The Art of the Fabric Pull

Next week the #summerstackfridays Link-Up Party starts... are you ready? The Link-Up will start July 5th and go through August 30th, 2019. But before the fun begins, I thought that it might be helpful to give you a little behind the scenes sneak peek of my process of how I do a fabric pull... you know, it is my favorite part of quilting!

Several years ago I heard the best piece of advice on a home decorating show, and while it is so simple, it is so true... "start with an inspiration piece, and build around it". While I don't always start my fabric pulls with an inspiration fabric, it is definitely a great starting point if you are unsure of where to begin. The inspiration fabric for my stack is this pretty print, "Soma" in avocado, from Monika Forsberg's "Savernke Road" collection from Free Spirit Fabrics (Conservatory Fabrics).

So, you have your inspiration fabric... now what? Sometimes it's helpful to have an idea where to go from this point. Perhaps you've noticed the color/source code that is on the selvedge edge of your fabrics? This is essentially a resource for the manufacturer to reference the colors used in the printing process, but if you are uncertain of yourself when matching fabrics, it could really be a helpful tool.

There are several colors that seem pretty "obvious"... so those should be the first fabrics you grab for. Below you will notice that my bottom two fabrics are a pretty good match up to the dark leaves from my inspiration fabric. I would consider these to be "first tier" fabrics. I've purposely chosen two fabrics that have multiple colors in them. The background color is spot on, but there are some additional colors that are being brought in that are not in the inspiration fabric.

When you take a look closer at my original stack, you probably notice that not all of the fabrics match to my inspiration print... so how did they make it in there?!?

This is the point where I start adding what I like to call "connecting fabrics". If you look back to the "first tier" fabrics picture, you'll notice that the bottom three fabrics brought additional colors into the mix that are not in the inspiration fabric. You especially see it with the middle spots fabric -the background matches the brighter pink in the inspiration fabric, but periwinkle is a new color. This means that I am now able to introduce this "new" color, because it "connects" to my first tier fabrics.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see people make when matching fabrics, is that they are not really aware of how colors are made. Do you know what happens to your color when you add white to it? grey? black? Do you know how your color changes when you add one of the primary colors to it? How red is your purple or how blue is it? Are you working with a yellow green or a blue green? Is your orange more yellow or more red? If you don't know these basics, once you start trying to lighten or darken a color, it makes it hard to recognize if you are still in the same "color family". Once you understand how colors are made, it makes matching those specific tints, shades, and tones much easier. With the fabrics below, what starts out as a yellow, ends up going a bit greenish when black is added to it, which means that I am still in the same color family

 

This is where you start adding what I would call "second tier" fabrics. These might not be as obvious as the first tier fabrics. The top three fabrics are essentially the same background color as my inspiration fabric... they've just been lightened or darkened. Again, I have purposefully added the third fabric because I want to "connect" other colors to it.

Next you can see that I am able to bring in additional colors that are not in the original inspiration fabric because I am connecting to colors in the tier fabrics. The bottom three fabrics connect to the the green leaf on the third fabric. The top green has pinks in it, which work with the other pinks that I've already added, and the middle green repeats the chartreuse yellow that was brought in with the last fabrics. The leaves on the last green fabric connect to the top two fabrics, which means I can bring in colors that may not "match" the inspiration fabric, but as a whole works well together. The last grey fabric that you see on top, has pinks, greens, and yellows, which are just a repeat of some of the other colors used.

So, now it's your turn to get started. Next Friday is the first link-up day, and remember, the link up is about practicing, pushing yourself, documenting, visiting others and helping them out. I've had requests for a theme, so I thought that next week's stack should be "Inspiration Fabric". You don't have to follow the weekly themes, but for some it's helpful to have a little direction... I
I can't wait to see what you stack up!

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Chuck Nohara Pillow Finish

If you're a quilter, I'm sure you can identify: that package of long awaited fabrics just arrived... you know, the ones you've been drooling over since Quilt Market, which at this point seems like an eternity ago. (and in the world of quilting, technically it was) You only have about thirty minutes to sew, but you're at a place with all of your other projects that take more than 30 minutes just to get started... what do you do?

