IN THE KNOW
Whether you need a little help or simply love looking at a cheerful collection of fabrics, there are many benefits to working with bundles. Kate Basti unravels her reasons
Whether you need a little help or simply love looking at a cheerful collection of fabrics, there are many benefits to working with bundles. Kate Basti unravels her reasons
Oh, how I love a good fabric bundle! In fact, one could even say that I’m a collector of fabric bundles, but shhhhh.
Don’t tell my husband that! My collection of fabric bundles has been growing since before my early quilting days. And yes, you really did read that correctly… I said before my early quilting days.
I began hoarding fabrics a full two years before I worked up the nerve to teach myself to sew. I like to think that I was just planning ahead. In truth, I was lacking the confidence that I could teach myself to sew. I hadn’t used a sewing machine since my eighth grade Home Economics class. After seeing a pretty quilt that a blogger made in 2008, I knew that I wanted to learn to sew. And when I stumbled across fabric designed by Anna Maria Horner online I had to have it despite that fact that I didn’t even own a sewing machine.
In fact, my very first fabric bundle was Anna Maria Horner’s Garden Party line for FreeSpirit Fabrics.
My parents purchased it for me for Christmas after I’d convinced them it was just about the only thing I wanted under the tree that year. It would be another few years before I’d actually cut into it, but while it waited, that bundle was a wonderful source of inspiration for me and later a catalyst for my sewing career. As I’m sure you are aware, there are many, many types of bundles to be had. The most common are fat eighth and fat quarter bundles, as well as half yard and yardage bundles. There are bundles that are comprised exclusively of one fabric line and those that are curated, either by you or someone else. There are perks to each type, and I’m going to share with you a few reasons as to why I enjoy bundles so much and how I personally put them to use.
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Skip the work
There are times when I enjoy the fabric pulling process and there are times I don’t. Sometimes I’m simply too eager to start a project to take the time to make decisions about colours, prints and blenders. This is when a ready-made bundle saves the day. Just untie the ribbon and start cutting! Bundles made of a single fabric line often have a theme and colour palette, thereby removing any and all guesswork of coordinating fabrics.
There are also many local retailers and online fabric shops that curate their own bundles. I often find beautiful bundles of varying lines and colour palettes that I likely would never have come up with myself. I have great admiration for those who have a keen eye for curating wonderfully gorgeous bundles of fabric. Their bundles often boost my creativity and are a real treat to purchase.