My Fabric Summer, Pt. 1--The Silks

I've been inundated with fabrics all summer. Unexpectedly, which is the best way, because each new find seems like a treasure that has fallen into my lap via a generous fairy.

A thoughtful friend from my now-defunct craft group (that's what happened when four of us stay-at-home moms re-entered the world of paying jobs) called with news that her newly-retired decorator-neighbor was getting rid of his fabric samples. Getting rid of as in "going to throw them in the garbage" and didn't I think we could perhaps use them in quilts? I did indeed.

I spent one afternoon carrying bag after bag of samples from her neighbor's home office up a steep walkway and loading them into my Forester until there was no room for anything but me and my driver's license. I didn't feel the need to hit the gym after being a pack mule--a bag of fabric is heavy! Then the two of us spent another afternoon sorting through endless swatches (she'd loaded her car too), keeping many and setting others aside for the Gospel Mission thrift store, while chatting merrily away and catching up, which just made me miss my craft group friends even more than usual.

This afternoon I finished sorting the "keepers" into piles by fabric content after I'd used the staple puller to remove the labels.  I had expected to find lots of cottons for quilting, instead I'm surrounded by linen and wool and silk as well.

Oh, the bliss of silks!  From Thailand and China and imported from France.  Velvets and damasks and taffetas as well as dupioni and raw.  Do you know how amazing a piece of silk taffeta is?  It's a little stiff and it rustles a bit.  There are stripes and damasks and geometrics and florals.  There's even silk that imitates cloth-of-gold and cloth-of-silver. So I snapped some photos and let Picasa put this collage together for you.

 

I wish you could feel the textures through the screen, but at least you can enjoy the sheen and colors of these amazing silks.

What will these become? I've never sewn on silk--it's slippery and I suspect a special needle is necessary along with lots of patience. There has to be something incredibly beautiful and wonderful to make from these magical fabrics!


Now taking suggestions,