Fabric Pull - Jelly Roll Friendly Celestial Stripes by Zen Chic

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[@janetcorrao5072]

Tints and tones. Color theory can make you nuts! Auditioning fabrics is a must!

[@loisbailey7393]

Have been watching you evolve in your quilt journey and predict you are becoming a future teaching critic. You possess all the correct elements necessary. I am 88 years old and am aware of your artistic qualities that will carry you far. Keep on shirting!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Lois, for that vote of confidence! I appreciate it so much! ❤️

[@shannoneaster9311]

Can’t wait to see the final project! I hadn’t seen this pattern before and love how the design is a bit of an optical illusion. I relate to the painstaking selection of color for a project. So many variables and things to consider. Especially in a project like yours. I can’t wait to see the final quilt top! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Shannon! I haven't actually totally settled on this one--we'll see if I find a better green/teal/blue green for that crazy ombe plaid shirt!

[@victoriaclifford2715]

You are amazing. I have always just thrown colors together. This was very eye-opening on many levels. Thank you!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Victoria! 🥰

[@pamjones3594]

I love what you have to say about color, creativity, choices and quilting. Keep telling us more.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Pam! That means so much to me! 🥰

[@Marnie1026]

I love the way you explore color. When I look at color, I describe it as what makes my eyes happy. What makes my eyes happy has changed over time. Color themes have changed, contrast has changed, the hues, tones and tints have changed, but wherever I am in my quilt journey, it has to make my eyes happy. Love your videos 💖💖💖

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Marnie! ❤️ I think that's such a great way to describe it: making your "eyes happy!" It has changed for me over time, too, although there are always some combinations that make my eyes (and heart) go, "OOOhhhhh!"

[@deliad8826]

Oh Cathy, when you mentioned Cyndi Lauper I squeeled. I lurve her and True Colors is my very favorite song. When I was a young woman working in NYC, I was waiting for a bus on 57th Street and Madison and I saw her walking down the street. I froze in my place and got this gobsmacked smile on my face. Cyndi slowed a bit and smiled and gave a wave and as you can see, forty years later, the memory is as fresh as the afternoon it happened. Just had to share with a Cyndi kindred soul. As others have mentioned, I could watch your process of fabric selection and color discussion till the cows come home. So often we come from the point of view, will I have enough fabric and get caught up in pattern requirements. I never hear you say that and I find that fascinating and refreshing. Thank you for all your videos and sharing that special fabric from Amy.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Delia! I’m so glad you shared your story about Cyndi Lauretta! She has SO many truly great songs and the lyrics are so much deeper than they seem at first blush (Time after Time, True Colors, etc.) Thank you for your kind and supportive words-it really means so much to me! ❤🥰

[@deliad8826]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts Her music has gotten me through some challenging times. You are most welcome Cathy but I truly feel you deserve the thanks, not me. Have a great day and Happy Mother's Day

[@annerankin1191]

One of my favourite jobs at the store I work at is helping people pick fabrics! You can match colours/patterns with a single line of colour in the fabric and it will “go”. Or, as I always say: “It doesn’t have to match, it just has to go.” Love colour! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I would have no take-home pay if I worked in a fabric store! All the fabric would go home with me and my pay would stay at the store. 😂 The way fabrics can go together , as you say, with a single line of color is really so amazing!

[@annerankin1191]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts I have had to stop….my sewing room is EXCESSIVE right now. Breaking even was the challenge, but now I’m mostly okay with not buying. The new lines can be things of beauty though! XOX

[@kathleencoe1058]

I am going back and watching your old videos since I only found you about 6 months ago. 😊

[@caitlinmatthews1401]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Zen Chic Patterns!!!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Right?! Her stuff is so COOL!

[@caitlinmatthews1401]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts YES! And so distinct. She also has a really good book too!

[@annettemaxie-mahmoud2390]

What a great lesson on color matching, patterns and contrasting fabrics! Thank you! ❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Annette!

[@lucilegubbins4433]

It's sometimes hard to see what doesn't work from here, but we can always see the does work. I do this same thing a lot, where I test a bunch of fabrics together. It's part of the development process for finding my color style. I have found the same thing about getting married to favorites (and getting sad when it doesn't work out).

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Kindred spirits! And yes, there is something about finding a "color style" as you called it--I can love looking at other people's beautiful quilts and really admire them but also think, "that colorway isn't for me." It's so hard not to get really attached to beautiful fabrics!!

[@sistersister2999]

I’m back in my quilting corner after a very long time away and am discovering again how much I love the fabric choosing phase. I love finding not only the fabrics that talk to each other, but the ones that sing! Whether the fabrics sing or not can make or break a quilt for me. Fabrics that are in harmony ( the ones that “go together”) without matching exact pitches (colors) usually make a quilt sing for me. I’m more in love with high contrast colors but even low contrast quilts can sing for me. It’s all about the harmony. Fabric pattern and scale often comes into play for me. The fat quarter you “lurve” didn’t work, in part, because the pattern was larger than the smaller patterns of the other fabrics. It would have stolen the show on the quilt and not for good reason. It will be great in something else!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

So glad you're back in your quilting corner!! I love the idea of fabrics that sing and are in harmony with each other--what a great analogy! ❤️

[@kylierigby1953]

I do love your thinking process! I think this part of the quilt design is the best part. Creative juices are allowed to flow. It's very therapeutic. Blessings 💞

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Kylie! And I agree-this is the fun part!❤

[@kylierigby1953]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts Oh, and breaking down the shirts! I do love this part. You should see the pile I have to do🤣🤣

[@nevafitzgerald2402]

Good afternoon to you all! Happy mother's❤ day MS Cathy enjoy your weekend!love the combination of color.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Neva! And happy mother's day to you, too!

