Boring? And a giveaway remedy, just in case....

I had a visit from a fabric rep the other day and there was a mention of 'boring fabric', it kind of crept into the conversation.  The idea that there is boring fabric is eating away at me...

A rainbow of 'plain' fabric.

Where or what is this boring fabric....?  I can't think of any fabric I find boring, not even just 'plain', solid, monochromatic fabric.... there's so much you can do with it.

I know we all get inspired by different artist's, patterns, colours and probably there are colours and designs that don't excite you ...  so you don't buy or own those.  I'm not a great fan of gingham for example, nor do I particularly like lemon yellows but I know a lot of people do.  I wouldn't describe those fabrics as boring, they just don't do anything for me.

Some recent fabrics that have appealed to me..(Spirit by Lila Tueller.. Fandango by Kate Spain... and Pure by Sweetwater)

If 'inspiring' is the opposite of 'boring' in this instance, what is is that inspires you? 

What do you do when you're looking for inspiration?  Do you look at fabric ? Or do you think about what you'd like to make and then think about what you'd like to make it from?

 
A quick fix for inspiration?

I think I start from being inspired by things I see that I'd like to make.  I get inspiration from blogs, books, magazines and then there's things you need around the house, so I get prompted to make .... new cushion covers.... fabric coasters.... place settings... hot pads for the kitchen... rice bags for aching shoulders and it gives me pleasure to see things around the house that I've made, which in turn inspires me to keep making.

I think 'boring' is a state of mind, it's a bit like the children when they shout 'Mum... I'm bored....', as the terror recedes, you know it's time to break out the paints, or go to the park... just change something so they can be stimulated by something different, something new.  I think it's the same with fabric or anything creative actually... sometimes you need to spice things up a little.

Sometimes, you need a change just to recapture the excitement that sewing/creating gives you.

 If your sewing 'muse' (there probably is one) has left you, what do you?  Do you blame the fabric or do you something useful and make some changes, do something different, try something new?

What works for me is a trip around my favourite blogs, searching for some new ones.... visiting the craft section in the library.... going for a walk looking at the colours I see around me.  This is a fantastic time of year for colour.  

To help things along a little I thought I'd have a giveaway.  This is a book full of surprises, 'Sewing Bits & Pieces' by Sandi Henderson.  If you've not come across her before she's a talented fabric designer for Michael Miller.

There are some gorgeous projects in here, some quite small items such as this pretty pincushion.

Some really cute projects such as this wonderful bunny,

and just as cute...look at this lovely little owl.  

 

 

These party lights are really different.

 

And many of these projects use small pieces of fabric so it's a good way of using up all those scraps that get left behind from larger projects, such as this Story Time quilt.

If you'd like to join in with this giveaway, then please leave a comment on this post by the 3rd November and I'll use the random number generator to select the winner.  

But, no! I really don't see a time when I look at fabric and find it 'boring'.

Speak soon 

Julia x

Comments

[Elaine Maul]

I am very much a newbie to sewing having been drawn to it with a desire to turn some of my Mum-in-Laws cross stitch embroideries into something other than the usual pictures!
However, I am blown away by all the fantastic ideas to be found on people's blogs! Boring fabrics? Can't say I've noticed any! Having found so many imaginative combinations of fabrics on the Internet, I can't ever see any piece of fabric as boring :)

[Chris]

Fabric Boring??? Oh my goodness no. Sometimes I am boring or bored or just plain blah. Usually a 'walk' through my fabrics can cure that state of mind. I look at them, touch them, drape them and even smell them. Fabrics of all sorts give me inspiration for new projects and provide a new perspective on all the wonderful color and design that surrounds me. That is how fabric enriches my life.

[Birgittadesign]

What a fab blog post Julie, you've inspired me to get back to making again, been so busy with uni work, and no I NEVER find fabric boring - even really awful fabric is never boring - hilarious maybe but never boring. xxb

[WandaFish]

An interesting post and, nope, I can't see any boring fabric - or any boring projects in that fab book you're giving away! Thanks for the chance to win :)

[marianna]

Lovely shop
lovely shop owner
lovely blog
so, what else could it be but a lovely give-away.
Thanks for the opportunity
Marianna

[Anna]

I'd have to say I don't find any fabric boring, but I do think that some can be uninspiring or just not to my taste and that's fine in my book; if we all liked the same things there would be much less creativity! I do find that I can get stuck in a 'colour rut' though, where I feel that I'm not being interesting enough, and I need to force myself out of my comfort zone and choose some colours or patterns that wouldn't normally appeal, just to mix things up a bit. Sometimes it works, sometimes not; but I think that that kind of experimentation is all part of the fun. I love seeing what other people are experimenting with too as this helps inspire me!

