Lou and I met up yesterday morning for a very brief swoon and delight over our collection of luscious fabric. We only had a couple of hours, as she had to get to work and I had to get to the library.* It’s a pity we didn’t have longer, as we had some very serious business to attend to. We’ve booked ourselves in for a stall at Christmas craft fair and thus the real reason for gambolling with fat quarters was to play matchmaker and decide what they are all destined for.
I’m unbelievably excited about all of this. My initial hesitancy towards actually cutting up fabric (‘It’s so pretty!’ ‘It could all go horribly wrong!’ ‘But it’s so pretty!’) has turned into a gleaming excitement at the potential of the clean, uncut length. Planning what threads to use, how they might be embellished, which buttons to use… Give me a bottle of wine and a Friday night and I’m happy.
I think my very favourite of the combinations I trotted home with is this:
I was going to make one of our sock-perfect knitting project bags with it, but I think it needs to be bigger — bolder! I want to give those demure Japanese ladies room to breathe and the delicate dragonflies space to soar.
*You know, I frequently wonder what it must have been like in those days wherein everyone seemed to have a rich aunt willing to bestow a paltry allowance on her favourite niece. Where have all these aunties gone? If we had the Edwardian good luck to find ourselves with such a thing, I’m sure we would be able to spend far more time in gleeful rhapsody over luscious fabrics.)
That is swoon-able fabric. If it were mine (and I had plenty) I would want to make something to wear. Maybe an ironic Western-style shirt (with the Eastern print). The cuffs and collar and yoke could be in the dark blue fabric.
Or maybe something Eastern shaped, with the cuffs and binding and belt in the darker fabric?
I am sure you will enjoy making something lovely. hope you post the finished product.