elsie marley

I got this fabric, well really it’s more like a print, from reprodepot last year. After asking my super talented art major friends how to display this ginormous piece of fabric, I went to the art supply store to get stretcher bars. Stretcher bars, if you don’t know (I didn’t), are used to make a simple wooden frame that you can then stretch your canvas over. Now that I think about it, they are like large square (or rectangle) embroidery hoops. They come in every length, so you can make a frame in whatever size you like. I only say all of this because if you like fabric, sooner or later you are going to want to put some on your wall and stretcher bars will help you out immensely. I was really nervous about this project–mostly I didn’t want to destroy this beautiful fabric. I finally got my nerve up at the last craft night and put a thousand staples in it. It may be a little wonky, but I’m okay with that. It’s in the kid’s room and they love it (I thought it might give them nightmares, I mean it’s pretty large and a little on the creepy side). When all the furniture rearranging (for this little baby) finally is finished I’ll show the whole room.

Tell the great thrift store gods what you need and you will receive (sometimes). I said I needed more color in my life and shazzam! A bunch of bright, awesome prints in the bargain fabric bin at my local thrift store. A buck a piece, not bad seeing as the management likes to jack the price up whenever her little heart desires. Sometimes they’re $4 a piece, sometimes they’re tagged with outrageous prices, and it’s always the same shit. But I’m very happy with what I gots, now I just have to figure out what I’m going to do with it.

I didn’t actually notice how christmasy all this fabric was until I was checking out.  But now that halloween is out of the way, bring on the plastic glowing santas.

We are on a strict budget in these parts and impulse fabric buying sprees are not looked on favorably.  And I haven’t really bought anything in the past few months–I sure as hell have enough.  But a good friend and I went to a beautiful quilt store last weekend and I couldn’t just look at all the beautiful fabric.   It was such a treat to see all the fabric in person I have been looking at online for so long.   Though none of the ladies knew who Denyse Schmidt was and they had heard of Amy Butler, but didn’t think they had any of her prints (I really wanted to see the katie jump rope line and some of those crazy paisley  Amy Butler prints).  On the other hand, they had this amazing Kaffe Fasset shot cotton.  But I just got a couple fat quarters and remnants–to be good.   It was a really lovely trip: a huge fabric store, a friend as excited as I was, and time to look at everything without dealing with whining and boogers.

A couple days later I went to Joann’s to pick up some fiberfil (I used to get it from thrift stores, but then I found a bug in one…) and came out with a hell of a lot more. I had both babies in tow and saw a sign on all the cotton prints that said, “$1!”  I thought it was my lucky day and picked out a bunch of fabric and said a yard of each please! I couldn’t believe what a great deal I was getting and couldn’t figure out why people weren’t bum rushing the bolts.  As soon as all my fabric was cut and I was holding the receipt I figured it out.  Read the whole sign doofus–a dollar off.   But I did get some nice stuff that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  The lace print is really beautiful and the stone print has already given me a bunch of new ideas. But blew the budget.