...here and there, which isn't such a bad thing because I like my little fabric piles! The one you see just above and below is made up of fabric I pulled out from my shelves for a cushion I'm working on. I've come up with a cushion design which uses four different fabrics and, while I've settled on three of the four fabrics, I'm still trying to find the fourth one, possibly one of the ones in this pile...
After trying each of these fabrics for my cushion design, I piled them up and then, as I looked at the pile, I couldn't help but think it was rather lovely... Wouldn't a little patchwork made with these prints be so very yummy?!... I've been wanting to make a patchwork with a random selection of prints for a while now, making it as "granny" as possible, if you know what I mean. While the fabrics in this pile weren't selected in a 100% random way as they are meant to work in a particular cushion design, there is still quite a nice range in the patterns and colours. So, what if I blindfolded myself before pulling out a bunch of fabrics from my shelves and then put them all in a patchwork, no matter what? If I could actually stop myself from making any substitutions, I would probably end up with a pretty sweet "granny chic" look, don't you think?...
The other day, I spotted a rather good example of a fetching granny patchwork quilt at my local thrift shop and I immediately snatched it up because I thought it was quite the perfect little vintage treasure! As you can see if you look at the photos above and below, it's made up of all sorts of fabric including lots of sheeting,...
...a sprinkling of bright synthetics and solids,..
...and lovely floral ditsies as well as very random-looking darker coloured fabric like the one in the forefront of the photo below, all tied with multicolour cotton floss which really adds to the granny vibe!...
The other little pile I've been staring at a lot in the last few days is one made up of new, recently sewn up, pillowcases (see photo below). I have yet to find the yarn to trim them with... I am thinking though of using linen yarn for all of them just because I'm so delighted by my first try at crocheting a pillowcase trim with it. However, I'm holding off on making yarn matches for some of these because I'm still waiting on some linen yarn I ordered online, which I will hopefully receive in the next couple of weeks.
I did already pull this red charmer of a pillowcase out of my pile though (see below), because I figured the pink linen yarn I had lying around would work nicely when crocheted onto it; this sweet floral print is another from my Liberty Bloomsbury collection and I should also have the turquoise version of it, which you can see in the middle of the pile, trimmed shortly...
Another pillowcase I've pulled out of my "to-trim" pile is one I made using some quilting weight fabric designed by Rachel Ashwell which I bought in the last little while. I immediately thought of trimming it with some pretty lavender linen yarn which I have only just bought; I do think this match of fabric and yarn is a keeper...
...because I'm liking the way the duskiness of the linen yarn complements the soft faded look of the fabric...
As I work through my pile trimming the pillowcases, I think I will quickly post photos of the ones I find yarn matches with as soon as they're done on Instagram and Facebook; once I'm done a batch of them, I will write a longer blog post showing them to you in greater detail. As I get more acquainted with Instagram and Facebook, I'm realizing they're good for quick little updates which certainly take less time putting together than blog posts (especially my blog posts!)... I know, I know, I'm just a bit slow when it comes to the whole social media scene; I wouldn't be at all surprised that by the time I get my Instagram and Facebook pages going, everybody will be onto the next best thing in social media! (From what I understand from my kids, Facebook is already a "has-been"!)
I just have to show you a couple more shots of my fabric pile because I'm loving the way these prints blend together! Hmmm, I might not be able to resist making a patchwork with them...
Thank you so much your visit and I do hope you've enjoyed seeing my little piles! I will be back soon enough with more goodies so I hope you pop by again!
I love Granny chic!! My favorite style. I'm literally drooling over your fabric piles all my favorite colors and patterns. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous quilt and trimmed pillow cases!!
Posted by: Laurie | June 14, 2015 at 09:48 AM
They do say that about Facebook.lol I love all the piles! I remember a few years back for a random choosing patchwork, quilters would put all the pieces in a paper bag then reach in and pull out a piece without looking and sew it to the last piece and so on. Enjoy the fabric play!
Posted by: Angela-Southern USA | June 14, 2015 at 07:10 PM
Dreamy piles! And what a peach of a find at the charity shop... love it
Posted by: mrs robinson | June 15, 2015 at 02:46 AM
Love those trimmed pillowcases,especially the red one. I'm not on either facebook or instagram so I'm glad I can still have a peek at your gorgeous fabrics on here. Hx
Posted by: Helen | June 15, 2015 at 08:21 AM
Wow! This sounds crazy but I think I know that quilt! My great-grandmother was a crafter and made many blankets. I remember those squares from my naptime days. My parents lived in Portland and have no sentimentality for handmade goods. It seems conceivable that this could have ended up in a thrift shop. I will show these photos to my grandma when I visit and see if it looks familiar. I can't be certain it is the same quilt, (lots of the same fabric floating around in the same era), but in any case I'm glad such a treasure is in the hands of someone who appreciates its simple beauty.
Posted by: joanna | June 19, 2015 at 06:31 PM