I'm curious.... have been thinking about it quite abit lately. Guess it's time to ask your opinions. First, remember that I am a SCRAP quilter, by choice. In the beginning it really was scraps left from sewing dresses, etc. for my daughters..along with purchased yardage. I haven't sewn clothing for a long time now...*VBG*... but I still use my stash like it was scrap. I make very few planned or co-ordinated quilts, BY CHOICE. It bores me...even 17 fabrics aren't enough to make me happy as I piece.
OK..up at LLCC(my quilt retreat) in Oct. I won a door prize... a copy of Turning Twenty. I had to chuckle when I won it...probably the last thing I need except a book on applique. I had been intrigued by the name, so I went online and checked out the pattern. It's a nice enough idea, and there is NO waste with her method. It's a 20 fat quarter quilt that is about 70" X 86" I think. What I am curious about is : Does anyone else wonder why you would deliberately purchase 20 FQ's at $2 to $3 each for a quilt that has the look of a backing? That means you'd spend $40 to $60 dollars just for the top. That amazes me and boggles my mind. I'm not knocking her quilt..I think it's a great idea...and the idea could be used for pieced backings as well. OK....
This morning I picked up Fon's and Porter's Love of Quilting for October. And I was looking at one particular quilt, Artisan Star, reading the directions, as the star is one that pops in and out as you look at the quilt. Then I read the yardages...LOL
I'll grant you the quilt is 94" X 112"...almost king...but here's what you would be buying if you are doing a planned or co-ordinated quilt:
32 FQs jewel tone for star centers and one border (if you use batiks @$9 yr. that's $72)..I'll keep going ...
3 1/4 yds for border and binding
2 3/4 yds of light for the flying geese part of the star
2 3/4 yds black/gold for the flying geese part of the star
and
8 3/4 yds backing and a king size batt.
TOTAL: 24 3/4 yds fabric....and if you figure quilt shop price of $8...and round up to 25 yards, cause even that is cutting it close with narrower fabric...the cost would be $200.
OR: figure $9....as many batiks are now $9.50...you'd be shelling out $225. to make just the top, backing and binding.
And I thought I was shocked at the idea of 20 FQs to make the Turning Twenty quilt..........
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9 comments:
Finn - Good thinking! I don't understand going out and buying fat quarters either. I buy fat quarters when I "have" to have the fabric but don't have any purpose in mind. All these YBR quilts I have been making are suppose to use FQ too but I just use what ever yardage is in my stash. Get it out of here so I can buy more!
Sarah
You know, that is so funny! That Turning 20 book is sooo popular around here. I think most quilters aren't thinking of it like that. They want easy and fun fabrics.
I make something like the YBR or turning 20 when I need something fast for charity or gift, but like Sarah try and use it out of my stash.
I think it is a newer quilter thing that they like these? Hmmmm
Finn, add to the $225 --
Backing - $30 or more
Batting - $20 or more
Quilting if done by a longarmer - $250 or more and you easily have a $525 quilt, not counting your time!
Quilting isn't an inexpensive hobby but I figure I could spend more doing other things that aren't nearly so much fun.
And, we never have to worry about being cold in the winter!
Judy L.
What to think about when you purchase your fabric in The Netherlands... A yard of fabric is about 14.00/16.00 euro that is about 19.00 dollar.. I don't want to calculate how many that quilt cost. Do you believe that I feel like I was in heaven last spring when I visited Bonnie! :c)
Lucy
I hate to be the one to bring this up, but if you're making the quilt out of your stash, you're still spending that much money on fabric - just not all at once and not NOW. Okay,if you have fabric from YEARS ago it'll cost less.
Seems to me, you have an excellent shop near you if that's all you'd pay for yardage. Last May, I noticed prices are more like $10 to $13. And that's in the states where it's cheap.
I just don't know why a person would want to make that pattern tho - bleck.
*HOWLING!!!!!* Oh Finn......you phrased my feelings SO exactly! I took a look at that turning 20..first off, I can't believe that a 12X12 square goes in a scrap quilt. It's just not small enough..*hehe* I don't mind the yellow brick road pattern because I can cut the pieces from my 3.5" scrap strips..and then just have to cut the 6.5" squares and the 5"X6.5" rectangles from pieces of leftover backings or something. It DOES come from my scraps.....but you would never get me going out to buy 20 FQ's at $2.50 each to make a quilt!
Thanks gals, for your comments and opinions..*VBS* Boy...I sure could get on my soapbox about now, and have a good little "rant" about the part of quilting that is "industry"..LOL, but I won't.
I have nothing against FQs, actually I love them, when shopping with a friend, and I don't have much to spend. I can pick up one or maybe two, usually a bright kids print to be used as scrap, and feel that I am helping keep the quilt shops open. You notice I say "shops"..I do tend to favor the smaller privately owned shops vs. the much LARGER fabric stores.
When you get thousands of bolts in one place..I'm quite overwhelmed by "too much".
I guess what I am concerned about is the "blind(ish) following of market trends. I'm still in favor of thinking for yourself..and not buying acceptance into the trend of the moment. Anybody remember way back when Debbie Mumm was the ONLY one doing those "cute" prints??? I bought some..now WHAT am I going to do with them..and it's almost 10 years later..LOL
Okay, okay, it's not so much the cost of it that's bothering you, it's the here "buy what we tell you and make the quilt the way we tell you to make it" - I agree whole-heartedly that that's a major part of what I don't like about how some people quilt.
Debbie Mum fabrics??? eeew, quilt backings on kids quilts...
Well, when you put it that way....! And for those of us that spent years spending that money to build the stash -- what was I thinking?! Good thing about it? Now I have plenty of stash to shop in to make all the scrap quilts I want!
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