MORE Fabric? 08-09-10

I keep saying I won't buy any more fabric, but I always 'fall off the wagon'. Sometimes I think I am more a fabric collector than a quilt maker! Avoiding any shop that sells fabric is about the only way to not be tempted. I suppose that my lust for fabric is similar to that of a lust for new shoes or purses or... whatever. When I heard of a fabric sale practically around the corner in Anaheim I resisted for weeks, but finally found myself parking in their lot.

Soft Expressions is an online company, owned and operated by Sharla Hicks, that serves all quilting interests - traditional, innovative, art and computer. Their office and warehouse is located in a light industrial area about a mile from my house and it is open to "walk in customers". Full of fascinating merchandise the facility is crowded and confusing, but oh-my-goodness do they have amazing 'stuff'. If I am looking for fabric ink, paint, or almost any surface design material this is where I look first. It is also a good source for fiber related books.

www.softexpressions.com

Currently Sharla is discontinuing her fabric inventory. It is getting pretty depleted, but there are still treasures to be found. Prints are $4.50, metallic fabrics are $2 (as I recall!) and other types of fabric are equally discounted. These are the choices I made. Of course, I had to have the hat print - can I draw faces for each hat? Most of the other fabrics were chosen to go into the fat quarter box that I take to Empty Spools each year. I like to have a student list from those five day classes, so I pass out a form for name, address, etc., and number the forms as they are returned to me. Starting with number one each fellow student can chose a fat quarter from my box of about sixty fabrics. Since I usually take Ruth McDowell's class I try to have fabrics that might fit into someones class project. There isn't always something appropriate, but all quilters welcome a gift of fabric - it might go into a baby quilt or a guild project. I particularly like the third print from the bottom, it does depict stones and sand (I think), but cold be used any place that texture is needed. The fifth fold from the top is a good one to use in landscapes with lots of foliage - Ruth always points out to her classes that trees are not solid green, but reflect light from the surface of the leaves creating irregular white spots. And irregular white spots on fabric are difficult to find.

Not all of these fabrics are available because I bought the rest of the bolt, but if there is something you would like, let me know and I will go shopping for YOU. She does have a very large selection of colors in illusion netting - I don't remember the sale price, but it is very inexpensive. I'm thinking I need to go back!