Stash Report

I got a box in the mail from a blog reader.  I opened the box and didn’t look at he contents determined to read the note first…but the fabric called and I looked a the fabric.  AH!!!!!!  It was wonderful…really wonderful Civil War reproduction prints.  I dove in to the note.  I never really know the intentions of the sender until I read the note.  I’ve had some people write and say that they wanted the fabric to be used for charity quilts.  If that’s the case, I pick out a few pieces that might be big enough for binding and pass the rest along to a worthy charity.  Other times the recipient send the fabric to me and I can keep it!  This note said I can keep it.  I was doing the happy dance!!

All of them are Civil War reproduction fabrics.

I think for some, Civil War prints are becoming not as popular….they never will be unpopular for me.  These are the colors and prints that speak to my heart.  I sew other things all the time…but these dark rich tones will forever for my favorite…I do have to admit that batiks are slowly creeping their way into my heart too!  Dark colors looks so good in my house so I’ll be sticking with those.

Heather wrote that she was cleaning her sewing room and realized that she hadn’t touched the fabrics for over a year and had no plans for them so she was gifting them to me.  I know all of us have had fabrics that we haven’t touched in a year…  Kudos to Heather for be brave enough to pass the fabric on!

I started to sort through the fabrics and then realized the fabrics are all different sizes.   When I get a batch of scrappiness with pieces all different sizes, one of my favorite things to do is to pick out a pattern and cut it out as I sort the fabric…more or less cutting the quilt from the box.  It had  worked wonderfully for me.  So now I am going to be on the hunt for a pattern.

I used this method when I cut out Scrap Crystals.   Two blog readers had sent me batik scraps.  Lots were the perfect size for Scrap Crystals.  I cut and cut and cut using all sorts of small scraps.  I kept a good tally of how many pieces of each I had.  When I ran out of scraps I looked at my tallies and then supplemented fabrics from my own stash to cut and bring my numbers to the needed amounts.  This method makes for fun scrappy quilts and also is a great motivator for sorting the scraps.

Can you believe my good fortune when the very next day another box came in my mail.  This one was from Judy in Lacrosse.  She wrote a wonderful note…I was having a challenging day and the note was so sweet.  In that box was the neutrals that the box Heather sent needed.  Check it out….

Judy said that all of these were getting “little” meaning it was likely time to strip them down into sizes for the scrap users system.  What I think I’m going to do is pair them Heather’s fabric for a fantastic quilt!!  Neutrals are my always wanted and welcome.  I’ve really made a point to work on my neutral selection.  Good neutrals really make the colors shine.

I’m off to hunt for a pattern.  This will be the perfect project for cutting out during nap time….but first a pattern.  THANKS so much Heather and to Judy…this is going to be so-so fun.  It’s a challenge and fun all in one!