my precious woollies...

 

 

...and no, I don't mean my woolly long johns, but my stash of woollen fabric that I have been slowly collecting over the years! I know the mercury might be rising where you are (it certainly is in Vancouver as it feels like summer today...) and woolly fabrics might be the last thing on your mind at the moment, but I have been working with them lately in order to make a patchwork blanket (as mentioned in my last post) and therefore, despite the weather, they are on my mind a lot these days!...

 

 

Precious they are because, for one, I love fabrics with wool in them, as they tend to have yummy textures which makes it fun when combining them together or with other fabrics; you can't even begin to imagine how much fun I have when I pull out a whole bunch of cut squares like the ones above and play around with them to make a patchwork (as I write this last bit I can just hear some members of my family saying that maybe it's time for me to get out a bit more but I know you know what I mean!)...

 

 

What makes working with woollens all the more interesting for me is that I collect them from many different sources; some of them are actual wool fabric yardage, others are thrifted sweaters which I felt in my washing machine, and still others, vintage woollen clothes like pleated skirts made of Scottish wool. So, when I pull together a bunch of squares I've cut from all these different sources into a blanket, I get a real sense of satisfaction as I truly feel like I've made a patchwork, or a needlework in which miscellaneous pieces of cloth of different designs, colors, and textures are sewn together.

 

Now, my woollen stash is precious to me because, as I said, I love working with it, but also because I find nice woollen fabrics hard to find locally; very rarely have I found yardage at my local fabric shops which I would be willing to buy despite it being pricier than a lot of other types of fabric. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons I can't find any at my local shops is that I'm looking for wool fabric with punchier colors and textures than most people are willing to make garments out of these days. So, most of the yardage I have collected over the years is from thrift shops as I always keep my eyes open for pieces of wool fabric during my thrifting rounds, even when I have no immediate plans to work with wool fabrics, and even in the heat of summer when wool is the furthest thing from my mind! In this way, I think I've succeeded in amassing a swell little stash as a lot of my woollens are vintage pieces from the days when people were into wearing garments made of bright plaid and houndstooth woolly fabrics! Do any of you like to work with wool fabric and, if so, are you willing to share your sources with us... perhaps you even know of a good online one?...

 

When in thrift shops, I also regularly check the skirt section for longish, pleated wool skirts, which are often made of lovely Scottish wool fabric in beautiful colors; when taken apart, they are a great addition to my stash despite the time needed to undo all the seams in the pleats! And, of course when it comes to wool clothing at thrift shops, the sweater section is a must... Over the years, I have been building up a lovely collection of wool sweaters in a rainbow of colors which I felt by throwing them into the washing machine set on a high spin warm/hot water cycle. I look for sweaters in pretty colors, brights and pastels, solids or in simple patterns such as stripes; several years ago you might remember, the Gap came out with collections of patterned sweaters in pretty colors, such as pinks and aquas, which can still be found in my local thrift shops and which I find especially sweet when used in a patchwork blanket. However, the catch with finding wool sweaters at thrift shops these days is the price; when I first started buying them, I could find great sweater treasures for only a few bucks, but, nowadays, a thrift shop chain like Value Village regularly prices them at $9.99 and upwards which, when you factor in the cost of felting the sweater and the fact that, once shrunk, the sweater (unless a very large one) doesn't yield a lot of patchwork squares when cut up (because of the irregular shapes of sweater pieces, there is usually a lot of remnant felted wool which I usually try to save for other uses...), makes for expensive woollen fabric! Despite their higher cost, I'm still always on the lookout for sweaters that I think would work nicely in blankets and, while I may be more choosy in what I end up purchasing than I used to be, I'm still constantly adding to my collection because they make a patchwork blanket so much more precious!

 

While a little unseasonal for a lot of you, I hope you didn't mind my woolly little post and I also hope you will come by again shortly as I will be posting about my finished blanket very soon. In case you're also wondering (and I know some of you are judging by the emails I've been receiving of late), I will be putting together a batch of pillowcases for my Etsy shop this week... Thanks for the visit!

Comments

[leanne]

i wish i could be more like you...honestly, i collect the fabrics and then they sit. they pile up until i finally just put them away....my intention is always good. so for now i will be happy seeing your work in progress. can't wait to see it finished. xo

[erin]

hi beata!

this post reminded me that we would still love one of your blankets one day!

we have joined the family of 6 club!!! baby gus was born in februray - we are loving him up :)

hope all your crew are doing well.

sending you much love -

xo e.

[Anita T.]

I am hoping that your next post will include specifics about how you join the squares - seam as you would cotton squares, or serge with right sides together or ??

[Maggie]

Houndstooth... now there's a word rarely heard over here any more, yet at one time it was the in fabric to use for skirts, trousers and jackets, all tailored of course. I really wouldn't have any idea where you could buy such fabric, unless any of the Scottish woollen mills have them online? Perhaps www.ewm.co.uk might be worth a look? (Edinburgh Woollen Mills) The blanket looks beautiful, a true patchwork and so warm it will be, when the weather turns cool again. But let's not think of that, having just got used to warm days and blue skies and sunshine!
Good luck with your search.

[Maggie]

Doing a search for something else, I discovered that Osborne and Little do houndstooth fabric, maybe sample swatches (if they do them) would give you the odd square?
www.osborneandlittle.com

[erica K]

You have some great pieces there. I'll have to check out our local Value Village. I've never been in there...

[brigette]

oh my they are just lovely!!! ever since you made your woolen blanket that was pictured on a twin sized bed, i've been collecting wool to make one of my own. i bought some felted wool on ebay, i used some of my grown children's sweaters that they laundered on accident :) and i found a couple at garage sales. how big will this one be? my wool squares would make a nice throw for the sofa, but not big enough for a bed - we live in california though and there is no time of the year when a wool blanket would be desired.

[jane]

oh i so have to get sewing again x

[Emily]

I love your wooly post! I also have a little stash of thrifted wool sweaters and I agree it is hard to find the "pretty" colors. I love all your pictures, the color palette is so YOU.

[Di]

Hi! I nominated you for the versatile Blogger Award: http://organizeandcraft.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/new-award-the-versatile-blogger/

[sewa mobil]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

[mel]

I too collect wool blankets and your post is timely as it's heading into winter down my way. I'm thinking of covering an ottoman or a cushion with mine. mel x

[Sarah]

How do you connect the squares so they lay flat?

[Sarah]

How do you connect the squares? Are you using a serger/overlocker? I always want to do this but hate having one side with lumpy seams!