Economy Block and Large-Scale Fabrics

Recenlty I decided to take out and use the stash of Asian-themed fabrics I'd set aside.  Many of them are large scale, so I wanted to feature them in a large-scale block.

I'm really happy with how the blocks have turned out.  I've used up almost all of my fabrics, and this will be a throw for Michael.

I'm doing hand work these days, so I haven't sewn the blocks together yet, but they're ready for me to get the itch to sew by machine.

I paper pieced this block, which may seem silly to some, but I like the precision of paper piecing, and I enjoy the process.  I used these Lori Holt foundation papers, which come in various sizes--I've previously used smaller scale paper foundations of the same Economy Block.  I recommend them, they're easy to use and the 12" foundations offer the option to make more or fewer rounds.  And you can't beat a 12" block for a quick-to-finish block for large scale fabrics.
 

More Thrift Store Finds

I consider thrift store shopping to be a recreational activity.  There are a handful of places I stop at regularly, and sometimes I leave empty handed, but sometimes I strike gold.  I like the adventure of thrift store shopping, but I also consider keeping things out of the landfill and reusing existing items vs. always buying new to be a good ecological practice.

I recently found this charming little vase.  It's unusual, I don't think I've seen anything like it.  It seems to be of mid-century vintage, my favorite, and I love that the vase features a book, and that the woman is reading.  I keep this vase in my sewing room/ office, and I like the contemplative spirit it projects.

One of my local thrifts always has fabric--many don't carry it for some reason.  I've bought a few remnants of various fabrics there, often because they're vintage, but I recently got this major score.

I bought a jumble of fabrics in a bag for $3.49.  I recognized that they looked like fat quarters in trendy colors, but I didn't know if any had been cut into or not.

They turned out to be a pristine fat quarter bundle of Riley Blake fabrics from a few seasons ago.  I checked online, and these typically retail for about $65, so I got an amazing deal.

 This may be one of my best thrift store fabric deals of all time, and I look forward to using these bright colors in some of the baby quilts I make for donation.