Tuesday, November 01, 2016

effective fabric selection

Happy November! It's my month for the mighty lucky quilting club! My challenge is all about effective fabric selection. (Try saying that 5 times fast!) To me, one of the best parts about quilting is playing with beautiful fabric! Wouldn't you agree?
This fabric stack is something that I pulled together for the challenge....now I'm ready to chop it up into a bunch of pieces and turn it into a quilt. This is a bit out of my normal color range, so I'm anxious to see how it comes together and how much editing will need to happen along the way. It's always an adventure!
For those of you participating in the club, I can't wait to see what you come up with for the challenge! 
A few weeks ago, Sandi and I chatted all about scraps, fabric design, blogging and my mighty lucky challenge. You can listen to the podcast here, if you care to. Sandi is lovely and I really enjoyed visiting with her. I actually listened to the podcast myself, and it was by far the most scary part of my Halloween. (It's not scary at all, I'm just extremely self-conscious. Hahaha!)

Because it's always fun to hear from you, do you love picking out fabrics or do you dread that part? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the subject!

Also, tomorrow is my 10 year blog birthday. Craziness! I'm not sure how to celebrate it, but I've been thinking about how things have changed and how it's grown into something I never would have dreamed of. I'm so thankful to you for reading!!!

55 comments:

Marybeth said...

Just think...10 years and you don't look a day older...hehehe. I think that this a wonderful milestone and we all want 10 more!! Congrats

grammajudyb said...

Congrats on 10 years!! I do dread fabric selection. It's harder for me than it should be.

house on hill road said...

Yay for 10 years!
I listened to you yesterday - you were great! And I am excited to jump into the challenge. I LOVE picking out fabric. xoxox

Suzanne said...

I could not believe it when you and sandi spoke of the blog's 10th anniversary. It's a milestone! I feel midway between love and dread about fabric selection.

Dolly said...

I'm just glad that I stumbled across your blog. Your scrappy quilts and imaginitive designs are always an inspiration to me. Happy Blogiversary !

the momma said...

I, for one, will always be grateful that you started blogging and that you so freely share info. I have no clue how I found it, but it was through your blog that I learned to quilt almost 8 years ago :-)
I know the word 'life changing' is often overused, but quilting has, truly, been life changing for me. It offers me a creative outlet and has shown me that I *am* an artist, and (way!) more importantly, has become an avenue through which *I* can help change lives, too :-) (when I quilt for pay, I use the money to buy sewing machines for women rescued from the slave trade in India, so they can learn a skill and have a way to earn a respectable income. If you want to, you can see my latest sewing-for-machines project here: http://pursuingjoy.blogspot.com/2016/08/faith-freedom-finished-quilt.html ) So - thank you!! A thousand times.

I adore choosing fabrics!! I don't yet have a particular palette or color comfort zone that I work in, as pretty much all of my quilts have been made for a certain person, and/or with a certain color scheme.

Happy anniversary ~ Tracy

Sharon Tucker said...

Happy 10th Blog birthday! I have a love/hate relationship with picking fabrics...I love playing with the fabric but I never feel confident in my choices after I've started to put the quilt top together. Maybe with more time, it will get easier ;-)

Thanks for being here for inspiration and motivation!!

Jessica said...

Your podcast was fantastic! Thank you for sharing all that you did. I love reading your blog and seeing your quilts (especially the improv-y ones!). :)

AnnieO said...

Choosing fabrics is my favorite part! I love mixing color and pattern and finding that just right background to support the pattern. There are some that always yell too loud or thud too hard that must be culled, but that's fun too. Congratulations on 10 years!

DeeDee said...

Just popping in to say I'm glad you're back from your blogging break. I didn't realize how much I looked forward to your posts!

Salmagundi said...

I enjoy playing with fabric. I'm always amazed at how a quilt changes from what I first imagined. Happy blog anniversary! Sally

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary! Like so many others, I am so happy I found your blog and look forward to reading your latest project adventure every Friday. Thank you for sharing, I have learned so much from you!!

Tawa said...

Congrats on making ten years. Yours was one of the first blogs I came across, and is always a weekly prompt to hurry up and fnish something, anything. I especially like your scrappy finishes, since its fun seeing even the tiniest bits of fabric being utilised. Thanks for sticking around the blogging world so long, looking forward to many more posts.

Little Quiltsong said...

Ten Years - congratulations, Amanda Jean! I too love the part of choosing my fabric for the next project and sometimes find it hard to finish the previous ones first :)!

