Fabric Curator as a job description. That’s a thing, right?

Okay, so maybe it sounds like a made up name for someone who has a thing for pulling together a whole bunch of fabrics that all somehow work together in a quilt, but I feel like if I’m anything lately, it’s that – a Fabric Curator.

Early this summer, as explained in my previous post, I assembled another 72- piece bundle of fabrics and cut them all into 5″ squares.

I’ve grown fond of calling them Happy Scrappy Stacks because it’s always my goal that they spark a joyful feeling from the sheer fact that there are so many different fabrics, and generally, they all seem to go together. Although I haven’t actually made one yet, I kitted up a low volume bundle to go along with the scrappy stacks and a darling little pattern called Sweet Kisses by Gigi’s Thimble.

Again with the assembly of a whole bunch of fabrics that somehow go together, you know? I like it. It’s like a THING I’m more and more driven to do lately. Strangely, although I’m still always working to carve out time for my quilt design work which, as shown below…

…is still also ‘a thing,’ my current wandering purpose is in the curating of fabrics that sing a song together, so to speak.

Last year, Robin Pickens released the most heavenly collection of fabrics for Moda called Dandi-Annie.

Even though I opted to make this quilt from it:

which I made with Jen Kingwell’s Sun Tempter Templates, my Market treasure bundle of Dandi-Annie, and some Essex Linens – I was over the moon for a pattern Robin had developed that released with Dandi-Annie, called Positively Bohemian.

The trouble was finding the time to make it with the collection for which it was intended, and I just didn’t manage it. Ever since though, I’ve had this hankering to curate a happy scrappy bundle of yummy fabrics to make it.

Plain and simple, I spend my days around fabrics that inspire me. Usually, it starts with one fabric; in this case – the red ‘landscapy’ fabric beneath Sophie in the above photo.

Then I just start pulling fabrics from there. If I’m lucky, I end up feeling overwhelmingly happy with the the prints that come together like little kindergarteners lining up for recess.

So you see: Curator of Fabric as a job description, whether it’s a thing out in the world or not – is a thing in my world. And for now, this wandering quiltmaker/designer/shopgirl is happy as a little brown bunny in her favorite Aqua dress!

In other – related – news: Does anyone remember my Gus Quilt from a few Halloweens ago, which was inspired by my favorite (happy not scary) Halloween children’s book, Gus Was a Friendly Ghost?

For more on my original Gus quilt, see Here and Here, but to give you just a hint of the origin of it and how it began, below is the quilt tag I made for it, which includes my favorite page in this very treasured book.

Fast forward four years later:

I snapped the above photo yesterday (err…almost a week ago, since I’m just now getting a sec to finish this post!), after receiving a message from my friend Jessica with an idea, which led to more curating, and especially – a renewed remembrance of how much I still love Gus and need to make another quilt! I hope you’ll stay tuned.