Pyromania

How do you tell if you have real silk or a sneaky fake? According to a lot of sources on the trusty internet, you burn it! I got such a good deal on some [alleged] silk I bought on a recent fabric-buying extravaganza that I was a little suspicious of its authenticity. I'm happy to report that what you see here is apparently evidence of the real thing. Here's what you should see if you try holding a flame to it:

• The fabric should not continue to burn after the flame is removed. (check)
• The ash should be black and crispy. Black clumps should crumble easily. (check)
• The burning silk should smell like burning hair. (eww, check!)

Gotta love the scientific method. Now I just have to clean up the mess.

The quilt I ended up making with the silk is a wholecloth one. I wanted to keep the design simple to show off the lustrous fabric. I used a cotton sateen sheet for the back (the mess you see here is me cutting up a fitted sheet!). And I gotta say, this quilt has mad drape! So soft too.

And there you have it. Just listed the [bonafide] silk quilt in my etsy shop!

Improper holiday observance

Okay, so I already admitted I have a little fabric problem. Today I went to this cool new fabric store in Charlottesville (UFab) that mostly sells upholstery and big yardage (note foreshadowing). I could have easily spent a couple hours in there perusing all the stuff they have in stock. And they have a basement with remnants. Don't even get me started on the basement. For the most part I behaved myself BUT I fell in love with this adorable screen-printed bird fabric --and like any good addict I bought a yard of it without having specific plans for it. It's mid-weight cotton and almost has a linen look to it. I'm sure I'll think of something to make with it (note rationalization). It reminds me of all that cute merimekko fabric I've been seeing everywhere but can't seem to get my hands on. Aaah, if only Charlottesville had an Ikea.

So that was part of how I spent the holiday. Now I just need to figure out what to make with the fabric I bought (I also got some silk I want to try and incorporate into a quilt). Hope you had a good Presidents' Day too!

New fabric fix

I found a great little etsy shop that sells delicious fabrics. Okay, I'll tell you since I know my secret is safe with you :) It's Fabricana. She's a fabric collector herself and her shop is filled with fabric eye candy. She sells bundles of hand-selected sari scraps, cut into sizes about 20 inches--perfect for adding texture and color to small projects. How cool is that?? I got a bundle of them and am using them to embellish a wall hanging I plan on hanging up in my house. She also sells some cool hand-loomed fabric. Okay, I got some of that too.


The pics above are the wall hanging in progress. Hopefully I'll finish and hang it this weekend!