Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Obsession

It's all Marian's fault.

Since becoming unemployed I picked up my old pasttime of quilting. I originally intended to make Olivia a twin bed quilt before she was born, to put on the bed in her room. Haha. I never even started it. Here's the fabric I have for it. It's going to be a dutch windmills design, as Olivia is part Dutch:



But now that I have more free time (but not much, mind you, as you stay at home moms know!) I have resurrected this project. Marian has been helping me with my quilting aspirations and now things have gotten a little out of control.

We went to Smith Own fabrics to shop around and we were very restrained and only bought like 10 different fabrics. I spent almost all of my "fun money" that I had been saving. After we paid, Marian said, "Now let's get out of here before we buy anything else." So we did. But then the next day I made JB take me back. There was one fabric that I had forgotten to purchase and I NEEDED it. I don't know WHAT I need it for, but I was desperate to own it because it's so beautiful:



I also picked up a few more things. Fun money = spent:


Last night I was telling JB that I had been looking on the internet for more 30's reproduction fabrics for the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that I want to make.

"You're going to make another quilt?" he asked, incredulous. I guess he thought that Olivia's quilt was enough. And the quilt that I'm making for Krystal.

I told him that I had plans for many quilts, but I did not list them off, as he would think that I am crazy. I did admit to him that I am regularly tempted to go back to the fabric store and just buy whatever I want and put it on our credit card. He forbade me. This was a smart move.

If Marian wasn't such a quilting fanatic I may have stopped at Olivia's quilt. At least for the time being. But she has been teaching me tricks about sewing and planning and my confidence is growing. She has told me about women who will do the quilting part of your project (sewing the top to the inside batting and the bottom fabric) if my quilt is too big for me to do at home. She shows me her quilting magazines. She shows me her massive fabric stashes. She goes with me to various fabric stores.

I am a Jane-of-all-Trades in that I like everything and do lots of things. But I think that the buck may stop at quilting. Or, at least, collecting beautiful fabric. Not sure which is more fun.

5 comments:

Michigan Girl said...

OMG April, the fabrics you've picked out are absolutely gorgeous. I'm tempted to figure out what room I needed a quilt for and hire you to do it. I wish I was crafty.

Heather

Anonymous said...

April, sounds like you and Marian have a bit of an addiction. "She shows me her quilting magazines and her stashes of fabric" sounds like an addict. LOL.

Annie

Anna R. said...

buying fabrics is by far the best part of quilting. the assembly can be fun too, if it doesn't take too long (i don't suggest quilts with more than 1,000 pieces, for that reason). and the quilting part is very nice when it's cold outside. that's my opinion, anyway. :) and your fabrics are awesome.

saraho said...

cant wait to see what the quilt for olivia turns out like :) love the colors and the designs!

Rhonda said...

April, you are so funny. An old friend of ours once said about quilting, "I never could figure out why my wife would take a perfectly good piece of material, cut it up into little pieces, and then sew it back together." Love, Aunt Rhonda