Melange Mania

Good news! A very nice woman came to take away my Civil War fabric, freeing me to play with my painted canvas. Et voila!

I lie. There was nothing fast and easy about this mess. I painted (stamped, dabbed, spritzed, silk screened) every piece of the fabric used in this 34 x 29" rag. I began it months ago for Cyndi's class. It started as a mark-making exercise using black paint on watercolor paper. I criss-crossed my paint, added something puffy, and came away with plaid.

Since then I've been arranging, stitching, ripping, rearranging, stitching, ripping, gluing, trimming, ripping, and stitching painted canvas until I'm sick to death of the piece and may need to put it away for a while before I quilt it. On second thought, I never get back to projects once I put them away to "cook." I'd better keep it out in plain sight where it will continue to annoy the heck out of me so that I finish it. THEN I'll hide it away.

The quilt (still to be quilted and embellished) contains fabrics I painted (etc.) in classes and at home over the past year and a half. It's busy since I still don't know when to stop adding things. At least I'm restricting myself to a few colors (yes, that's a few), and that's progress.

My husband (bless his heart--Southerners know what that means) commented that I'm developing my own style. Sure is: Schizophrenia.

Civil War Sale

Every time I come home from a cash therapy session, I wonder where I'm going to put my therapeutic goodies. It's been flying under the radar for some time, but there's a bin in my closet devoted to Civil War and 1800s reproduction fabrics. Say WHAT? Have I been paying attention lately? Couldn't that space be put to better use?

I was collecting those fabrics for a very good reason, and they are very good fabrics at $10 a yard or so. My husband was interested in joining a Civil War reenactment group a couple of years ago and I was going to make quilts to sell at the events. Now that he's over it and on to studying physics and the origins of the universe, and I'm over using old-fashioned designs, the fabric must go.

A couple of weeks ago I spent an entire weekend cutting Eleanor Burn's Underground Railroad quilt and have been assembling it ever since. The borders are ready to apply and I've gathered the larger cuts of my CW collection to piece into a backing. In a couple of hours this puppy will be ready to find a willing (and cheap) quilter. Because I chose all the fabrics in one swell foop, I'm not pleased with some of the choices but am sure others will not object. This 60 x 90" quilt will be for sale at cost. There is just too much money invested in it to donate it.

The remainder of my CW fabrics will be offered for sale. Most are fat quarters, some are odd large scraps, and some are half or full yards. A guesstimate this morning told me I have about 10 yards left. I would be happy getting $50 for the lot.

I can't wait for this episode of my quilting life to be over. Is there a traditional quilter out there who would like a bargain?