F is for fat quarter

Just like any niche market - hobby, sect, clique, group, occupation etc Patchwork and Quilting has its own set of words that are unique to it... either unique because the words are only applicable within that niche market or because the word has its own special meaning when used within that group. The more deeply you become enmeshed within that group the more words you discover that do have specialised meanings. As you become familiar with the words they become commonplace, their meaning obvious and you forget that their meaning might not be obvious. 

The problem with these special niche words is that they can make newcomers feel at best confused and at worst excluded. It can make the group feel like an exclusive clique trying to repel all boarders. I have to say most quilters that I have met are NOT like this at all. Quilters are generally happy to see interest in their craft - delighted to welcome new enthusiasts - keen to share their addiction. However, it doesn't meant that the newcomer or the person unfamiliar with your hobby might not feel confused or excluded.

The word that I have most often had to explain to people in my circles is Fat Quarter. To the uninitiated this is totally bewidlerign. Case in point. My immediate family (ie husband and kids... on this blog known as Fixit Guy, Fangirl, The Beast, Kombi Kid(or boy) and Boyo) share Christmas hint lists to enable more thoughtful giving. I had put (surprise surprise) fabric on mine and Kombi Kid had asked for clarification and so I had said fat quarters of tone on tone cream or white fabric. He basically said HUH? I told him to just ask the lady in the shop. He did. He said he actually showed her my text message and she was able to assist. (he told me that initially he thought I was having him on.. .like telling him to get a litre of striped paint). Another friend was going to be staying for a few days whilst attending a training day and wanted to bring us a hostess gift. His wife told him to go to Spotlight and get some fat quarters. His goggle eyes made her also tell him... just ask the shop assistant. 

So what is a FAT QUARTER - this is a measure of fabric. In metric using country it is a 50cm cut of fabric (ie .5  or one half of a metre) that is then cut in half width ways So its a quarter of a metre cut of fabric. In USA its a half a yard cut in half.

A fat quarter is a rectangular piece of fabric that usually measures 56cm wide x 50cm long. Sometimes fat quarters are wider than this depending on the manufactured width of the fabric. (Note: If you're in the US, then the measurements are slightly shorter at 18” wide x 22”long.)

Most shops that sell quilting fabric will sell an array of fat quarters. The price is usually a little more than if you bought a 1/4 metre of fabric (known as a skinny quarter sometimes) but it is already cut and it means that for larger prints you get more of the pattern. Being pre cut it means it is quicker to buy as well and makes a nice little memento of a visit and a lovely gift to a fellow quilter.

Many fabric lines now sell fat quarter bundles - a fat quarter of each piece of fabric from a particular line of fabric (ie fabrics released together usually by one designer, that all co-ordinate.) These are very popular especially with on-line stores. Massdrop sell many fabric bundles and I have to admit to having purchased a number of them.

Obi by Hyakka Ryoran

Neko by Hyakka Ryoran

Andover Chambray

Chillingsworth"s Bicycle race

 

Andover Chambray

Fat quarters were probably the original pre-cut. Precut bundles are now readily available. The most popular ones are:

• 2.5" x width of fabric strips (sometimes known as jelly rolls - the name developed by one manufacturer)
• 5" squares (charm squares)
• 10" squares (layer cake)

Together with fat quarters these cuts have many patterns written especially for them. Missouri Star Quilt company has many of them featured on their You Tube channel.

Sunday Stash Report - catch up

I haven't done a stash report for awhile. Being away has done that to me... 

I have bought some fabric. Yes I have to confess that BUT I have stuck to my aim to only by fabric for specific purposes. Whilst in Mackay and Townsville I visited Spotlight and succumbed to some lovely fabric which I planned to make bibs for Handmade Love. These fabrics have featured in all the bandana bibs I have made over the last couple of weeks. I do still have some of the fabric left but most of it got used up including the metre (or was it 1.5m...I forget) for binding. Its all basically gone so it doesn't really matter. I got 2 fat quarters of funky Michael Miller Christmas print and 3 co-ordinating spots for the bibs. I got .3m of 2 other funky Christmas fabrics for bibs as well. Its all just about gone. I have bits and pieces of each fabric left. I could make a couple more bibs but not sure that we need more for the stalls. Thinking I should try some pot mitts or towel hangers.



I have acquired some more fabric from my mother in laws linen press. Sigh. If I am honest and count it all it is going to blow my stash numbers out of the water.

