Sunday, September 7, 2008

Guest Blog: Fat Quarters

Today I went to Pacific Fabrics Outlet in the Sodo area of Seattle (this is just the other side of the West Seattle bridge). I thought that I might have access to a wider variety of fabrics and patterns than one might find in the LC Valley. I talked to Mom yesterday and she mentioned that she is in search of reproduction vintage prints from the '30s and '40s. To prepare for my trip to the store, I viewed a reproduction fabrics website so that I would have a good idea of what I was seeking (http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/). Aren't those old designs neat? I also enjoy vintage prints, so this trip was extra fun!

I've taken a photo of my selection of 13 fat quarters. It was easy to find floral prints that looked vintage. Mom wanted some prints with critters (dragon flies, frogs, turtles), but I was unsuccessful at finding prints that met that objective and and also fit with the vintage theme. I found some frogs but they were on flannel and I just wasn't wild about them so I passed.

I'm not sure which fat quarters are my favorites. I like the pick-up-sticks (bottom left) because they are so different from the floral patterns and I wanted variety. I was happy to find birds (bottom right) and at the top left, a sketch pattern that is probably more in the 50's - 60's era because it depicts a lady wearing pants, heels, and a scarf around her neck. Still, I thought it was a neat design even if you were to cut out the sketch flowers and exclude the lady. When it comes right down to it, I am fond of each selection for a different reason. They might not all work for Mom's projects, but I wanted to contribute to her inventory of fabrics. I think just having a variety of fabrics in your inventory helps stimulate ideas.

4 comments:

Kathy said...

What fun! Only by having been there myself could I find this more exciting! The '40s vintage thing was originally Hallie's interest, but as I became more involved in the farm, the '30s and '40s started coming to life for me. Thanks so much for the day brightener, Hallie. I'm sure it will make Aunt Chris smile, too. XO

Anonymous said...

Yup, Aunt Chris is smiling. I love, love, love fat quarters. Such a fun way to pick up new fabrics, and I love quilt patterns like Yellow Brick Road which utilize them. I just made a fall table runner out of very cute Halloween fabrics (one had candy corn on it and the other said Boo!) and it's so fun. Good shopping, Hallie. :-)

debdog42 said...

Oh to have a stack of feed sacks from the 30's and 40's Kathy!

Kathy said...

Yes, some leftover feed sacks and vintage fabrics would be great all right! But I'm okay with reproduction. Thread and textiles do age and rot. I've learned that through experience. KW