The power of color! (or lack thereof!)

I was surfing the internet yesterday and look what I found.  Quilting Resolutions to Make Now from Craft of Quilting.   This keeping up with industry news is hard work!!!!

Not that any of us are making resolutions.. OH NO - we are GOAL orientated.  Much more focused.  But have a read at the above link and pay special attention to the one titled "Fill Gaps in Your Stash".  Let's just say there is not danger of that occurring at my house.   Here is the paragraph if you don't want to go to the link.

Fill gaps in your stash. We're guilty of this: we buy what we like. Over and over again. The trouble is, sometimes a dash of orange brings out the best in all your blues and greens. But do you have orange? No.

Or, you realize that all your fabrics are mid-tones--you have no lights or darks. That can make for boring quilts. There's no drama. Or, you have all fun prints and no solids. Guess what? Those solids help the prints stand out. So assess your stash and adjust accordingly.


Now I thought the last resolution was interesting as well.  Have a read.................


Challenge yourself. Look for a project that's a little outside your comfort zone. Maybe it has a complicated piecing pattern, or maybe it has a lot of "white space"where you'll have to put more effort into your free-motion quilting motifs. Or maybe you go from small wall hangings to a queen-size quilt. Give it some thought and choose a project that will make you feel proud and accomplished as 2017 nears. 


So this has been a problem for me for YEARS.   I tend to HATE busy backgrounds.  When making a scrap quilt - I prefer the more tone on tone prints.  When doing appliqué - I need the tone on tones.  I've even gone as far as purchasing the busy prints and just could not bring myself to use them.  However as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I made a promise to a class that I WOULD USE BUSY prints in my next group projects.   ACK!!!!!!

Now this brings me to my pictures of the day.   As per my task list for the week, I'm supposed to be prepping for my class on Saturday.  I got loads of appliqué traced at Monday Mania which was awesome - could there actually be a light at the end of that tunnel????   Anyway - I knew I didn't have enough white for the background.  My first shopping place is the stash.  Do I have anything that will be suitable since I doubt I will find this white again and if memory serves me correctly, I believe that I purchased all that was on the bolt.  Not sure why that obscure fact remains in my brain!  

Anyway - thanks to GREAT organizational skills, I pulled out my basket of WHITE fabric.  Yikes - what a variety.  

These are all WHITE

I know it is hard to tell in the pictures, but there are some very YELLOW whites in there, some that have a bluish tinge and then white whites!

I came across the stash of white with busy little prints on them that I was supposed to use for my last project.  Unfortunately they won't work in this upcoming project, but no worry - I already have fabric for it. (I think!)

Busy white prints

Here's perhaps a better shot of the whites.  God - some of them look downright disgusting!!!!!  

The "WHITES"

The one I am trying to match is a SUPERWHITE - almost with a bluish tinge to it.  Hard to see in this photo below  - but that rectangle right on top - is the one I am trying to match to.

More of the whites

See how WHITE this fabric is  (the one on the bottom is the one I'm matching)

I did find a couple, but even when I separated them from the rest - it is still very  WHITE compared to the others.  I did manage to find ONE fabric that is the same superwhite, but there wasn't enough of it.

Close - but not close enough for me

So you know what that means. I have to go shopping!!!!!   Technically I need the fabric before Saturday, but there isn't time to shop.  I'll just prepare the appliqué, but it won't get stuck down.


Who knew there were so many whites?????   Well - I did know the whites were quite different, but wow!!!!!!


And on that note - I'm out of here!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!