This fabric phobia was my own fault, I'm sure. I connect my fear directly to my first experience with sewing 12 years ago--just a few years after I got married. You veteran married ladies may remember those first 5 years of marriage where you wanted to try everything you watched your own mother do when growing up...well, my mother was quite a seamstress and quilter. So when my husband and I bought our first home, I decided to go through the process to "domesticate" myself, by purchasing a sewing machine. After all, that's what perfect homemakers do, right? They buy a machine, and they sew for their kids, make their own dresses out of curtains, and join a ladies quilting club. Right? Maybe in TV land on Nick at night...
I truly thought I would love sewing because of it's creative nature. For my first project, I decided to sew a blouse. This is where the whole sewing experience blew up in my face. I bought some really fine silk weight satin...it was really slippery. Then, I found a gorgeous blouse pattern--complete with a tailored collar, buttonholes, placards, cuffs, and lots of other fancy stuff like darts, interesting pleats, and a faux pocket. I bet you can see where this is going...
That project was so hard!
I shed many tears over it, only to get it done, and not be able to enjoy it. Somehow, the sleeves ended up about 4 inches too long, and it never fit quite right in the other places either. It was one of those shirts that when you wear it people ask, "oh, did you make it yourself?" and when they say it, they don't mean that as a compliment...they mean it as, "oh dear, she made that herself..." I know...because I tried to wear it once.
All that work, all those nights trying to figure out how to interpret the pattern, then not being able to enjoy the fruit of my efforts in the end...I was done. Sewing was not for me...
BUT...
Since I'm not a quitter.... I gave it one more go.
A week later I sewed myself a rayon dress...but I cut the neck hole too wide and put the sleeves on backwards...oh, so that's what those v notches are for...
Now... I was really done.
So my computerized Babylock machine with 120 stitches, and a monogram alphabet sat in a corner collecting dust until I put it to light work on my paper crafts, and occasional mending projects. It was a darn good thing that I bought a used machine. I was so embarrassed at my feeble sewing skills, that the thought of sewing anything from then on, just seemed like an insurmountable task.
Fast forward to now...
These days, fabric seems to be finding its way into my home with each new fabric collection I create. Slowly, I have been trying my hand at small projects, and building on the sewing skill-set I am starting to acquire. I've now sewn two dresses, 2 skirts, 4 quilts, and a few other projects...but I was smart, and I didn't start with collars and placards this time--just straight stitch patchwork until I was ready to try something a little more advanced. There are some things that I have become quite confident in...other things still wig me out.
So when Amanda Herring, from The Quilted Fish, contacted me this January and asked if I would like to participate in a fun promotional effort of local designers who are showing their wares at Quilt Market this Spring, and would I like to contribute a block to a group quilt...butterflies started to swarm in my stomach. I feared that my new skills may not be up to par with the other participating quilt designers, clothing pattern designers, and other fabric designers. However, I was not going to sit out of this fantastic opportunity that Amanda had organized. The theme she chose for the promo-event is: All Dolled Up. Each designer was given a pattern of a blank doll to use in her block. We were told that we could dress her up, and style her hair any way we chose, and to use fabric from one of the following Riley Blake collections: Lovebirds, Quite Contrary, Penny Lane, Sweet Divinity which all coordinate beautifully.
I looked at that e-mail several times, and memorized the "complete by" date...only to know how long I could post-pone and procrastinate getting started. You see...I've never done applique or made a fancy quilt block before. I had ideas for how I would like to dress my doll...I had dreams of dark blowy hair, and a skirt you could peek under...but I could not for the life of me get going on the project. I was scared to death of my ideas...my fabric phobia had come back strong, and was preventing me from even cutting out the pattern. Not to mention that my block would have to look semi-decent considering the other blocks that would be in the "neighborhood."
4 days before the deadline...I decided that I would just go ahead and jump in with both feet...and you know what...It was fun! The fear started to melt, and I was able to draw, and more importantly, sew her hair just like I had envisioned. I was also able to engineer a gathered skirt with a ruffle that you could lift to reveal her lacy bloomers. I was able to hand embroider her face (Thank goodness for Mrs. Quitner's 7th grade home-ec class.) I also created a little dog partially out of buttons, which was something I dreamed up as I went along. She went together much easier than I had anticipated, and in the end, I was mad at myself for not starting on her sooner. I am so pleased with the result!
Now I bet you are wondering what's going to become of 30 designer's quilt blocks? We are making two quilts, which will be given away at quilt market. Now you may ask... how can you become the lucky winner of one of these quilts? Well...you need to come to Market this May in Salt Lake, and visit each of the designers who created a block. You will have a card where you can collect a stamp from each of the designers, and once you have the full collection of stamps, you can then turn your completed card into the drawing for one of the quilts. We are so excited to give these quilts away...they are going to be beyond fantastic!
With this project completed, I am so excited to start my next project...it's actually another block of this same doll using my fabrics from Riley blake. I'm going to make a pillow for my daughter. I can part with this doll, only if I know I can replicate one for myself. I think she's cute. I think that I can now say that not only have I fallen in love with the fabric industry, but fabric as well, since my phobia is being stomped out by my new found obsession with it!
