Fabric shopping--enough is enough!

Yesterday was an exhausting shopping day. I left the house at 9:30 with a list of fabrics and notions that I needed for several projects I have in mind. Little did I realize that I wouldn't be home again until 3:30!

 

First, I grabbed my coupons and went off to JoAnn Fabrics. There I bought some fleece for stuffed elephants for a friend's children and my step grandson. I had promised to make two toys for my friend if she picked out body fabric that she liked. She gave me her fabric last week and all I had to do was find some coordinating fleece for ears and feet. I'm so glad she reminded me! An elephant will be a perfect gift for our grandson's birthday and three elephants will hardly take more time than two.

 

After that, I looked fabric for the pillows that I embroidered for my brother-in-law. I finally found something I liked, even though it's not perfect.

 

Next I looked for a blouse pattern that Starr White featured on her blog, Winter Wonderland. It is exactly the pattern that I have been looking for to make an embroidered blouse for myself. Sadly though, JoAnn's didn't have it, so I was in the car and off to Hancock Fabrics. Luckily JoAnn's is less than a mile from my apartment and Hancock's can't be more than two miles away!

 

I found my pattern at Hancock's and I also found fabric for the blouse! I will make blouse C. The solid is for the cuffs and yoke, which I will embroider. I may have skimped a bit on the patterned fabric. If so, I may have a band of the solid at the base of the blouse as well. We'll see. I likely won't get to this until May.

I then started searching for fabric for a table runner for my step son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I had bought a kit, complete with fabric, to make a runner for the other step son and daughter-in-law, and thought that with different fabric, it would work for the other set as well. This, however, is where the problems came in.

 

I had previously asked Kyle what Kristen's favorite color was. Unfortunately, he didn't know. I have only met her a few times and she seems to have a classic modern style. She wears color, but somehow it all reads as neutral, as does their condo. The pattern calls for five fat quarters for bands of color and five neutrals, which can be substituted for a single neutral.

 

I started with the colors. First I went with light teals, but I couldn't find enough. Then I went with yellows and browns, but they didn't seem like the right colors for the couple. I didn't want blue, since the kit was all blue. After an hour of sifting thought different color combinations I gave up and went to lunch. Then it occurred to me that Kristen has decorated with some of those trendy greens and oranges. So, back I went back to JoAnn's.

 

There I experimented with bold oranges, yellows and greens, but couldn't find a coordinating fabric, and really, it looked much too bright. Then I found a fabric with browns, oranges, blues and greens and tried to match the colors in the fabric. That was a fun experiment and I thought I could use brown as the neutral, but again, too bright. Finally, I picked a ground fabric that I liked, a light teal blue and began finding neutrals to go with it. After an hour more of searching, I finally went with four patterned greys and a pink. There is enough color for it not to be too drab, but it will read as neutral when sewn up. I hope it works! Now I can cut out both runners at the same time. Even though they don't have to be done until Christmas, it is always good to get a head start!

 

But, shopping exhausted me. I didn't get much more done other than washing the fabric and cutting out the elephants. Stitching will have to be left for another day.

 

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