After a raucous and rocking start to March, it might appear that things might have slowed down a bit. In fact, I'm still hopping away. I've been fortunate to do some sample sewing for friends which means there isn't anything to show, but the motor has been revving. In the meantime, I thought we might do a little Questions Answered session.
Last week, I got a terrific question in the mail from Evonne. Impressed by what she asked, I proceeded to send her an answer longer than the telephone book. My response was so long that she may still be reading it. I really hope she's emerged ok from the weight of my words? Evonne, are you out there?!
I liked her question so much, that I wanted to share the conversation with a wider audience. With her permission:
Hi Amy,
I've been reading your blog for a few years and enjoy seeing your quilts - always such a great combination of fabric choice and design!
I'm wondering - how do you use fabric? For example in your recent orange pink white yellow quilt, you used many prints in those colors. Do you just cut out a few squares or triangles out of your collection of FQs? How do you store the remaining leftover pieces of fabric? Fold the jagged edges inside then stack the folded fabric neatly again?
Sorry if this seems like a weird question. It's just my brain works in a very different way - when I see some other quilters work online, I know this to be true.
I think my quilt compositions are much more rigid and much less lively. I usually pick about 5 fabrics and make a fairly simple design out of those, say, a grid or similar. I don't usually use several prints in one color - which is where you get such interesting visual texture even within one color on your palette. I also have this rule in my head where I try to use up a fabric so I don't have odd bits leftover. I don't know what to do with them or how to organise them!
I think I need to organise my fabric differently too - I have them organised by collection, so it's hard for me to cross pollinate, which is what I see you and other quilters do so well, pick fabrics from different collections and use them in one quilt. I tend to use one collection and a solid, leading to very rigid, pre planned, matchy matchy and boring quilts, without that dash of je ne sais quois, ya know?
Anyway I wonder if you have any tips or thoughts to share.
Thank you! I love your work!
Sincerely, Evonne
I loved her question, and not just because she buttered me up with unwarranted compliments. I loved it because it really pulled at three elements of crafting that are important to me - color, selection and storage.
I thought I'd share my response in case it helped out others. I've edited it slightly to work better in the context of a blog post, but the general idea is the same:
Evonne - It's a great question. So good, that I think I might do a blog post about it soon. In the mean time, I'm happy to give you an idea of how I work.
First off, I usually don't buy large pieces of fabric unless I intend to use them as borders or backing fabric. I typically buy fat quarters, 1/4yds or 20-30cm strips depending where I'm buying from.
Buying less makes it much easier to manage my stash which currently fits inside a small section of a big cupboard. I used to have a big stash with assorted fabric sizes and that became unwieldy for me both in physical space and in my mental approach to crafting. This is what works best for me, but I know everyone's mind runs in different directions. Some people need a lot of choice and to have everything on hand. I'd rather limit myself but have a well curated collection that I pick from.
It surprises many people when they see how small my fabric stash is. Have look at photo of my fabric stash in October. Those are my fat quarters on two shelves. I also have one shelf of larger cuts for borders and bindings. After an overseas trip, my stash now fills those shelves. While a bit bigger, it is still small and manageable. All of my cotton patchwork fabric fits in that cupboard aside from my solids and cotton-linens.
When I start a project, that shelf turns into a nightmare. I pluck and pull until I have what I think is a healthy balance to make a quilt. I used to use just a few prints, but found my style lends itself to having 20-40 in a quilt. I pull them all out and make piles selecting what works and what doesn't which has taken practice.
You'll learn a lot through practice. For example, varying the blues slightly is much more visually interesting that using the exact same blue in every print. Your eye moves around because there is visual contrast. This is why I 'audition' so many fabrics for a quilt. Rather than looking for things that match, I look for fabrics that complement each other.
