Dragon Quilts

My son needs a quilt for his new full size bed, and requested that it have a dragon theme.  Found this beautiful fabric at http://fabric.com/.  So it looks like I'm going to have to find an Asian themed quilt design. 

After ordering 4 yards, I showed it to DS2, who told me DS1 wants one too.  Dang!  Had I ordered them at the same time I could have had free shipping. 

Anyway, I'd like to make the two quilts similar, but different.  Will have to put my thinking cap on!  :)

"Souper Bowl" Score!

While fat quarters were 10 for $20.00, at the Stitcher's Crossing, I snatched up 10 - plus a Chicken Salad Pack.  I'd hoped to buy a couple yards of the Chicken Salad fabric in the upper left corner.  I'd seen it before and LOVE the colors.  I neglected to buy it right then and there.  When I returned, this lonely fat quarter was all that remained!

Fortunately, I can see from the selvage that it's a Hoffman 2012 print, so I will find more online.  My chicken hot pads were such a hit at the craft fair last year, I'll need to whip up some more for next year.  The Home to Roost fabric at the bottom is pretty cute too. 

All in all, I'm happy with my haul.  I have something specific in mind for each of the fat quarters - but my ideas are too many to list.  What actually comes to fruition remains to be seen!  I scheduled a vacation day for the near future to work on home-related projects (I confess, I still have some Christmas stuff in the living room).  Once some chores are out of the way, I can justify MORE sewing.  Won't that be nice!  :)

How Do YOU Buy Fabric?

Normally, I LOVE to go fabric shopping.  Its like going to Baskin-Robbins, selecting from all 32 delectable flavors and getting sprinkles on top!   Fabric is a feast for the eyes.

But lately I'm striking out.  How do other people buy fabric, and how the heck do handicapped quilters manage??  I've tried LQS's, Big Box fabric stores, looked online, but no luck!  I'm going into quilting withdrawal!

Drove 30 minutes to visit an LQS that I knew carried 1930s fabric.  Joint trouble made driving difficult.  By the time I got there, I was limping and couldn't lift more than one bolt of fabric - let alone the dozen or more I needed.  This shop has a beautiful handicap ramp, so I was hoping they had a few other necessities for handicapped customers.

I asked if they had a cart?  No, they said, but they could help me.  They were very kind and sincere, but not too realistic.  The register was busy.  The cutting table was busy.  Lines were 5-6 people deep.  The shop was packed with still more customers.  There was nowhere to sit down if you wanted to wait, and I couldn't stand that long.  Besides, I really wanted to shop independently.  I mean, doesn't everyone want to manage their business independently?  I'd been looking forward to this excursion all week, but  seeing no alternative, I headed home empty-handed.  DRAT!

My next two attempts were at Joann's and Hancock's.  Both have shopping carts, so one needn't carry bolts around, and you can easily lay one bolt next to the other to see if they're compatible.  Joann's had nothing that resembled a 1930s repro.  Hancock had a handful in pink - but no corresponding colors.  Double DRAT!

Next stop: the Internet.  I'm looking for a 1930s jelly roll and charm pack.  That shouldn't be too hard to find, right?  Aren't jelly rolls all the rage?  As far as I can tell, no one makes jelly rolls in 1930s style.  Arrrg.  So if I take the plunge and buy individual fabrics online, will the shade be true to the colors I see on my screen?  What's the minimum amount of fabric you have to buy?  Which online fabric stores are reliable?  Etc. Etc.  Also, I'm impatient.  I want to quilt NOW.  I don't want to wait for days to get my goods.  Triple DRAT!

Which all leads me back to my original question:  How do YOU buy fabric?  I hope to hear from you!

Kaffe Conundrum

Been wondering how to quilt this outer border.  I wanted to showcase the big red roses, so I outlined them thinking that I'd do some tight background stippling.  I quickly learned that fabric this big and bold can't be given the "usual" treatment. 

It finally dawned on me that the stippling provided no contrast - it was curves on curves.  The title to Kaffe Fassett's latest book (Simple Shapes, Stunning Quilts) provided a clue.  I needed a simple geometric background design, so I echoed the 1" inner borders, with 1" lines "behind" the roses.  I hope you can see the pattern in this picture.  My white chalk line shows up great!  The quilt pattern will show up better when the quilt is (finally) quilted, bound, washed and dried.  I'm eager to finish this project and start something new!