Inspiration And Panda Food

Well, the past few days have seen my sketchbook start to fill with ideas! I have sketched original applique designs, original paper-piecing designs (one I am starting this afternoon, I am so excited to see how it will turn out!)... I bought Ricky Tims' Rhapsody Quilt book yesterday... I don't think I'll ever make one, but I love his techniques for curved piecing and setting in pieces!

Hubby and I also went shopping yesterday... one of our stops was Joann's. They had all their packaged batting 50% off... and boy, did I stock up!

Hubby kept joking that we were buying panda food... it's all the Fairfield 50% bamboo/50% organic cotton blend batting. I LOVE this stuff! It quilts beautifully, it's so soft, it drapes very nicely, and it's warm! I do pre-shrink it though... I don't like wrinkly quilts, and the first one I did got a bit wrinkly, since the batting shrunk. Oh, well! I just pop it into my washing machine, fill with cold water, let it soak for a few minutes, spin all the water out, and dry it in the dryer. Never agitate it in the washer, and check the lint trap a couple times while it's drying!

According to Fairfield, the bamboo they use in their batting it not the same kind that pandas eat. So no pandas were starved to make this product! But bamboo is sustainable, renewable, and good for the environment! It takes in 2/3 more carbon dioxide and puts out 2/3 more oxygen than any other plant on earth, and some bamboo species grow at the rate of 4 feet a day! It's also naturally anti-bacterial. It also helps wick moisture away from your body.

Lots of bamboo products are available now. I am wearing bamboo/cotton socks right now, and working on a knitting project that's made with a bamboo/silk blend yarn. Bamboo is very soft. It's so lovely to have next to your skin!

Can you tell I am totally on board with this stuff? :-)

I'm off to Quilt In Joy in a bit... I have to wait till they open... :-) They have fat quarters and charm squares on sale today and tomorrow. They also have the new "Zippity-Doo-Dah" collection from Sandy Gervais in stock. I have been waiting for that to come out!