Posted on by agilejack

Thinking and Changing My Mind About Black Fabrics

I haven’t done much sewing this week. Work has been busy and our winter membership radio drive started Thursday. So the next week will be hectic. I’ve played pickleball five of the last seven days, which has been my winter so far. I’m really happy I have access to an indoor facility and am having fun getting to know a lot of people who play there.

So I’m feeling good and relatively content but no much sewing has taken place.

I have been playing with my selection of Australian Aboriginal fabrics over the last week. I’ve removed and added fabrics and am still not sure what colors I’ll use. I had thought I would use various “black” fabrics to play with the saturated colors.

The more I’ve looked at these fabrics the more I think I will go another direction. So much so that I checked online with my local quilt store earlier today and after pickleball I drove over there and bought three yards of this black and white fabric to use in place of the various fabrics.

I bought all they had. It’s more than I’ll need for this quilt but I love black and white fabric and I’m sure I’ll eventually use it. This is the fabric that I used on the back of the quilt I use on my sofa. I’m snuggled up under it right how.

I spread out all the colored fabrics to get a feeling for how it will work.

And as I look at that photo I’m pretty sure this is not the final group of fabrics I’ll use for this quilt. I’m not in a hurry to start this so I’ll give it some time to play around a little. I may even use fewer of the colored fabrics. I’ll decide later.

I actually did a tiny bit of sewing today. I pulled out my Australian Aboriginal trip quilt blocks. I’ve been wanting to finish that quilt. I was pretty sure I had 19 blocks done with all the pieces ready to assemble for more. I was right that I had 19 completed blocks. So I grabbed a set of the cut strips and put together one more block to make an even 20.

I had been thinking I would stop at 20 blocks and assemble them 4 wide by 5 high and add a broad border to make the quilt a good throw size. So I tossed the blocks up on the design wall and tried the border fabric to see how it looks.

I think I’ll make the borders 7 or 8 inches wide. that will make the quilt around 62 x 74 or so.

Here’s a closer look at the blocks and border. There is a lot of color in there that doesn’t show in the full picture.

I also have a couple yards of that red fabric in the block at the upper right in that photo, now that I think of it. I might also work as a border. It’s definitely a different feel.

I’m not sure I love it. Here’s a closer look.

I feel like that would need a smaller inner border of a different color, but that would be easy enough to do.

We have some cooler weather the last week but it hasn’t been too wet. We actually got some snow on Wednesday but it didn’t stick. It was nice to see some flakes fall. That was our only snow so far this winter. It’s not unusual for us to not get much in the way of snow. I’ll be happy if we get by without a major storm this winter. That storm that left me without power for four days last year was enough to last me a few winters.

I’m happy to take the colder weather if I get to see the sun and we’ve had a good deal of sun the last week. We’re supposed to have cold but sunny weather through Wednesday, then it gets a little wild with rain, snow, and maybe some wind as far out as the forecast goes.

I’m loving that I’m seeing more light in the evening. And in a month we’ll change our clocks. That’s my favorite day of the year!

33 Replies to “Thinking and Changing My Mind About Black Fabrics”

  1. I just LOVE all of your fabrics and your creations. I’ve tried ,without success, to find the white fabrics with the dandelion seeds/puffs (?) and also the little bird footprints you use. Can you tell me who they are made by and how I might be able to get that fabric? THANKS ! Diane- Hesperia,Ca.

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    1. The selvedges of those fabrics are long gone. I hav no. idea what they are. you can really sub any fabric you like in place of these. The designs I used are not critical to achieve th same general feeling.

      Anne

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  2. Do the red border with a smaller inner border of a lighter color. Red is such a striking color with all those aboriginal fabrics. It will “sing”.

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  6. Hi! I love your selection of aboriginal fabrics. I cannot find anything similar in UK. Please could you tell me where you get them from? If in USA, do you know if they ship overseas? Otherwise, could I beg you to ask them where they buy them from? I’m desperate to get my hands on some!! I lived in Australia for over 40 years and love the indigenous materials.

    Cheers Stephanie

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    1. I buy them from a local quilt store called Pioneer quilts. I have no idea if they ship overseas. You can call them to see if they do. They do have an online store:https://www.pioneerquiltshop.com

      Most of the fabrics are M&S designs. That might help you locate teh company to see if they have any stores in your area carrying the fabrics.

      Good luck

      Anne

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      1. Hi Anne! Thank you so much for that. I have subscribed to both and now hoping M&S can tell me of a UK supplier otherwise I will order overseas but the shipping and customs will be horrendous. Thanks again and love seeing your work.

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  7. Your fabrics are gorgeous and I see a faint Irish Chain going on there..so pretty! I wonder if you have considered a solid color flange border all around. While it would help rest the eyes, it would also highlight all the inner colors and make it pop and the outer, wider border will enlarge the quilt as you would like. The quilt on the couch is beautiful; great job!

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  10. Love the quilt, how about a skinny red inner border, then the brown as an outer border…to my eye, the brown is a bit muddy against all the prints.Love your work and your posts,DTSent from my iPad

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  12. I would do a very skinny red stop border (cut at .75”) then the 1st fabric at whatever width you choose.
    I’ve done the skinny stop border in the last couple quilts I made & love the look.

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  14. Hi. I haven’t looked at your blog for a while so I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of great quilts. Love the aboriginals today, but most of all I love the dog portrait on the wall in the third photo. It looks so much like my 5-month-old pup it’s amazing. She is an Australian shepherd with a white face and dark ears, and a personality much like the kiddo in the portrait. I’m wondering where you found it. Thanks for sharing your work, and your dogs!
    Jan

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  15. I have a giant collection of Australian aboriginal fabrics that are begging to be used, but, like Kaffe fabrics, I’d really like to use bigger blocks so as to not chop them up and not see the designs. Any suggestions? I really like the patterns you’ve shown in this blog posting…………

    Diane Burdt

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    1. Search for “aboriginal: on my blog and you’ll get posts from all I’ve made. You can really make any pattern with these fabrics. Choose a pattern you like the shows off big prints an go for it!

      Anne

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  17. Hi Anne, I could not reply on the blog so am replying here – Re bordering your 20 blocks that you sewed together, just for kicks I suggest trying the yellow for a slim first border, maybe a 2″ then to with the purple as the wider one, say 5 or 6″ wide. I think those two will illuminate the 20 blocks! The Red is very nice too, and if you go with that, see about mixing in blue somehow. Funny that you were looking at browns rather than blacks, as the chocolate shades are very much in from a fashion standpoint! I like the brown against the magenta and other colors you held up against! I say go for it! Black will always come back, and you may find something you never thought and love to use it for! Cheers to you always, and the doggies! Diane

    >

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  20. I am so excited! I just made my first little card holder/wallet/coin purse that you blogged about last summer. Oh my goodness! They are precious! Thank you for the link to the YouTube video, the photographs of your production, your helpful hints, and your inspiration! I look forward to having a little stash of them to give to others on the spur of the moment. What great little useful gifts they will be! Thank you!!

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