[@RobinsNest-759]

Hi Cathy! I missed your video on Friday! (Those darn vacations! Lol!) But you are SO right; you DO have a lot to say about colors! 😂 Another amazing video. I learn so much from you. Thank you! ❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Robin! ❤️

[@marybeth4002]

I could sit for a long time and watch you move fabric around and talk about color. I sooooo LOVE the fabric you were gifted from Amy in Africa - I sat patiently the whole video waiting for you to touch it and introduce it. All those fabrics you put it with would be my perfect combination. However, I understand why you want to save it for something special. Have a beautiful Mother's Day, Cathy ❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Mary Beth! ❤ I wish you could see that fabric up close-it is even prettier in person! 🤩just too special to use in a jelly roll quilt! Happy Mother’s Day to you as well-have a great weekend!❤

[@joannasnee3871]

Lovely to watch and hear your process and thinking about colour. I always love your colour choices. They are completely different to something I would choose and that is the beauty of making personal choices as apposed to working with precuts that have been selected for you. It's good to hear you talk about saturation as a design element, as it is often under considered. Thank you for all your videos.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Joanna! The more I quilt, the more I realize how important it is to have that value contrast! 🤓😊👍🏻

[@brigittepatry195]

Hi Cathy! You’re prononciation of Brigitte was perfect! From Quebec, Canada.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Hooray! (And whew!) And it seems like you would know, right?❤😘🤩 Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@nicolebeauchamp7622]

Another fantastic. Due to little interuptions I had to watch in small chunks but that made it last longer.❤ from Australia

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Nicole!

[@bella-bee]

My mum first taught me patchwork when she got a set of aluminium hexagon templates, made by a local blacksmith. Now called English paper piecing, and back then y’all didn’t have fancy rulers and rotary cutters. You were still tracing around home made templates and subtracting or adding your 1/4” seam allowance, depending on your method. I preferred our English way, and rotary cutters made a huge difference to American patchwork too. Now everything is acrylic! Anyway, Mum made a quilt of 1.25” hexagons in a granny’s flower garden design, with four rounds to each flower. The first 3 were easy fabrics to choose, but finding a fourth was difficult, as it would change the colour balance already created. We would audition fabrics together, and she spoke of “jumping off”, from one fabric to the next. “How can I jump off from this one?” she’d say. I made one as well, with only 3 rounds per flower, having learned from her efforts!

[@nancymathisen9707]

I appreciate how you explain your processes. I too love color. Even though my style is quite different from yours the underlying approach has a lot in common. Clearly verbalizing, step by step, what you’re doing, for people who lack confidence in their own ability to choose, is valuable, practical information. I enjoy a peek into the individual creative process of doing things. Thank you.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Nancy!

[@barbaraangier9967]

Loved these videos where you take us through your design process. Also lobe the suggested modern quilt designers. Visited their site and saw so many that I “lurved”. Thank you Cathy!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

You're so welcome, Barbara! Thank you for watching and commenting and for checking out the links!

[@Bubbawork]

Really interesting video Cathy, I enjoyed that very much. I do hope you make the quilt, it’s one I have on my radar too xx

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Michelle! ❤️

[@bethliebman8169]

So, so interesting to see your color-eye in action. You go with your gut so often when making your choices. More of this kind of video, please.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh thank you, Beth!! 🥰❤️

[@debbiegallett1125]

i always learn so much from your color talks it makes me view things in a different, better way

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Debbie! What a great compliment!

[@pamelafowler4406]

Jelly rolls are beautiful! Making your own is fabulous. L9ve jelly roll quilts.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I suspect I will love them too-and of course once the strips are cut (in my case)it seems like it will be so easy and go so fast! 🤩

[@theresasuttle711]

What you are determining is ‘shade’ or ‘tint’. Color theory which you happen to ‘get’ intuitively! Great job!

[@cece624]

Thanks, I learned so much about coordinating colors! BTW, the selection of colors in the shirts hanging on the wall behind you are lovely. They are a color way I would enjoy having in a quilt. 🌻

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Aww, thank you CeCe! And I like a red/orange/yellow combo too!