Ok so, I suppose that it's obvious that I like to come up with creative ways, week to week to justify why I just "had" to start another project... but could you resist a new stack of Anna Maria Horner fabrics either? I didn't think so.To further justify things (at least in my head) working on just a "little pillow" means that I'm not going to be off track for long... maybe that's why I make so many of them!?!

I decided to enlarge one of the Chuck Nohara templates so I could make a 20" pillow. So far, I've only made 8" blocks, but things always come together a littler faster when you are working with larger shapes.

This was my first time installing a zipper closure... definitely more work, but I love the end result. I found this tutorial on Pinterest, and of course the Internet is peppered with all kinds of DIY zipper tutorials.

Perhaps you've noticed a new fabric in this project? When I was looking for a background fabric, I of course went to my standard chocolate brown Essex linen that I've used in so many of my other pillows, but it was just a little too intense in it's contrast. Then I remembered this fabulous wool that I purchased a long time ago for another project. I love the little flecks of color throughout, and I thought that if linen works with such a nice result, then why not wool?

painting by Gene Campbell

What about you, do you like to mix other fabric types into your quilting projects? any favorite experiences with wool?

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A Craft Everyday Keeps The Grumpies Away

How does the familiar saying go... "all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl"? If you happen to be a crafter like I am, and there's more time spent behind the computer screen than the sewing machine, then it's easy to see how one can hit that "I can't take it anymore point!" because of lack of creative time.

I've got a lot on my list these days that makes me feel like I am permanently parked behind the computer... making final corrections on my Lovebirds' Garden pattern, preparing presentations for two courses at Nadelwelt, adding five mini patterns and working on the Home Sweet Home applique sampler pattern... just to name a few.

Sometimes I need those 30 minutes here or 30 minutes there projects to give me the sense that I am still crafting despite the big to-do list on my desk. For me it's better to be working on something rather than nothing at all because I don't have the time to "think" myself back into a project.

Upon reflection, I suppose I have so many smaller in-between projects because I'm usually at that step in the quilting process with my larger projects where they cannot be easily started or stopped. Once you've put your project to the side because the kids are hungry, it's the end of the work day, emails need to be answered, or whatever the case, by the time you figure out where you need to start again, there is something else that need attended to.

So here's my "in-between" breather project ... a little starch applique Chuck Nohara project with the new Anna Maria Horner fabrics. Oh, come on, like you could stay away from a freshly delivered fabric package?

Do you get stuck because you only have 30 minutes to sew, and no start and stop projects in the works? Maybe Mell can help you get motivated with her #30minsewingdaily challenge.

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Disappearing Act

We recently bought a new sofa for out living room that is large enough for the whole family, and the old one shifted into my husband's office. To my surprise, he has actually been using it a lot, and it's been nice for him to have a second comfortable place to retreat to when the first one is booked out.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you may have noticed that I've accumulated quite a number of quilted cushions that have landed in our living room, but somehow recently they've been disappearing... a lot. The culprit, who shall remain nameless, keeps carrying them into my husband's office, and they are usually noticed missing when I want to sit down for the evening. 

So, as a birthday present, I decided that the thief "borrower" needed a few pillows of his own. I've always thought that Tim Holtz fabrics are just smart for projects for guys, and have had it in my head to use the map/expedition print since my husband has a large world map on his wall. I added a cigar box labels print to the mix since he enjoys a leisurely smoke on occasion.
 

The cigar labels print was my color inspiration for the Raspberry Kiss x's pillow (free pattern here). I have to say that it was a good challenge for me to find prints in my stash that are truly "guy" fabrics... I didn't realize that most of my fabrics lean more towards what I would grab for a girl project rather than a guy project.

As if my husband didn't already have enough to keep him busy for every hour of the day, he has taken on a new hobby/job working with wood. It would seem that his love for trees is growing just as much as his love for soil, for this through and through farm boy. I debated for a long time if a wood grain quilting design was the best choice for the more graphic x's, but since it is so fitting to him personally, and it's free motion quilting practice for me, I decided it was the best way to take out two birds with one stone.

With these three pillows to lounge on, there should be no more disappearing act excuses... fingers are crossed!

Linking up this week to Let's Bee Social.

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