Today I want to introduce you to a new-to-me online fabric store called 

Four Peaches Fabric!

Four Peaches Fabric is probably the most unique shop you will ever hear about! 

Wendy and her husband travel extensively throughout the United States because of his job. When Wendy started Four Peaches Fabric, they knew they didn't want to be apart, so Four Peaches Fabric physically travels with them in their RV!  Wendy shares their travels, the interesting places they go and the people they meet, on their website and on social media. She believes quilting, like life, is a journey that should be shared and celebrated!  

 Four Peaches Fabric has cute fabrics and great prices!  

I am especially loving these collections!

Aqua and orange...one of my favorite color combos!

And guess what!  Wendy has so generously offered to give 10% off any order of $20 or more to my readers using the coupon code: GIGISTHIMBLE.  

This offer is good through 10/31/17 so stop by today!

6 Fabric Selection Tips

Today I'm guest posting over at Martingale's blog and sharing a little video about fabric selection.  (And if you decide to head over and check it out, I MUST warn you that I am the most awkward person EVER when I get in front of a lens.  I think I try not to be too hyper and then I come across on the other end of the spectrum.  Oh, so embarrassing!  I know I could never be an actress!)

So, fabric selection, do you love it or hate it?  

I love it!  But from my many years of working in a fabric store, I've learned that many quilters are overwhelmed with that part of the quilt-making process.  If you fall into that category, use the following tips to give you more confidence at the start of your next project.

Tip #1:  Gather inspiration!

Find one article of clothing, a piece of artwork or a piece of fabric that speaks to you!  Use that as your starting off point.  As I tried to re-create my Growing Up quilt (from my new book, Vintage Vibe) in a different color-way, I used this vinyl wall decal that I purchased from Target as my inspiration piece.

Tip #2: Pull colors, style or graphics 

from your inspiration piece.   

Because I already had a quilt pattern to use, I didn't need to pull graphics for the design part of this project.  But I did want to use the wall decal as my color inspiration.  I decided to focus primarily on the black, white, pinks, and gold in the decal.  I felt that by sticking with those colors I was staying more true to my inspiration piece.  After some debating I chose to use grey for the stems on this quilt (as opposed to green) because I wanted to keep it classy and modern.  Using green would have completely changed the look of this quilt by the way.  Try to imagine it!  

Tip #3: Audition and eliminate fabrics.

Go through the possible fabric candidates and decide whether you love them or hate them.  Make sure they have the right "feel" (are you going for modern, traditional, etc.) and make sure you like the color.  Many people worry about whether or not a particular fabric is a "perfect" match.  My rule of thumb is that if you don't notice in the first few seconds of looking at it, then it's fine!  I think it adds depth and personality to have some variation!

Tip #4: Create balance.

It's okay to use different shades of one color as long as they are used repetitively throughout the quilt.  Having that color pop up here and there will create balance.

Tip #5: Give your eyes a place to rest.

I LOVE scrappy quilts!  I love using as many different fabrics that I can in a quilt!  The more the merrier, in my opinion.  But I never want my block pattern to get lost.  So, it's important to have one unifying piece of fabric in your quilt (whether it's your background fabric or using at least one solid).  It gives a quilt "order", freshness and really lets your blocks sing!  And, I love having contrast.  Contrast is always good.  

Tip #6: Love it?  Then use it!

Everyone of us has a different personality and I believe our quilts should reflect that.  Be unique, be you and don't be afraid to think outside the box!  If you love a particular fabric or color then use it!  It'll bring you happiness every time you see it and you can't beat that!  Also, do some research!  I love to go to my Pinterest boards to see what images I'm drawn to and then I study them to see exactly what it is about them that I love!  You'll learn a lot along the way too but trust your instincts!

If you follow these simple tips you're sure to put together something wonderful and I hope you now feel more confident to put together beautiful quilts inspired by things you love!

The Growing Up quilt pattern is available in my new book, Vintage Vibe.

Head on over to Martingale's blog today where you can enter to win your very own e-copy!

Happy quilting!

~ Amber

Stashy

I feel bad that it's been so long since we've talked.

You know how summer goes.  It's been busy, busy around here and it doesn't help that a lot of the projects I'm working on lately are ones that I have to keep on the down low.

