20 January 2011

the only thing worse than not buying enough...

...is using a fabric you bought on CLEARANCE and realizing you don't have enough!

A lesson in only buying what you know you are going to use, and for what you are planning to use it. Generally, a yard and a half is more than enough to get me whatever I need for a quilt (backings notwithstanding). However, when I've decided to use a fabric as inspiration for a quilt, saving it for the border no less, I should establish how much fabric I have to start with, how it needs to run for the border and THEN make the body of the quilt to fit those limitations. Now I have the body of a quilt with the inner border attached, and a yard and a half of focus fabric that doesn't work as the border because it's DIRECTIONAL. Normally, that doesn't affect my decisions too much, but in this case... well... it just looks funny any way but upright. So, I'm on the search for more of this fabric. I found a source online, but want to give myself a chance to check out my local quilt shops first - just on principle.

Have I learned from this experience?? Probably not, but I've got plenty of other lessons to attend to, I'm sure.

2 comments:

  1. I haven't learned my lesson yet... BTW, I saw that at my LQS a few days ago.. Philip Jacobs - Daffodils and Dogwood, right? It's on sale for $6.75. Let me know if you want me to pick some up for you. You don't have to decide now. The bolt looked pretty full...

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  2. thank you for the offer... I'll let you know if I'll need to go in that direction. Today's plan is to go by a quilt shop in the area that I have not visited in years, and while there also hopefully pick up a walking foot for the Bernina my mom handed down to me this past fall.

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