Friday, October 25, 2019

Flirting Fabrics

A few weeks ago Audrey over at Quilt Folk wrote a line in her blog post that said...
"You know how it goes when fabrics aren't being used up fast enough and before you can even blink, there are newer, shinier fabrics flirting with you instead."


Did you even know that fabrics are "flirting" with you?!?
What a fun concept! It lead me down a rabbit hole of thinking about that verb, what it means with human interactions vs fabric interactions, and about how I didn't even know that this was going on in the quilt studio!! The whole idea makes me giggle (which is definitely a flirtatious behaviour!)

Shoo Fly Shoo!
There are few activities that make me happier than digging around in another quilters' scraps! At the Slow Sunday Stitching retreat day I was gifted with two scrap bags and I have been having a great time with finding flirtatious fabrics for Shoo Fly Shoo blocks... so FUN! Look at these new blocks featuring a fussy cut centre! 


I'm not an ODC quilter who has a fancy fabric/scrap organizing system. 
This is my system! 
It's called bags of scraps! 
free range scraps
My friends make fun of me for this (lovingly I hope!) and it is one of my "distinctive features" as a scrap quilters that I adore all scraps and they are permitted to roam freely in my sewing room!
Let's call them "free range scraps! LOL 

Tonight is Friday Night Sew In. 
Wendy from Sugarcane Designs hosts the official monthly online FNSI but I can never seem to get my schedule to jive with hers. So tonight is my night to get together in real life to sew with some of my quilting friends. 
The scrap bags will be out for sharing!

15 comments:

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

Love the scrap bags! And it's so fun to share scraps with other quilters, and vice versa.

julieQ said...

I like the personification of scraps, and quilts for that matter...they speak to me often!! I too have free range scraps!!! Have fun playing!

Gretchen Weaver said...

Your shoofly blocks are really cute. A quilter should do what they like to do! Happy Stitching!

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Flirting with fabric and free range scraps...just love it. Happy Stitching Kathy which is redundant when said to you I know!

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

I use that same scrap system, LOL!! Two-gallon zip loc bags stuffed full.

Deb A said...

'Free range scraps'! You are just too funny! I too have the same scrap system as you.... instead of bags I have those huge rubbermaid totes - you know - the big ones? (and various other containers filled with bits of colors all together scattered around the sewing area!) I really need to just start pulling things and sewing.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I have one box that is like your bags but other than that I have them divided by color and stacked - not because of OCD but because I find it easier to work with - but I say use any method that works for you!!

MissPat said...

I do sort my scraps Bonnie Hunter style, but then I never seem to find what I'm looking for so I dip into the fat quarters and yardage and cut off a strip in the size I need, thus creating more scraps. Sigh.
Pat

Rebecca said...

Oh Flirting was good but "Free Range Scraps" wins the the prize...vbg

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Those shoofly blocks are so cute! I, too, love your "free range" scraps term - I have plenty of those myself!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Free range scraps - I love it!

Louise said...

I love other people's scraps, too! I swear I see them winking at me all the time :)

Jenny said...

Thanks for the great idea! I was given a bag of fabric squares and I'm sure that now I've seen your fussy cut shoo fly blocks I could do something similar. This sort of thing would make a nice child's donation quilt.

Janet O. said...

I laughed all through this post, Kathy. So much fun--flirting fabrics are something I have definitely experienced, but never so blatantly labeled them. I will recognize them for what they truly are in future encounters.
Your Scrap Organizer system may catch on--you should write a book. :)
Free Range Scraps--love it!
Thanks for the chuckles after a long day.

Kate said...

Oh, so that's what's going on in the quilt shop, those flirty fabrics trying to get out attention. I'm glad to know there is another scrap by bag quilter out there. I'd like to get mine sorted, but it's just so much more fun to sew.