January 22 -- thinking warmer

Yesterday we stopped into Gone Sewin so I could tell Toni how much I appreciate her being open and having the shop so close to home, even if I don't get in as often as I'd like. I told her about my trip to The Quilting Bug, and she seemed to have heard similar stories from other customers. I then proceeded to drop the rest of my January budget on fabrics that I liked. No quilt in mind (no serious ones, anyway), just wanted to pay my dues to a good local shopkeeper. It must have been a coincidence that she was having a 35% off sale at the same time..


So, my fabric acquisitions for 2010 are a bit staggering.. I think I'm up to 18 new yards already. I think I'm done shopping for a while.

This week I have also been sorting through my stash-- I want to slowly throw everything in the wash machine.  I've been good in the past about washing second hand scraps, but I'm not always good about washing fabric right when I bring it home.  Then when I want to dive into a project (like tonight) I have to put my enthusiasm on hold for a few hours to run the washer, assuming it's all the same color, or for a full day or more if it isn't.  Right now I've got a bunch of warm colors in the wash-- deep pinks, bright oranges.  I have a simple pattern in mind and wanted to test it out.  This might turn into a good stash buster if it works out as easily as I'm hoping.  At first I was just going to use up some of the random older florals from the bottom shelf, but then I remembered that I really like the fabric I've bought recently and I want to use that, you know?  So in the wash it went.  If the project stalls once it's out of the dryer then so be it.  That's what I get for not being prepared..

oh, and some inspiration I'd like to share:

Amy at A Commonplace Life
BumbleBeans
and the simple yet satisfying quilts over at HeartStrings Quilt Project