When you look at a popular collection like Flea Market Fancy, you'll see that Denyse Schmidt does just that. Her aquas aren't all the same aqua. Her yellows stretch from safety yellow to citron. Variation brings life to her fabric ranges. I think both Denyse Schmidt and Anna Maria Horner are designers who do this very well. Without calling anyone out, there are other designers whose collections read a bit flat. They read flat because they use the same shade as the background on every print in the collection. When I worked in a fabric shop, I noticed many customers tend to fall into this trap. They look for fabrics in the exact same shade of pink rather than buying a few shades of pink that complement each other. It sounds like a small thing, but it can make a difference. It is something best learned through practice. Take time to look at the collections you have and decide why they work (or don't). Don't be afraid to mess up your collections.Throw your fabrics around! Practice pairing them. This is what I do in my fabric auditions. {that was a bit of a sidebar, I know. back to folding...}
When you use many fabrics though, you are right. You don't often don't need to use the whole cut of fabric. What I typically do is cut squares out of the corner of a fat quarter and then fold it just as you mentioned with the raw edges tucked in. If I need something like a 3" strip, I'll cut off a width of fabric piece, cut what I need and then tuck the extra back inside the fat quarter or fat eighth that remains. If I rebuy a print that I already own to get more of it, I fold the older smaller cut inside the newer one.
If I'm about to use up a fabric in a quilt, generally I just try to use it all instead of keeping a fiddly small piece. I am not a fan of awkward scraps and only keep them for my most adored fabrics. I try to remind myself that there is always more new and wonderful fabric coming out, using up the last of a print will make room for something fresh.
My stash looks small, but I do not feel deprived. I think I purchase the same volume of fabric as other people in a year, if not significantly more. I just sew with it quickly and try not to carry large volumes of fabric between projects.
Rather than have everything on hand, I often start a project and then go to the store to get "a few more prints to fill it out" which means I'm doing selective fabric shopping. I'm going into shops with a purpose. I feel the benefits are huge in this approach. I do not feel obligated to use a print that doesn't match because "It's what I have on hand". I get to go out in person and support local quilt shops. Aside from helping the local shops financially, I benefit from the inspired interaction that I have with the clerks and other customers. Because I'm buying selectively, I don't mind paying more to get exactly what I want. I find it much easier to rationalize a dear fabric that's perfect for my project, than 10 cheap fabrics that aren't.
I do have leftover fabric, which I keep as my base stash. Much of what I buy are stash builder prints - basics, stripes, geometrics and dots. These are always handy in future projects. When I'm ready to start something new, I find that infusing just a few prints can breathe new life into my stash.
At a quilt show once, Julie Wallace said "a little clash is good". I wrote that down in a notebook somewhere. It has since stuck in my head and I tend to agree. Contrast and clash can add visual interest. Don't be afraid to cross that "uh-oh. it doesn't match perfectly" line. Keep that in mind.
I'm not sure how much that helps, but I hope it did. I do think I'd like to do a blog post on the topic now. Would you mind if I quoted large part of your question? (either attributed or not attributed to you as you prefer)
Evonne - It's a great question. So good, that I think I might do a blog post about it soon. In the mean time, I'm happy to give you an idea of how I work.
First off, I usually don't buy large pieces of fabric unless I intend to use them as borders or backing fabric. I typically buy fat quarters, 1/4yds or 20-30cm strips depending where I'm buying from.
Buying less makes it much easier to manage my stash which currently fits inside a small section of a big cupboard. I used to have a big stash with assorted fabric sizes and that became unwieldy for me both in physical space and in my mental approach to crafting. This is what works best for me, but I know everyone's mind runs in different directions. Some people need a lot of choice and to have everything on hand. I'd rather limit myself but have a well curated collection that I pick from.
It surprises many people when they see how small my fabric stash is. Have look at photo of my fabric stash in October. Those are my fat quarters on two shelves. I also have one shelf of larger cuts for borders and bindings. After an overseas trip, my stash now fills those shelves. While a bit bigger, it is still small and manageable. All of my cotton patchwork fabric fits in that cupboard aside from my solids and cotton-linens.
