prints, buttons, books and any other miscellaneous supply that looked handy. There were no strings attached. I've sold some of it but mainly I am using it for community quilts.
Last month my neighbor who works for an estate liquidation company came over with 8 bags of decorator fabrics for me. And, the sewing group from church regularly gets boxes of donated fabrics from deceased estates. While most of it is usable, it's mainly dated and unacceptable for the group's projects. I usually bring it home. So you can see. Once the word is out I will take fabrics for my community projects, it just shows up! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
I haven't bought new fabric in 10 years; easily. I have bought thrifted fabrics, home decorating, & clothing items for their fabric that I have & will use in projects. I don't have a sewing budget that allows me to buy yardage off a bolt. I enjoy working with an eclectic collection of fabrics. This year I have really started pushing the design ideas with simple layouts but letting the fabrics play together for fun quilts.
I'll go on record saying: No one has ever returned a quilt because of the fabric. 😎The advantage of distributing my quilts through the Houston Furniture Bank is the parents choose the quilt for their child so the final decision is on them instead of me. It gives me 100% creative space to design as I want. It really doesn't get any better than that!
Last night I was able to snap this picture of the 3 quilts rolled on my longarm. I'll be trimming and binding them today. What a fabulous process to get quilts finished and into the hands of families making their houses homes.
Join the Conversation!
How have you acquired your fabric stash?
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I certainly don't think I have ever seen anyone make such good use of donated fabric! It seems you have found the perfect marriage between being generously gifted with someone else's "unwanted" and turning it into "new", finished, useful products. You are doing a terrific service to your community and it is a joy to follow your story!
ReplyDeleteThank you Edith! It's a fun little challenge to see what I can do with what's presented to me. It's really helping me design and sew more freely. And shopping is a breeze! Just walk to my back room and pluck some fabric off the shelf. Ha! ha!
DeleteAll these fabrics have found their perfect home. I’m glad Monsoon season is so productive for you! I’d be interested in hearing your strategies for working with outdated color ways and prints. So much fabric gets trashed because the color or print is out of style, and I think we recyclers can do a service teaching how to handle some of this material.
ReplyDelete