Those on-trend colors & prints that make quilts look so hip & modern today will eventually make them look old & dated. Harvest Gold & Avocado Green, Dusty Blue & Dusty Rose, Gray & Aqua, Gray & Tangerine, Gray & Gray.
Sad, but true.
The good news is that, if you wait long enough, those colors will become retro & vintage & will again be hip -- but you'll have to wait a while for that. In the meantime ....
In the early 1990s I worked in a quilt shop. At that time the very trendy colors were deep blue-green grading into reddish purple. I liked these analogous colors, I liked them a LOT -- evidence: the yards & yards of fabrics I own in these colors. I have to say they aren't yet old enough to be Retro Chic, they're just a little old-fashioned. So what to do with them? Can I diminish their stodgy-ness?
You've already seen me using some of these -- the painterly floral was in Constellation Wonkulae & the daisy-like print is in my winged squares. I've used the blue to green watercolor-y one in a donation lap quilt or 2.
The leaf-y, frond-y one I'm making into old-school applique block -- though I won't be doing old-school applique -- machine zigzag & fused leaves will make it fast & fun. I found the block in one of my oldest quilt books -- a Better Homes & Gardens book copyrighted in 1985. They call it Ohio Blue Leaf. An internet search yielded nothing that looked anything like this, but really old applique patterns, especially outliers like this one, tend to be hard to find.
I've been thinking that a smart thing for me to do with some of these creatures would be to experiment with something I've never done before. A quilt with words has been on my mind, so I'm starting to build some letters. Stay tuned!
9 comments:
Boy don't we all have those types od prints in our stashes?? I had stopped quilt making for about 12 years--lotsa old stuff in there. i totally agree about the retro look thing. And with scrappy quilts you can mix them up and who knows..and keep your memories freshened...nice post, Hugs, Julierose
oh, my...gotta try this comment thing...again..you just make me..try and try again..I cannot stand to de-stash...I just love it all...but the vintage thing happened with my browns and I am very glad I have them...love to watch you use it all in creative ways..
Those blue-greens would have a forever home in my stash -- they were one of my early faves and I still love the color range . . .
Interesting post!
wtf is "on-trend"? whatever. you use pretty colors to make pretty things. yay!
and now i anxiously await this word-y quilt...! sew faster!
I really love the applique. I happen to adore batiks that most people love to hate these days but I'm not going to stop using them.
I like your pairing of these fabrics with white, creating a fresh, modern look.
what Shawne said! I love the applique, but definitely agree that fuing is the way to go!
Go You!! You're making those fabrics strut their stuff!! I wonder sometimes about all the fabrics we clammer for nowadays, one day will text fabrics and LV be soo old fashioned. That's when the blue/red / greys will be the rage. I love that all your projects are so different. Have fun sewing!!
Love the way you've re-energized these prints!
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