My definition of a neutral.

It seems as if I get a sleepless night once a week. I used to hate them. Now they are great! I can play in my stash. I mean really deep digging and sorting.

I am currently making lots of Bonnie Hunter's spool blocks. Then I was getting bored with the neutrals I was sewing with. Enter one sleepless night and I have 30 new neutrals to sew with.

I went through and tore 20" from each fabric. I will get them washed as I plan on making a new swap on the Quiltvilleswap Yahoo group. We have already swapped spool fabrics but not the backgrounds. So I asked and got  favorable replies from nearly all the swappers. They are up for an extra swap this summer.

And the definition of a neutral seems to be a personal preference. I agree with Our Bonnie on what she considers a neutral. It really does make for a more interesting quilt. But I know that is uncomfortable for some quilters.

The photo below is what I/we will be swapping.

Aren't these fabrics great? I included a few of my precious conversation prints.

And there is a method to my madness...I have made 4 Log Cabin quilts using only creams and browns with pale pink centers. I have been feeling the call of making a Log Cabin quilt without being color controlled. These neutrals will fit in perfectly for this future project.

Here is an example of a pale pink fabric being a neutral in one block and the spool in another block. It all depends on the spool color.

I now have 646 spool blocks made. If memory serves me, Bonnie said she wanted 800 spool blocks for the design she is working on. I am almost there!!!

I went through one swappers yellow strips. I cut them down and made these yellow spool blocks. Light to dark. Aren't they precious?

And since I always do a Leader/Ender as I am sewing I am using 1 1/2" squares that were extras cut from whatever.

XOXOXOXOXO Subee

washed fabric quiltvilleswap Hostess

Use it up and wear it out!

Use it up? fabric strings...way down the food ladder but still very doable.
I sent in 20 right/left sets to swap. WHOHOO! Other quilters' strings!

Wear it out? My Organ titanium 80/12 sewing needle. It sewed/pieced 4 butterfly quilts. Then quilted the same quilts and still is sharp! So paper piecing will dull it up soon. But then who knows? I buy them for this very reason. They seem to last forever!

It sure makes a mess but it is controlled chaos. I keep my strings in baggies by color families. Those baggies go into the plastic containers..big ones!

Happily I have 400 spool blocks made now! nice full container.

Our guild does a Secret Sister during our calendar year. My Super Secret Sister gave me a container full of half square triangles. What a great gift. She worked a long time to fill this for me. I played a bit with them. And I love the container too!

I found a few balls of crochet cotton and made 6 doilies. I gifted them to a sweet quilter who made me a special pin cushion at a quilt retreat. They were starched and then dried in the sun.

Hubby found this toy race track. Being a curious man he set it up on the table to see if it worked. It did. It also became Maggie Mae's favorite toy for 2 days until he sold it...poor Maggie Mae!

XOXOXOO Subee