Olé (dog whistle for quilters)

0702 quilt fabric
Originally uploaded by rooruu.

See, what happens is you go into the fabric shop WITH FABRIC IN HAND because all you need is two or three small cuts (20cm/8in of each maybe?) of pale aquas, because then you'll be able to turn the fabric WHICH YOU ALREADY OWN into a quilt.

And you've planned it, and written up notes so you know how to proceed, you found a block worth playing with that's not one you see around every corner, and so you're all set. Except for less than a yard/metre in total of some pale aquas.

Personally, I find Alexander Henry fabrics tend to have an unnervingly loud built-in YOOHOO, a kind of dog whistle for quilters. Well, for me and possibly some other quilters. I'm not sure how they do it, and it doesn't seem to wash out either. Very modern technology. Almost spooky.

What do I need with more fabric (apart from a small quantity of pale aqua)?

And what's with the matador/flamenco thing going on here, it doesn't bear any relation to any sort of decorating in this house (actually, it would probably work in the room with the dark bookcases and the red/mustard quilt on the bed) (and when is the last time you made a quilt because it matched the decor? Wouldn't that be never?).

It's mad and it's nutty and it's quirky (that would be quite possibly why it caught your eye).

I'm not sure I like it (yeah? You're spending this much time thinking about it, and you don't 'like' it? How are we defining 'like' here?)

And before you know it, the matadors and flamenco dancers are perched on a handy church pew in the quilt shop auditioning companions with you. Mustardy yellows, aqua blues (um, not the ones you were going to get for the other project which you've already half-forgotten), purples, reds, a touch of green. And a stripey fabric in black/yellow/red, verrrry Spanish for the binding.

The lovely quilt shop lady #1 is teaching Dear Jane in the background - you can tell by the secret code terminology that drifts past your ears as you ponder fabric... A1, A2, foundation piecing, 4in. blocks.

The lovely quilt shop lady #2 patiently cuts your fabric and doesn't laugh at your enthusiasm for this offbeat fabric (well, if they hadn't had faith in it, I'd never have seen it...).

It fits into the bag you brought in with you. (The one with the fabrics that just need a pale aqua friend or two. Still. You see them heave a sigh, and understand that they know that their turn has not yet come).

And your fingers itch, when you get home, to get the table clear, the ironing board prepped and the rotary cutter slicing these (a design, you ask? Heck, worked that out in the shop. Drew it up in EQ once I got home, took less than 10 min, the rotary cutting instructions are already printed).

As you can probably tell, I gave up washing quilt fabric before using it years ago - unless I am afeard of running dye, but these are all good quality fabrics, and no batiks/hand-dyes or other ones that might be suss.

We're good to go.

I'm sorry, what else was supposed to be on the agenda this weekend?

I haven't made a quilt for nearly a month, which for the last two to three years is some kind of record. I think that's about to change....

(If you post this to the blog today, Saturday, and post-date it to Sunday, you won't have to interrupt tomorrow's quilting to feed the hungry blog - you've got it all up to date now, so this will make it ahead of itself!)

Olé!