My MIL's cousin Ruth was about 10 years older than her. She  never married and was always very fond of her little cousin Nancy and family. Ruth had a heart of gold and was always very generous but... well her gifts whilst well meant weren't always as useful as she would have liked them to be.

Cousin Ruth in the 1950s - in her 30s

At some point she acquired some bolts of fabric - rather thick heavy cotton (like a heavy homespun) that she decided was ideal for sheets. She proceeded to make several flat sheets for the family. Trouble was... the fabric was of course not wide enough so had to be seamed down the middle and some of them she patched together to make long enough. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep with a seam under you... or over you for that matter. So these sheets, made from quite good quality heavy cotton, were largely unused because they were uncomfortable (another time she did a stretch knit course and learned how to make men's undies. She promptly sewed a heap for my brothers in law (Fixit Guy had left home by this stage) but being economical she used every skerrick of fabric and this meant that many of them had seams down the back of the undies. Again... not comfortable. I think the young teenaged boys that my BILs were at this stage weren't keen on them at all so I don't' think they got very used at all. Ruth and my Mother in Law were always very close although they were 11 years apart in age. Ruth died towards the end of 2005 and my mother in law died just a few months later in February 2006.


Ruth was very practical and no nonsense - bit rough and ready but loving and generous so the family never told her that her gifts weren't always appreciated. The sheets were still in the linen press till I liberated them this trip. They should come in handy for backing of quilts at some stage. But it is hard to count them into my stash when I don't have a use by date on them.... Just tallied it up 4 sheets and some curtain fabric... just over 14m of fabric. Oh that hurts.

Then when I got home I found a Massdrop parcel had arrived with my fat quarter bundle. Neko by Hyakka Ryoran. Isn't it gorgeous. 

 
There were 20 fat quarters in the drop which was 5 yards or 4.7m I do have a project in mind for this lovely fabric so we will see how we go.

I have already told you in other recent posts that I made

16 bandana bibs and 12 baby bibs (4x10" long and 8 x8"long)
  
I also made 2 hanging towels for my sister in law. I found the new hand towels in my mother in laws linen press (despite the fact that she died 10 years ago, much of her house on the property is as it was when she was there including the linen press. I raided it this trip for a few bits and pieces myself and found these hand towels. My SIL uses them. Like me she likes a thick full towel rather than the little half towels made out of tea towel. They were green and I happened to have some green with me... the spotty stuff I had used for binding as well as some darker green check. She seemed very happy with them... no photos of course.

So the stats for the last few weeks 

Weeks 39- 44
              Fabric Used                  3.01
              Fabric Added              18.90

Year To Date
              Fabric Used               138.29
              Fabric Added               76.70

Net Used/Added                         61.59 used

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times

Sunday Stash Report - kats and Kaftans

I've only had one finish this week but as I had to buy the fabric for it its almost the equivalent of a nil all draw.

At Handmade Love on Tuesday (that's a sewing group I am part of that makes things to sell to raise money for Our Rainbow House, a school in Zambia) a visitor to town who is also part of the Our Rainbow House Community, taught us how to make kaftans. I had forgotten about it till that morning so had to dash to the shop as soon as it was open to get fabric to use. I chose a lovely soft batik that had a gorgeous pattern and was soft enough to drape well.

It was really easy and straight forward to make. Basically I measured my length, folded the fabric in half and cut it off to that length plus 5 cm for the hem, cut a neck line, faced it, hemmed it, sewed the side seams and boom it was done. Well that is how it was supposed to go. I had trouble with the neckline initially but we got there. (Peggy, our co-ordinator for HML, is a very experienced sewer and she was able to fix my issues) I didn't even have to hem my sides as the batik's selvage was so beautifully finished.

If I make another one (who am I kidding... when I make another one) I think that instead of just folding my fabric in half I will do shoulder seams. It might help to stop it slipping about so much. It's not bad but just slipped back a bit.

The 3.6m of fabric bought and used in this project was my only purchase for the week although I do confess that I have ordered a fat quarter bundle on Massdrop. I'm collecting cat fabrics so this is just perfect. But it hasn't arrived yet so I don't have to count it this week. Whew.