When I start a project, that shelf turns into a nightmare. I pluck and pull until I have what I think is a healthy balance to make a quilt. I used to use just a few prints, but found my style lends itself to having 20-40 in a quilt. I pull them all out and make piles selecting what works and what doesn't which has taken practice.
You'll learn a lot through practice. For example, varying the blues slightly is much more visually interesting that using the exact same blue in every print. Your eye moves around because there is visual contrast. This is why I 'audition' so many fabrics for a quilt. Rather than looking for things that match, I look for fabrics that complement each other.
When you look at a popular collection like Flea Market Fancy, you'll see that Denyse Schmidt does just that. Her aquas aren't all the same aqua. Her yellows stretch from safety yellow to citron. Variation brings life to her fabric ranges. I think both Denyse Schmidt and Anna Maria Horner are designers who do this very well. Without calling anyone out, there are other designers whose collections read a bit flat. They read flat because they use the same shade as the background on every print in the collection. When I worked in a fabric shop, I noticed many customers tend to fall into this trap. They look for fabrics in the exact same shade of pink rather than buying a few shades of pink that complement each other. It sounds like a small thing, but it can make a difference. It is something best learned through practice. Take time to look at the collections you have and decide why they work (or don't). Don't be afraid to mess up your collections.Throw your fabrics around! Practice pairing them. This is what I do in my fabric auditions. {that was a bit of a sidebar, I know. back to folding...}
When you use many fabrics though, you are right. You don't often don't need to use the whole cut of fabric. What I typically do is cut squares out of the corner of a fat quarter and then fold it just as you mentioned with the raw edges tucked in. If I need something like a 3" strip, I'll cut off a width of fabric piece, cut what I need and then tuck the extra back inside the fat quarter or fat eighth that remains. If I rebuy a print that I already own to get more of it, I fold the older smaller cut inside the newer one.
If I'm about to use up a fabric in a quilt, generally I just try to use it all instead of keeping a fiddly small piece. I am not a fan of awkward scraps and only keep them for my most adored fabrics. I try to remind myself that there is always more new and wonderful fabric coming out, using up the last of a print will make room for something fresh.
My stash looks small, but I do not feel deprived. I think I purchase the same volume of fabric as other people in a year, if not significantly more. I just sew with it quickly and try not to carry large volumes of fabric between projects.
Rather than have everything on hand, I often start a project and then go to the store to get "a few more prints to fill it out" which means I'm doing selective fabric shopping. I'm going into shops with a purpose. I feel the benefits are huge in this approach. I do not feel obligated to use a print that doesn't match because "It's what I have on hand". I get to go out in person and support local quilt shops. Aside from helping the local shops financially, I benefit from the inspired interaction that I have with the clerks and other customers. Because I'm buying selectively, I don't mind paying more to get exactly what I want. I find it much easier to rationalize a dear fabric that's perfect for my project, than 10 cheap fabrics that aren't.
I do have leftover fabric, which I keep as my base stash. Much of what I buy are stash builder prints - basics, stripes, geometrics and dots. These are always handy in future projects. When I'm ready to start something new, I find that infusing just a few prints can breathe new life into my stash.
At a quilt show once, Julie Wallace said "a little clash is good". I wrote that down in a notebook somewhere. It has since stuck in my head and I tend to agree. Contrast and clash can add visual interest. Don't be afraid to cross that "uh-oh. it doesn't match perfectly" line. Keep that in mind.
I'm not sure how much that helps, but I hope it did. I do think I'd like to do a blog post on the topic now. Would you mind if I quoted large part of your question? (either attributed or not attributed to you as you prefer)
And that's where we are. I hope that offers a little more insight into my approach to picking fabrics. For those who made it this far, a few more tips:
- Keep all your fabric together. Being able to see it in one place will make it easier to use it.
