Fabric, Fabric, Fabric

Wheee, fabric in the mail from The Fabric Square Shop. First off, a 4" charm pack of Judie Rothermel Charleston IV full of double pinks and chocolate browns. I have so been ruined by my friendship with Bonnie and Siobhan, both of whom love antique quilts with such a passion. I pore over quilts with them while they describe the fabrics and it's really made me love these quilts too, even though a few years ago I would have ignored them in favor of any Amish quilts nearby.

Man, I am still struggling with photos and getting them where and how I want them. That pic above should have been cropped. And why can't I get these pictures to drag so I can change their order? Sigh. I know I'll get the hang of all this eventually but in the meantime it's driving me nuts.

Next, a 10" charm pack of 1974 Urban Chiks fabric. I really love the bold patterns in these fabrics, just wish they had a true white background rather than off-white. They are marvelous though. Does that mean I am remembering the styles of the '70s fondly now? I did voluntarily listen to "I Will Survive" on the radio the other day.

My favorite fabrics from Deb Strain's Love is in the Air. I love the colors in this collection - lime green, pink, red, white and chocolate brown. These squares unfold to 10" and I threw them in with some other fabric in the washing machine - I have to wash sizing out or my allergies go nuts. Anyway, I was really pleased with how well they did - a tiny bit of unravelling, but not much. Is that because of the pinked edges or the small size? If it's the pinking I might just have to get myself one of those rotary blades and start using it a whole lot. Not that it would help with jelly roll strips - you know those would knot up together.

I know lots of quilters love using one entire line of fabric all together in one quilt with nothing else, but it just doesn't do it for me. Makes quilts too predictable. I'll often buy the same fabric pattern in several colorways if I love it, but then I mix it with lots of other lines as well. Look at this selection of chocolate and pinks from the Charleston collection and Love is in the Air all mixed up together:

I think they look great together, plus it's much more unusual that way. Now we'll see if I'm brave enough to throw those 4" squares in the wash. I think they'll do well.

I have to organize all the fabric I just bought (more on that next post) so I can actually find things. Right now my dining room/sewing studio is a huge mess. It should at least start out organized before I trash it.... sigh.

I am really excited - if things go according to plan I'm going to have a chance to meet up with Gwen Marston while she's visiting Florida next month. Woohoo!!!!! I'm hoping I'll get a chance to see some of the new quilts she's making for her new Liberated Quilting book. Of course I'll share pics with you.

Thanks to a couple of you who let me know that this blog was mentioned in April issue of McCalls Quilting Magazine. I still haven't seen a copy of the mag yet, but hope to soon. Of course it figures that my blog is completely and totally boring right now. Sorry about that.

When I was at the JaMPatch quilt shop on Friday, one of the shop owners recognized me from the blog. First time that's ever happened. It's my favorite shop in the area - a bit of a drive for me to get to Stuart, about 45 minutes, but it's worth it. I'm living in Palm Beach County, by the way. Anyway, I drove with the window down, singing along to the B-52's. 

Life is good. It's warmed up enough that my husband is spending time at the beach, his favorite activity. He had a seagull actually swoop in and steal a potato chip out of his fingers the other day. Eek, the birds. And I'm completely sated with entertainment. When you've been out of the states for awhile there are so many books and shows you've missed and it's a blast to catch up.

We've been watching lots of tv and I LOVE how fast my Netflix gets delivered here. We finished watching Rescue Me Season 4. I know some thought this season dull but I really liked it. Not all the melodrama of the past and it's great to see Tommy Gavin try to be an adult. The family AA meetings? What a disaster. My favorite parts always have been and will be the quieter moments - the conversations about metrosexuals and favorite movies.

Watched some more Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Just adore that show, makes me laugh and drool all at the same time. His visit to South Beach, Florida made me want to get into the car and drive down to Miami for cuban food. And ooh that shop with the eyes for protection against the evil eye - very cool.

What we haven't watched is our beloved Burn Notice. My husband wants to wait and watch them all on DVD. Sigh. I hate waiting, but it's not like there isn't lots of other stuff on for me.

I'm not missing the weather in Paris at all, but definitely miss my friend Will. Good thing she has started a blog, Not So Zen - Quilts in Paris. She's Dutch, lives in Montmartre, and writes in English. She makes beautiful quilts - my favorite ones are full of fabric she's reclaimed from antique clothing, sheets and other textiles.

Have you seen Nichy's blog QuiltyCat? She's Italian living in Italy but writes in English. She just completed a marvelous baby quilt that included some free-pieced letters.

Brenda posted a mini-tutorial explaining a shortcut she uses to make free-pieced letters. She gets a really nice font that way as well as saves time.

I've seen some fun quilts and quilt tops made with free-pieced letters to celebrate Obama and his inauguration. I'm going to do a blog post about it soon. If you'd like me to include yours, send me an email with info. I've got a list started, but I'd hate to forget anybody.

I have chores I need to do. I've been acting like I'm on vacation, but at some point I do need to settle in since I really am living here now. Woohoo!