I am still having a blast on Instagram though.  

If you're an IG-er, you might get more up-to-the-minute posts from me on there.  My username is gigis_thimble if you care to follow.

But today I thought I'd do a stashy kind of post.

I've been told that I don't have much of a stash.  I guess I usually just buy smaller pieces of fabric.  And I try to use what I have.  But my little stash seems to growing lately.  And I kinda like it.

Here's my rule of thumb when trying to decide how much fabric to buy:

When I like a fabric but I don't know what I'm going to make with it, I buy a fat quarter.  If I think a fabric will be a great background then I usually buy 2-4 yards depending on what size quilt it might go in.  If I think it will be a cute binding then I buy up to a yard depending on the size of quilt it might bind and whether it will be on the bias or not.  Otherwise, I try to only buy the exact yardage I need or that a pattern calls for.

Here are some of my grays that I'm collecting 

for a gray and white "someday" quilt. 

I like to keep my fat quarters organized by color (mostly).  You probably do too, right?  However, you can see that my newly acquired Happy Go Lucky pile (on the top right) is still together as a line since it's so new and I have almost the entire line.  I'd like to keep it together in case I make a quilt out of it someday.

Keeping things arranged in color order helps me to know my inventory.  I can easily see what areas I'm lacking in (so I can beef up those stacks when I feel like buying) and for what areas I'm good in.  A lot of my stacks are getting "two deep" now :)

As you can see I don't use a lot of purple.  And, I've got a small little collection of 30's reproductions (which I don't use very much either but I sure do think they're cute).  A few small pieces of my 30's prints are from my grandmother (Gigi) so I'm kind of hoarding those :).

 I don't have a lot of Charm Packs or Jelly Rolls for that matter (but who doesn't love a good jelly roll?!?  They're so dang cute! :)

I do have LOTS of Layer Cakes though!

Above, you can see some of my collection of background fabrics.

And below are some more of my larger, more colorful cuts of fabric.

And here's one more stack of fabric I'm hoarding.  

Some of Tasha Noel's last couple of lines (The Simple Life and Little Red Riding Hood).  And for some reason, I bought third yard cuts of those beauties?!?  Don't ask me why :)  Oh yeah.  It was cause I liked them.

Oh, so here's one of my other rules of thumb:

I only buy the fabrics that I love from a line.  If there are a few I'm not in love with then I don't buy them.  And I'm not afraid to mix and match from different lines too.  I think that's what makes a quilt fun and interesting.  And one of a kind.  And who doesn't like that? 

So that's pretty much my stash.  And my rules of thumb.

I just thought I'd share.  I like to see what people are buying.  Thought you might too.  So.  What are you buying/hoarding?  And what are your rules of thumb?  I'd love to hear...

Happy quilting.

~ Amber

Mixing things up

Most of my quilts have polka dot fabrics in them.  

Whether I use a dot for the entire background fabric or just a little here and there, I almost always incorporate polka dots in my quilts.  It adds a bit of whimsy.  They're happy!  They're classic.  I LOVE them.  But there have been times when I have went to my stash and just didn't have the variety I needed.  It's like all I had was polka dots!  In my opinion, polka dots are always a safe choice when buying fabric, but I've realized that I needed to branch out a bit.

So, while I was on my quilting retreat two weekends ago, I splurged and bought about 3 yards of fabric.  I couldn't resist these prints.  I have no idea when I will use them!?! But they are colors that I like.  They are sweet and fun and whimsical.

Just quarter yard cuts, since I don't really have a purpose for them.  Enough to make my little heart happy though.

I also felt inclined to buy some more orange and teals for my crayon quilt.  Again, only quarter yard cuts.  As you can see on the left, I already had 5 POLKA DOTS in my fabric collection!!!  I think the ones I bought are adding a nice variety of color, prints and scale to the collection though.

And finally, I bought a few fabrics to finish off a little Fig Tree Halloween wall hanging I'm working on.  

OK, so I couldn't get away without buying a few polka dots!  So sue me! :) They're kind of a staple though.  I don't think I will ever go without them all together, but I have realized it's nice to have a variety. :)

So what's in your stash???