Speaking of cats, we've been catsitting our daughter Fangirl's 2 felines this week. They are gorgeous and playful and far more attention seeking than our old boy cat

 

Fangirl is out of town this weekend to attend the Brisbane Comic Convention. She has had a stall there for the first time selling her Geeky cross stitch patterns, kits and some made items. Her youngest brother has gone with her to help her with the stall. Not sure how much he knows about cross stitch but by the end of the weekend I'm sure he'll know a lot more. He's been company and has meant she can go for bathroom breaks if nothing else. Actually apparently yesterday he was able to go off and go to the forums etc and look at the other stalls and displays and today it was her turn.

So this weeks stats

Week 37

         Fabric Used                       3.4    
          Fabric Added                     3.4

Year To Date
         Fabric Used                    134.72
         Fabric Added                    52.81        

Net Used/Added                       81.92

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times

Monday Musings - did I do the right thing?

Yesterday (or early this morning) I finished off Going Green. I added it to my spreadsheet and counted it in yesterday's stash report. It meant I got a lovely finish and good numbers on the spreadsheet. This morning I labelled it and posted it off to my friend

Today my order from Massdrop arrived. I really am going to ban myself from that website. Its wonderful treasure trove of lovely things at great prices. And they are getting more and more quilting supplies. The Aussie Dollar has dipped alarmingly of late and so the prices, once converted are no longer quite as attractive (we were under 60c against the green back last week) so that will probably help slow me down

This morning my latest fabric purchase arrived - a bundle of 8 half yard pieces from Camelot Design Studio - The fabric is scented and supposed to last through 30 washes or something like that. I don't mind really I loved the fabric. There's peach, lemon, pineapple, watermelon (that's what attracted me to the drop... looking for watermelon fabric for Sam's party) strawberry, apple, honey and one I can't make out. To be honest, whilst there is a lovely sweet fruity smell to the bundle, none of them are that distinct... except maybe the lemon. Probably because they have all been packaged up together sealed in plastic.

What do you think that pink with little marks on it is supposed to be? Edit Someone has suggested that the pink is icing with sprinkles. That makes sense

None the less they are gorgeous and I will add them to my spreadsheet and hope to get at least one more finish this week so as to not record a negative number for the week.

If you want to check out Massdrop go here (note if you use this link and order something I do get credit for it. If 5 people use this link I get a box of goodies)

Sunday Stash Report

This is a nil all draw this week. I haven't finished anything (tried to get Going Green Done but failed...ran out of time and enthusiasm) I have to confess that I have been captivated by my hexagon making and that is taking up lots of my time. I've got 8 flowers sewn together and heaps more completed hexies not yet fashioned into flowers and yet more hexie papers cut and pinned to trimmed fabric so making progress but NO finishes.

I haven't purchased any fabric... well no that is a lie. I have ordered some on line but I don't count it till it hits my doorstep so we shall have to wait a few weeks before I have to account for it. I ordered some from Massdrop and that always takes longer as you have to wait for the drop to end and then wait for it to be ordered and then wait for it to arrive at their warehouse and ... well lot of waiting. The fabric I've ordered is this lot, the scented half yard bundle. I wish I had the watermelon fabric whilst I was sewing madly for my friend Sam's watermelon themed birthday party. She might yet score another watermelony gift.



Week 34

         Fabric Used                     0
         Fabric Added                   0

Year To Date
         Fabric Used                    113.85
         Fabric Added                    42.40        

Net Used/Added                       71.46m   

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times

Sunday Stash Report

I got a parcel in the mail this week. It contained 15 fat quarters from a bundle I had bought on Massdrop. I had totally forgotten that I had ordered it. Its from a fabric line called Pearl Bracelets by Lizzy House for Andover fabrics. Its the first time I have bought a complete fabric line bundle of any sort. Its a lovely lot of fabric and I have no idea what I am going to do with it. They are all tone on tone but in a range of colours. Not sure what I will do with them but it will be fun working it out.

I love Massdrop. They have recently started a craft department and have some really great deals. I just bought a gingher seam ripper. I like the fact that they post to Australia and that their postage rates are reasonable. They have had patterns, kits, gadgets as well as fabric as well as all sorts of technological gear. Check it out here

No finishes although my Oprhan block quilt top is ALMOST put together. I am just trying to get the borders on... had a few ISHEWS with it but its so close to done now. That has been the only project I have worked on this week as we were away camping and no sewing got done.

Used this week:                                0m

Added this week                               3.43m

Year to Date Used                      122.28m
Year to Date added                      90.82m
Net Used                                          31.46m

Linking up with Sunday Stash Report @Patchwork Times