- Pull your fabric out and refold it often. The benefits are three-fold. It reminds you what fabrics you own, it reduces the risk of dirt build up and sun fade on the folds, and it causes you to shuffle the order that your prints appear. A little bit of shuffling can lead to a whole lot of ideas.
- My theme for 2013 is curate. I've been living it fully and loving it. If you haven't considered the concept before, have a read about it and see if it is something that might work for you.
- A small change in storage can make a big difference in your creative process. Last year, I replaced some of the deep shelves in my BESTA cupboard with smaller half shelves. I realize most people panic at the thought of giving up shelf space. This simple change did wonders for me. My fabric gets more light when I open the door. I can actually see what I own. Nothing is shoved to the back corners to linger and get lost. Find the change that helps you out. Is it moving the fabric closer? a different type of folding? Don't just change your fabric, change your processes too.
- Be selective with the advice you take. I can babble on with hundreds of tips, but they may not resonate with for you. Do what feels right. We currently engage in urban small space living. Our goal is to move into an even smaller caravan. Most people's houses grow over time, so the advice I offer isn't going to be right for everyone. Consider what your crafting goals are today and where you want to be down the road. Take only the advice that best fits with that vision.
- Practice. Practice. Practice. Pull out your fabrics and play with them. Put them in piles that work together. Experiment with different combinations of color, pattern and scale. You don't have to sew up every combination you make. Don't sell yourself short and say, "I'm not good at pairing fabrics." I subscribe to the 10,000 hour philosophy. Keep at it and you'll get there.
- Set goals for your practice sessions. I like to chose a random phrase and find fabrics that fit the theme. For example: "my cousin Chris's bedroom circa 1978", "this tastes like a gelato store" or "Oh no! It's ice hockey season again." I realize those phrases sound utterly bizarre, but they will get you thinking outside the box. They will inspire you in ways that "I'm making a pink quilt" won't. Having a clear goal will make your practice more beneficial. At one point, we used to play a stash theme game on flickr based on this principle. Revive the idea on flickr or play a #stashtheme game on Instagram.
- Love what you do and don't be hard on yourself. (Many thanks, Adrianne. Your comment was far more poignant than you likely imagined. You've changed me for the better. I hope others can grow from it as well.)
Evonne had a great question, and I really enjoyed answering it. Maybe you have some more tips for her, or maybe you have another question for me? Leave a comment, if you do. I love hearing from you!
-- Happy Crafting
Amy
From a purely personal perspective, this post is worth is weight in hot cockatoo poo (for the non-Aussies, this means is it highly valuable!) I struggle to understand how to select fabrics that sing together. Matchy matchy is easy, je ne sais quoi is hard. However, the wonderful questions that Evonne posed, and the eloquent answers provided by Amy have shed a great deal of light on the process. Aspects of the storage/visual presentation of one's stash, and to repeatedly practice at achieving combinations that work (even to the 10,000 hour concept)are revelations to me!
ReplyDeleteAmy's compact and curated stash makes so much sense. Less is more.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! MJ xx
This helped me change the way I quilt (put fabrics togeter) once upon a time ago & it may help others...
ReplyDeleteMake a monochromatic quilt. In my "Violet Crumble" quilt, I have every "purple" from almost red to almost blue, every style, every brand, even some purple & green prints.
I found the choose one color & throw it all in to be liberating & I was able to use what I had & I could shop for more - while having a plan!
Amazing how timely this post is/was! I've been chained to at least 50 boxes of "planned quilts" for the past 2+ years and just a month ago, decided to do away with boxes and get all my stash out in the open. No more planned quilts (well, maybe 1-2), all my fabric out where I can see it and use it whenever and wherever it works best, no more keeping lines of fabric together - that has to stop! You are spot on! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteI love this. Thank you. I'm in the process of building or buying a house and a sewing room is on the top of my needs list. It's not a want... But how to store fabric is so complex to me and for now it mostly lives in boxes and bags for the project it was bought for. I only just started a fabric 'stash'. I had heaps of embroidery and fiber art supplies but quilting is a new love.
