The One That Got Away
 

Not a special beau/girlfriend! LOL! Do you have a favorite fabric that is gone forever?

I have one pink batik that is one of my first purchases. It was used in one of my first machine embroidery quilts. There is still about a half-yard left in my stash. It only goes into special quilts or projects now.

This second fabric was on the rack at a local fabric shop. It was always in the back of my mind to purchase some for drapes or valances. Alas, it was in the sold-out-forever status by the time I decided to get it. They weren't getting any more...ever.

Imagine my surprise yesterday looking through old bookmarks! Found with an on-line vendor! I almost deleted the bookmark but decided to take a look. Yes, four yards later...



So was there a special one in your fabric life?

That is pretty fabric. I can't say I have a fabric that is my favorite. I will buy fabric I fall in love with and the next time I go fabric shopping I find another I love and have to have. And it continues.

Yes, I too have an one special fabric in my life. :D I bought 3meters of this lovely cream with pink roses calico in a thrift store in NZ, way back when I had barely been quilting for a few months. I didn't take much fabric with me when I moved to America, but that fabric came with me. It's in at least three twin size quilts, baby quilts and several scrap quilts. When my sister visited us three years ago she saw it and said, "You still have that??" Yep, you don't understand quilters, lol! I've put it into so many quilts, and still have about a FQ worth left.

It's the cream calico in the Ohio Star blocks in this BH quilt.

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Very pretty fabric. I think I like all the fabric I see. LOL. I especially like civil war and repo 30's fabrics.

There are certainly fabrics I would buy again if I had the opportunity!

I've been quilting about 40+ years now and I used to have a terrible time using up the last little bits of fabric. I still knew their stories, remembered when I bought them, what projects I used them for, etc. Was obsessed with waiting for the right project at the right time.

Then I had some changes in my life, mostly due to my progressive vision loss. I changed a lot of attitudes and one of them is my current mantra: The best use is whatever use I have for it now! And sometimes that includes sending it off to someone else.

I just had a battle over myself last week with sending someone a variety of themed fabrics, I had two pieces of something I loved which would be the perfect amount for the other person. Could have kept one piece which wouldn't be quite enough for the other person. Went back and forth and finally sent both pieces in the box because it was the right time, and the right project, and the right person even -- even if it wasn't me!

I hold a little ceremony now when I cut/use that last little bit. I spend a few moments going over the memories, and then I stitch it down and move on. Did the same thing when I sent that piece out, funny thing was it didn't really have memories or anything, it was just a cool piece of fabric. There will be other cool pieces of fabric for me in the future!

I kept a Hawaiian cotton shirt from my Dad (the only one he ever had), and I have sparingly shared little pieces in family quilts... there is only a few small odd shaped pieces left, from the collar and button areas, but I am still saving them for another perfect project. :D

Maybe I’ve grown colder or maybe I’ve matured in wisdom, but these days I have a much easier time letting go of stuff I used to love but now only admire.

One thing that helps with keeping just enough fabric from past projects is to cut a 2.5x whatever inch scrap . I have sewn a little bit from every quilt I’ve made into a beach quilt that’s in progress.

I don't really have any. I have had lots of yardage I really liked but am able to sew them all into quilts and donate most. Some I make into quilts for our bed.

Yes!! It is actually three fabrics and not really in my favourite colour family, except that they are strong and bright. I love and am drawn to 'winter' colours--deep rich jewel tones. But these three are all autumn. One piece has leaves in russet, gold, deep green, red... The second is that deep green with shots of gold and the third is that russet again with shots of gold. OMG those three together just melt my heart. I have so little left of any of them and I have no idea where I got them. How could it be that I can't remember finding such beauty??

We have a fabric in our stash that we've never cut because it has to go into the perfect project. I posted about it here: https://www.quiltingboard.com/person...e-t234014.html

I also have a "one that got away" fabric that I still kick myself over. We were at a Hancock Fabrics and found a long flat fold of fabric that appeared to be this print by Kerry Beary: https://www.google.com/search?q=kerr...QhlSISZRi6v9M: . I am drawn to the mid-century mod look, but the pattern was so large I couldn't think of a way to use the fabric to advantage, so I left it in the store. I think it was $1 or $2 per yard back around 2009. I would love to have it now to back a quilt I have in process, but I have never seen the fabric since at any price. Lesson learned.

I have some special fabrics that I use with intention. Others I appreciate but understand that I need to use up my fabric and move on.

Regarding special fabric, I have a quilt that is just for me in hiatus and I am thinking of making a design of my Papillion and put it on a teal background maybe with some pink flowers. I know it will be expensive but maybe worth it. IDK, will have to think about. What gave me the idea was I was in a knitting store that had wallpaper with papillons on a blue background with pink flowers. I loved it. Maybe I will make it with the faces of both my now dog and my much missed previous dog, maybe i am getting carried away.

This would be for backing of the quilt. Again not sure Ill want to incur the cost to do this.

You and I could get into trouble together for sure. Civil War and ‘30’s are my favorites too!

I love all my fabric, I can't bring myself to cut most of it. My goal is to use it up and not buy anymore until I really need something.

Congrats on finding an old love. :D

Love all the fabric stories woven in the threads called our stash!

I have a favorite fabric that I would buy again if I could find it at a reasonable price. It's the Heather Ross fabric of goldfish in plastic bags. I have hoarded some of it, but I actually used some in a quilt I made for my brother. It just makes me smile every time I see it.

Leslie
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LOL I was only talking about this very same problem yesterday with a fellow quilter. How we cannot bring ourselves to use certain fabrics in case we run out so they are brought out only to be looked at, admired, folded and put back for one day.....maybe.

I shouldn't read when I am tired......... I thought the title of this thread said....."The cat that got away" :)

No matter how much I love a fabric I will eventually get sick of it so I use it while I'm still enamored with it :)
My tastes change all the time. Good thing I'm not like that with people lol :)

NZ- your quilt is stunning!!!!!!!!

Over the years I have ad a couple that got away before I could buy more of it or thought I had enough for a specific quilting project only to find I ran short. Years ago a quilting buddy of mine started a wonderful site, http://www.missingfabrics.com to help find those lost fabrics. You would be amazed what I have in my stash that could help someone else as well as pieces I needed. It is a great place to begin your search. The hardest and best find for me was a butterfly pattern that I had. I needed about a yard. Someone had 2 yards and I swooped it up right away.

I'm so glad you asked this question, Rhonda.
I once found a fantastic fabric quite by accident, that I used in a 2015 Pantone Color of the Year contest. The color was Marsala, the fabric I found was called Hide and Seek. And I won 3rd place in the contest.
The reason for the win was that fabric.
I wasn't a fan of the Marsala color until I saw that fabric.
That was 4 years ago. I couldn't even remember what it was called. But I did remember where it came from.
Hawthorne Threads...now Hawthorne Supply.
So.... just for fun I went hunting for it there.
Found it! Yes!!!
Here: https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/se...e%20and%20seek

But not in Marsala.

So...why not just send a quick email and ask for the impossible...right?
I did that.
And they responded super fast! Awesome customer service!!
That fabric was a Hawthorne Exclusive....designed by one of their in house designers.
And....
drum roll....
They offered to print the fabric for me in the Marsala color I wished for.

It's now on it's way. I'm so excited!
And I'm blaming you Rhonda.
Thank you! :)


PS the whole Bengal collection is pretty awesome
https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/se...ch_text=bengal

Mindless,

Taking a bow to you that you found your fabric. Love a great hunt (and find) of that special fabric. Great customer service to give you smiles. Congrats!