Finding stuff.........
2 nights ago I was cleaning the drawers of my sewing cabinet and found this group of 1.5" strips. I know I intended to sew them together into a strata but didn't remember much else about them. They are OK, but not great.
The fun thing about the Trip Around the World pattern is that almost anything will work. It would be hard to make an ugly one unless you didn't have a good run of values. I think I will have enough to make 2 placemats or a tablerunner from one set 45" wide. Since each piece will finish at 1" the placemats will be 16.5" one direction and 14.5" the other if I make 2 placemats or a 16.5" x 28.5" tablerunner.
Last night I was starting to clean the basement for my art quilters next Monday. I decided to clear one shelf and on the bottom I found this 'mauve' fabric from the mid 1980's.
Here is the price we were paying for top of the line quilting fabrics back in the 1980's. I had a quilt shop from 1982 to 1986 and this is from that shop. VIP was one of the top companies producing calicoes. There were only a dozen or so companies to buy from at that time. There are so many companies now that it is almost impossible for a shop to carry them all.
Today I'm teaching a finishing class so I hope to find time to slice the strata I showed yesterday. I will have photos tomorrow.
17 comments:
I love the colors in the strata! Reds, pinks and yellows, it just doesn't get any better. Wow, what a blast from the past, as far as fabrics go. Don't you wish the fabrics were still that cheap?
Tiny trip around the world but nice.
You have me wanting to try a Trip Around the World Quilt. There just aren't enough hours in my days.
funny finding that long forgotten fabric - love the price from back then.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
oh Wanda, I carried VIP in my shop in the late 70's!!!! You brought back a flood of memories! We had so few choices, and we plugged away with what we had!
I learned to quilt at that shop. You had a wonderful selection at that time even though I expect it would pale in comparison to what's available today.
They hadn't invented rotary cutters yet and I can remember all the patterns and direction sheets on the long yellow paper, cutting out the templates, pinning them to the fabric, cutting and sewing.
Wonderful, wonderful memories and a warm, happy feeling remembering being in your shop and your classroom. I learned more in your class than I did in any other I ever took and I can still look at a quilt block, take it apart with my eyes and know how to make it all due to what you taught me.
Thanks, Wanda!!!!!
dianen....I was probably in one of Wanda's classes with you back then...and I agree with your memories....Wanda's classes were/are great, I certainly learned a lot and I am now still inspired daily. Actually, I think I still have some of that fabric in my stash !!!!
Ahhh...the good old days! I still have some of the VIP fabric in my stash. Sad, but true.
Ha Ha. I made a skirt out of that dress in the 1980's
OK, but not great, you say??? I LOVE it! Those colors are gorgeous together! I made a Trip Around the World using all Asian fabrics - it's hanging over my fireplace. I do like it, but I wish it looked like yours! Thanks for sharing!
I want to make one of those!
The colours in that strata are gorgeous -- what's pink, red, cream. Lovely!
The colors in your trip around the world are delicious!
I remember back in the 80's thinking $4.99 + a yard for fabric was expensive .... but everything being relative. Still, I would love that price with today's choices!
Looking forward to your photos tomorrow.
Going to a quilt show in OKC tomorrow.... looking forward to seeing what is there!
What fun! I love it when I find something I forgot I had squirrelled away. And both of those finds of yours are pretty. I have every confidence that you can take that slightly out of date fabric and turn it into something wonderful.
Hi Wanda,
Would 10 dollars be the running price for fabric in the States just now? More than that?
I know we have talked about the cost before, but the cost here in Western Canada, would range from 14-22 dollars a meter as a regular price in the local quilt store. Our dollar is around par with the US dollar these days.
Having said that I often find fabric for much less- I rarely buy it at regular price, unless I am looking for something specific, like Eric Carle kids fabric.
During the Christmas break I bought fabric at a LQS for 5 dollars a meter if you finished the bolt. It was a terrific price- especially for some batiks which were 17 or 18 dollars a meter. I have bought some fabric on line from the US for 4-7 dollars a yard but you have to really pay attention to the shipping and customs cost that can add a lot to the cost of buying fabrics that way. Places like Connecting Threads have pretty good deals and the quality has been generally good. I love the fabrics from Keepsake quilting but the price is fairly steep. Even in the on line shops, I buy from the clearance sections.
I have some VIP fabrics in a quilt (my first one) that I made in the late 80's. Small calico fabrics were the most available kind of cotton to use when I first began quilting.
New lines of fabrics come out all the time now - You have so much to pick and choose from these days.
I love Jinny Beyer fabrics- especially her border designs. I have always wanted to make her Moonstruck quilt but have never bought the kit.Just love the beautiful jewel tones that are set off by the black.
Have fun with your strata and quilting group.
Regards,
Anna
Very pretty colors, they will make beautiful table decorations, whichever way you go.
I remember that Jinny Beyer fabric. It faded so fast with almost no sun exposure. That was back when the manufacturers were insisting that 10-15 hours of color fastness was more than enough!
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