ReplyDeleteI hope my inspiration from this post translates into some action in my stash... Even if it's just some pulling and matching some Colour combos.
I can't tell you how helpful this post has been to me! Thanks to Evonne for asking the question that I've been wondering myself. I only have one LQS that isn't super close by and rely on mail order for most of my stash. I don't want to be chained to precuts and I love the scrappy but cohesive look, and tend to buy just FQs. Your post has given me much food for thought. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I clicked the 10 000hr link (love Malcolm Gladwell) and with my tired eyes read Outliers as Quilters, for a second I thought Malcolm had started writing fiction about a bunch of crafters! I have read all his books so I should have known better. There is a lot of clash in the first quilt I made, my brother said it looked like someone had thrown up fabric, but I love it and they go together to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great advice. I love your way.
Such an insightful and helpful post - thank you so much for your thoughtfulness around topics that us quilters live and breathe...
ReplyDeleteAwesome, useful post! It's definitely time for me to mix up my stash. I feel so obligated by the packaged FQ bundles I bought before I knew what I wanted to be doing. Maybe I'll treat myself to an afternoon of digging through fabric. (THANKS to Evonne for starting the discussion, too!)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Thanks for sharing the great question and tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Amy and Evonne! This is such an interesting question and answer. My stash is quite small, but not especially well curated, and I'm continually rearranging how I store it - piling it up in different combinations. I mix and match in small projects but for larger quilts I have, so far, been quite conservative. You've made me realize that all that rearranging is time well spent and I should be less cautious in larger quilts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting all this our there Amy, I found it really helpful. I totally agree about a little clash being good - it's something I try to keep in mind when I'm choosing fabrics for a project. Something I really need to work on is fabric storage - I am reasonably new to quilting and have only just built a stash over the last year or so. I really like having a lot of fabrics on hand, but I haven't yet got my act together around storing them in an organised and accessible way. At the moment I just end up with a big mess after every fabric pull...
ReplyDeleteSpring cleaning and stash organization seem to be quite hot topics of late--there must be something in the water!--but this is by far one of the most insightful pieces I've come across. Thank you (both) for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteBeing naturally drawn to monochromatic schemes (and thin-walleted), I have the opposite problem of Evonne in that I've never been a collection-based quilter (perhaps because I've never been able to afford an entire collection!) Instead, I tend to pick up prints here and there, so it's enlightening and quite helpful to hear about other quilters' design philosophies. To play off your hockey/gelato exercise, I would add that if/when designing a quilt for a particular recipient, think of that person's likes/passions in the same way (i.e. as a phrase beyond what his/her favorite color is), and you'll be surprised what inspiration hits!
Such a good post. I'm playing with quilts and small patchwork projects at the moment to use up scraps, and "a little clash is good" resonated with me... I tend to play it pretty safe in terms of colours. I shall embrace the clash from now on.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. I'm pinning it so I know where to find it again. Thanks for taking the time and effort to put your thoughts and process in words.
ReplyDeleteI'm changing the way I select and purchase fabric from today on! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteGreat question from Evonne. I too struggle with the "what fabrics do I use" dilemma. Thanks for sharing your response Amy. I have some fabrics to refold and take a second look at.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your wonderful post! I've been one of those people looking for the same shade of blue, but recently have had success with varying the shades of a particular color. You are so right that the end product is much
ReplyDeletemore interesting...I continue to stretch and grow!
This is a very intriguing post. Color is what draws me to quilting and I love how fabrics have evolved over the years. So many choices! I've been making monochromatic blocks for a scrap challenge this year and have been amazed at how beautiful they are when you use all shades of the color. Very eye opening for me~!
ReplyDeleteThis may be the best quilt post I have read all year.
ReplyDeleteGood questions, great answers! Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses.
ReplyDelete