Fabric spree - Buying fabrics and pre-washing

When you're looking for fabric, always make sure you ask what you're getting and how you wash it. Is it cotton? Is it handmade or machine wash? Will the colour run? Is it stretchy or glossy and does that mean it will be more difficult to work with? I once stubbornly decided to make a Zandra Rhodes-inspired chiffon dress and, even 12 years later, it remains on my UFO (Unfinished Object) list! It was very slippy but one day... One day! If you can take on a fabric and win then that's all that matters!

For quilting especially, it's lovely to get some good offcuts to choose from. Think about the colours you want in your quilt first and what will go together. I've been contemplating green and pink for some time but I just can't do it! So I've bought some lovely yellow, stripey scraps (50p for a half-metre x 1m), a half-metre of dark orange patterned cotton, a sixties theme cotton pillowcase and plain yellow and orange fabrics to make a chevron quilt. I got a 1m x 2m length of orange fleece for £4 at the rag market which is just the right colour so I'm excited to start on a summery quilt. Amazing what you can get in Birmingham rag market when you're having a browse. Accessories, wool and cotton are so cheap too! Ok I'll stop waxing lyrical about my local markets but I do love them.

I'm zigzagging the edges of my new material (so the loose threads don't unravel during washing) and will wash it before cutting it - I don't want the fabric to shrink after I've made the quilt!

I also got extra material to have a play with. I might make a strip quilt or do a sampler quilt. Not sure yet but I'll keep you posted :) 

Here is a picture of the beautiful fabric I bought. If you can, jot down the name of the design (sometimes written on the selvedge) and make sure you have the right amount of fabric. I check how much fleece I will need before I go fabric shopping (or just have it in my head in case I randomly find some good fabric whilst I'm out of the house) because I know I'll want a full sheet of fleece for the back of my quilt so it looks good to me.

Happy crafting!