Schulz Family said...

happy blog anniversary. 10 years is a lot of effort. Love your blog.

Katie Z. said...

Oh, my goodness! I've been listening to your podcast, and I'm ridiculously grateful you still blog. I love the stories that accompany the pictures, and I can only manage so many social media platforms in my free time.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

I think picking out fabrics is one of my favorite parts of making a quilt. I love the possibilities!

Kathy E. said...

Congrats on 10 years of blogging! I don't think I even knew what a blog was 10 years ago! I am a Mighty Lucky Duck member, so will look forward to your lesson!

The Joyful Quilter said...

I absolutely LOVE choosing the fabrics for a quilt (and I love reading your blog!!) Here's to ANOTHER 10 years!!

Chris said...

Congratulations on 10 years! I enjoy picking out fabrics, and for years now I've had a "rule" to challenge myself (and ease my bank account) that at least half of the fabrics for any project have to come from stash.

Quilter Kathy said...

Happy Blogiversary!
I love picking out fabrics! The more, the merrier!

Debbie said...

I just read thru your ML challenge and am anxious to get to it! I really enjoy doing a fabric pull, tho I only do it with a project in mind - never 'just because.' Congrats on the anniversary btw. Very cool!

KerryQ said...

I love choosing fabrics, but then I second guess myself like crazy.

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

10 years!! That's amazing! Congratulations, and I think you should take yourself out for dinner - you've earned it!

Paige said...

Looking forward to your challenge, headed to download now! Congrats on 10 years!

Kristy said...

I love fabric! I love choosing colors for the next project and have a hard time limiting my choices. That's why I love your blog and your quilts because you use lots of different fabrics and make them look amazing! I have so enjoyed reading your blog and watching you expand your horizons with your book and then Craftsy. It is really something I look forward to reading and I am glad you still blog. Congratulations on 10 years! I have learned a lot about color from you. Thanks so much! K- lkw2x6-apq@yahoo.com

Kay said...

Congratulations on your first 10 years!!! Love choosing fabric, it is one of my favourite things to do. x

Unknown said...

Okay, its been said before, but, Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. :) I so enjoy that you share your accomplishments with us. Choosing fabric? Oh my, I am a bit embarrassed about that. It seems my husband is better at that than I am. Love your blog!

GRANNYcanQUILT said...

Happy anniversary/birthday. Ten years is quite a milestone. Yay you! About fabric selection...it's very weird, some days I go into my sewing room and everything I pick up works, some days I don't care if it works and I sew anyway and then some days....I cannot make a decision, I hover over the cutting table, rotary cutter in hand but cannot bring myself to cut a single slice. Do I need help on those days. You bet.

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

Wow, congrats! Your blog is the first one I started reading and now it's one of the last three I still read:). I love fabric selection...that's probably what got most of us into this hobby!

farmhousequilter8 said...

I love your blog.......I am fine choosing fabrics but I love the whole process. Paula in KY

stamperwithdayjob said...

Happy Blogaversary - 10 years - WOW. Congratulations. What a wonderful blog you have. I love seeing posts from you and what you do with scraps. I think that's why I love your blog so much - it's scraps and I don't have to think about fabric selection too much. Sometimes it stresses me out and so if I just have a fat quarter of a line of fabric or a pre-cut I know it already all goes together. I'm always looking for helpful tips and that part of the quilt making process.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Well Happy Day!! 10 years IS a long time and your blog is one of my favorites. Thank you for continuing to blog when so many are jumping ship!!
xx, Carol

piecefulwendy said...

Congratulations on reaching 10 years -- as a new blogger, I'm a little in awe of that! I hope you have some fun things planned to celebrate; we're having lovely weather here in Minnesota, so maybe that will be part of the fun (cuz we know what's coming)! Thanks for the excellent blog, beautiful quilts, and upbeat attitude! Wendy at piecefulthoughts@gmail.com

MissPat said...

Congrats. Thank you for blogging. I don't do facebook or other social media, so blogs like yours are important to me. I love choosing fabric, especially digging through my stash and revisiting all the lovely fabrics I just had to have.

pennylanequilts said...

Congratulations on your ten years of blogging! I really appreciate your blog and find that you are a kindred spirit when it comes to our love of all things scrappy.

Ramona said...

Choosing fabrics is one of my favorite things, but choosing a FINAL SELECTION is the worst!! I just stress so much over the right combination. And to add to the difficulty, I love those scrappy quilts that just come together so beautifully. And of course that's rarely by accident. ;-)

Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. Here's to another 10!!