[Sarah-Jane G]

No, I don't think you can label a fabric as "boring", it is a matter of personal taste and how you use a particular fabric. My taste changes with time and season I find.

[Gill]

Boring fabric??? Well I haven't come across any yet!!
Gill

[Jenny]

I'm not sure there is any cotton fabric I would turn down, but I'm not good with synthetics, the make my skin twitch! When I am bereft of ideas I have a tidy up in my work area, I always find some treasure I'd forgotten I had. xxx

[Elizabeth G]

I can't find fabric boring. I do sometimes find some that doesn't appeal to me, but it's not boring. I also find a lot of inspiration in Blogland. Thanks for the giveaway!

[becslb]

nope... fabric isn't boring! Ok, some patterns don't appeal to me as a big piece of fabric but as a small scrap mixed in with others, they can look totally different! I guess some people might see plain fabrics as boring but I just love the huge array of colours that we are so fortunate to have!

[noodleBubble]

Loved this post - Personally HATE the word BORING - and If you say you're BORED in this house you get charged a pound...

BORED ... BORED ... How ridiculous!

Book looks Fab!

[Teresa]

My OH finds tractors and machinery exciting but for me it's fabric and books!
Being someone who uses mostly recycled materials, most of my stash is scraps so my inspiration comes from looking at what I have.

[Andrea T.]

I'm really excited about fabric scraps. It's almost all I work with. I like to buy leftover fabric scraps at goodwill and yard sales, just to see what I can do with them.

[Izabela]

I definitely don't find any boring fabric, the fabric can be in wrong color, damaged, not too nice to touch... but boring never

I sometimes touch a fabric and then I know what I would love it to become... but most of the times I want to make something and then I look for materials...

and inspiration? I find other artists and nature the most inspiring things in the world :)

x

[Beth Gracie]

fabric can never be boring! and as my mother grandmother used to tell me, "boring people are bored." we weren't allowed to say "i'm bored" at home ever. and here i am all grown up, never without a project (or a few) happening. :o)

[Leah Taylor]

I agree that boring fabric is a state of mind!! It's like any plain ingredient, it can be jazzed up and blended and made in to a super tasty treat, with the right love and care and often spruced up with a hint of special ingredient (such as a fun complement fabric). Not all fabric has to be super exciting, depending on what you are making a nice 'boring' one will be perfect whereas a crazy 'exciting' one would be total overkill. Long live all fabric!

[Mimi]

I would love to win this book - looks like it is something right up my alley! Thanks!

[Susan Spiers]

I always purchase fabric that I like first! Then I can always find an inspiration piece to use it for, without a doubt! LUV the cute ideas here!

[Stephanie]

Boring fabric? I don't think I have heard of that before - boring ironing, boring housework but never boring fabric lol!

[Nana]

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on "boring" . I read blogs for inspiration and motivation, this fulfilled both. I have a Halloween project calling me, but taking a min. To enter your giveaway, thanks for sharing.

[gtlady]

What a thoughtful post - I'd never considered fabric boring - football yes, fabric, no! Its all there, just waiting for the right idea from my bag of tiny scraps and off cuts excitedly waiting to be joined to ... something, to the larger bits waiting to be ... manipulated! There is no such thing as boring fabric, its just patiently waiting for the right inspiration!

[Gemma]

I'm not even a major sewer but I don't consider any fabric boring- some can be not to my taste but never boring. Great giveawya and gret musings
Gemxxx

[Penny]

I think we all need some plains in our stash to complement all the wonderful patterns we buy, I wouldn't call them boring but necessary. Its a bit like beauty really, as in "the eye of the beholder."
Like you, I gain inspiration from many sources including blogs, magazines, exhibitions etc. and I often plan quilts in my head when having difficulty getting off to sleep!

[Sarah F]

I find inspiration all over, blogs are great, Etsy is fantastic. I love browsing through crafting books and magazines, they're usually so beautifully photographed and they spark a nugget of an idea that can then be developed. And I get lots of inspiration from practical requirements for my kids and niece and nephew. I don't think any fabric can be considered boring even though there are lots that are not my thing!! The fabrics I love sometimes just seem to take on a life of their own and demand to be used for particular projects!