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

Happy Blogiversary! Your fabric pull looks like it has lots of wonderful possibilities. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. I love choosing fabrics, it's my favorite part of the process.

Needled Mom said...

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the fabrics.

Congratulations on your ten years of blogging. You've done a great job over the years.

Sandy said...

Happy 10th Blog Birthday!! Wow! Yours was the first blog I started reading regularly! Thank you for sharing your relaxed, friendly approach to quilting! I love pulling fabrics to start a new project! New beginnings are always fun :D

Unknown said...

Congratulations, Amanda Jean! I always look forward to reading your blog because of your lovely easy-going manner, your beautiful & inspiring creations and your tutorials and are always well thought out and well written. Thank you! Fabric selection is always uncomfortable for me. I love fabrics, in all their variety, but when it comes to editing I feel overwhelmed because of all the choices. I inherited a huge stash of fabric from my mother-in-law and they're from all different lines, so they don't all play well together.

Marianne in MD said...

Congratulations on the blog, podcast and Mighty Lucky Challenge! I just listened to the podcast and am about to get out the scrap bags for the challenge. I owe my renewed interest in quilting to you. I read your name on the blog of Finnish artist Piavi Eerola almost two years ago and had to have a look at "modern" quilting. Your blog is still my favorite quilting blog and scraps are my favorite fabrics. Thank You!

Marcelle said...

Happy blog birthday! Like other commenters, I both love and hate fabric selection. There are times when everything comes together splendidly and other projects that I already hate before I finish them. I blame myself for poor fabric choices, but because I'm definitely more of a use it up,wear it out, make it do or do without kind of gal, I will usually choose to use the color I have even though I could imagine something more perfect in a shop.

I take my hat off to local quilt shops that make shopping for a new project an inspiring event. I moved from the Willamette valley in Oregon to the gulf coast of Alabama and there are no quilt shops closer than an hour. I have started shopping online (thanks for turning me on to connecting threads) and that can be fun, but also overwhelming. I'm looking forward to listening to the podcast while I fold laundry tonight.

Karen said...

Congratulations on 10 years of blogging. I just found you this year.

Bernie Kringel said...

First of all, congrats on ten awesome years of inspiring all of us. I think I found your blog in about 2012 and I have loved it ever since. Mostly because of the voice that is heard in your writing, your generosity with tips, tutorials and encouragement, And above all because your projects are within reach for beginners and challenging enough for the experienced. So, thank you.

I listened to the podcast yesterday and love it. Speaking of your voice, it was fun to hear yours via Crafty Planner.

I downloaded the ML challenge this morning and look forward to playing with the list of idea you shared.

Thanks Amanda, Amanda Jean, or AJ. 😊

Amy DeCesare said...

Yay for the first 10 years as an AMA I got blogger! 🎂 Did you ever imagine where it would take you? Can't wait to see what lies ahead for you.

Karen said...

Happy 10 years! I'm so thankful to YOU for writing!

Charlotte M. said...

You have been such an inspiration to me for the last 7 years since I found you. Thank you.

Beth said...

10 years wow!!!! I have a very hard time picking fabric. I am much more a technician than artist. I often contact my sites who also quilts. She is a florist and has a great eye.

Becky said...

It used to be downright frightening for me to choose fabrics. Not so much anymore for two reason...experience, and I have a lot more fabric. Haha. It took me years to figure it out and I think I'm still working on that skill. Congratulations on the blog anniversary!

bee said...

i love choosing fabrics! i tend to have a scrappy happy look in my quilts as i pull fabrics based on colors & prints vs. keeping a whole line together. it's always fun to bring colors together- I love trying new combos or going for colors that aren't my 'usual'.

Red said...

Happy 10th, I love to read your posts. I'm a fabricaholic and I never have enough. For this reason I enjoy choosing fabrics for a project and then go and buy more.

Mary Marcotte said...

Ten years seems like a long time, except that it isn't! Well, not to a 56 year-old, anyway. Congratulations on the anniversary, here's hoping for many, many more.

Live a Colorful Life said...

It was GREAT listening to you on the podcast! And I love picking out fabrics, one of my most favorite things. Someone called me a fabric whisperer the other day and I think that's one of the nicest things anyone has said to me. :) Miss you, friend. I wish we could have a sew day.

Linda said...

Choosing fabrics and coordinating them together is my absolute favorite part of sewing in general. :)