[@AmyGilesWarren]

I think you were actually talking to me! I like a “scrappy” quilt.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Lol! Well I have a lot of Amy’s here in my YT channel, and lots of scrappy quilt lovers so maybe I was!😘🥰

[@susyk6839]

If you lay out fabric like you did, and take a picture of it with your cellphone. Then change the photo to grey scale, you would be surprised of what is dark, and what is medium and which is light in value. Love your colors. Thank you for sharing.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

When I get ready to do a fabric pull for real, I do exactly that-I take a photo and switch it to black and white to check the values! Thanks for watching and commenting, Suzy! ❤️

[@susyk6839]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts thank you for commenting back! I appreciate you so much...it is nice to know we are on the same page. Soooooo talented you are...working full time and quilting too! ♥️

[@glynisreynolds446]

I actually loved all the fabric strips as you had them lined up initially 🥰 And I don’t buy jelly rolls now. I always find strips that I just couldn’t use 🥴 and the strips aren’t always ‘exactly’ two and a half inches which can be REALLY FRUSTRATING when trying to create accurate blocks 🤬 Can’t wait to see this quilt 🤔👏👏🇬🇧

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Glynis!😊There was nothing “wrong” with the initial line-up, but you know I like to find the top-of-the-graph when it comes to color! 😂🤩 I would be TICKED if I paid for a whole ton of strips and they weren’t accurately cut-what’s the point if you can’t use them as 2.5” strips?!?

[@ShadowMoonFarms]

Thank you

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Cynthia for watching and commenting!

[@theresaalkire4173]

I so enjoyed this! I struggle with this issue of the perfect blending of color. I was talking in my head with you on all of these choices and agree with you! I love how you take your time think it through and make your choices! Thank you!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Theresa! ❤️

[@pumpkinheadmom1779]

I am so grateful for our conversations -- because I reply aloud as I watch and my family laughs and joins in ❤. I have learned a lot from you and all your followers as well. May I suggest that at timestamp 20:19 the single word answer is balance? Of course, you did a brilliant job elaborating on that idea with "True Colors!"❤❤❤

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

You may always suggest! And now I have to go watch my own video to be able to agree with you! 😂 I’m so glad you respond-I feel it! 😘❤

[@j.crooks626]

Loved watching you discuss the color and how you process this. I struggle with figuring out what colors to use whenI have a pattern in mind. I also use men’s dress shirt or whatever material I find at second hand stores or yard sales and I am accumulating a stash to pull from but tend to be drawn to the same color over and over. Thank you so much for your videos.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you so much! I think we all lean toward our favorites-I’m stretched to different color ways when I make videos for the channel so it keeps me from getting in a rut!

[@bella-bee]

Jelly roll race. You might like Donna Jordan’s version where she inserts a few inches of black when changing colour, and joins are 45 degrees, which gives these dark ‘pips’ scattered through the quilt, and the slant gives it a sense of movement.

[@diannplatt-roberts8692]

I just finished a pattern called Mazed. Its a Villa Rosa pattern. Jelly roll friendly. I made one with a jelly roll and 2 scrappy ones. Loved them.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

DiAnn, I just Googled it--so cool!!

[@michellenisun6308]

Love your color choices and your thoughts behind your process. So helpful! Also, I finally cut into my linen shirt stash. Wowza. Linen sure has a mind of its own…even with starch. I really hope it is worth the effort 😂.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Michelle! And YES my goodness, linen DOES have a mind of its own! But starch helps! Just think ahead, though, to all the crinkly goodness it will have once it's washed! GLORIOUS.

[@wzrdreams]

I love the way you explained the need for editing. I feel like when folks use the whole rainbow as their color story that they didn't make any choices.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I have definitely thought that too, although boy do I love a good rainbow! 😍 But taking away even one color makes it more interesting in my opinion. 🤓

[@kimbetts4282]

Hi Cathy 👋 I love watching/hearing you think out loud. I quite liked how you had the strips arranged at 7.20 minute mark. I think for me though, the odd one out is the minty/lilac check shirt. I think it would look great paired with a soft lilac but then those two colours might not necessarily work with the other blues and yellow....it would depend on the tone of the soft purple. The other colours read well together and blues and yellows are always a classic combination. I wonder too, how the quilt would look with a navy background fabric, as opposed to the white? Something to think about perhaps... Have a lovely weekend ♥

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Hey Kim! 😊 Now I have to go watch my own video and see what I did! (lol) I think you are right on both counts--the odd man out and it looking great with lilac and mint. I guess we'll see what I do with them (if anything! I really don't need another project!) Hope you had a great weekend!

[@lilybee_]

Oh Cathy! When my sweet daughter helps me with fabric I usually lose the fabric I like the most too 😂. She has been such a help when I get stuck and confused. The next quilt I make will be fabric that I've chosen because Im curious. We like the same fabrics but I trend towards a little more contrast when combining them. I struggle with fabric choices and want to explore what my style is. I always think about Julia Roberts not knowing how she likes her eggs cooked when I get stuck lol I always enjoy you picking fabric!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh I know exactly what you mean about Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride!😂 As I watched the video to check the edit, I second-guessed some of my choices-so I definitely get it! Ultimately, tho, I think it’s good to figure out our own way and let that personal style and design-aesthetic rise up and show itself. It seems like it always does!❤

[@veronicaosborn3029]

So why did it make me tear up when you were talking about the song “True Colors”??? Ughh…I’m such a softy, and also being an 80’s teenager makes it so nostalgic. I’m a 52 year old mess!! 😂

[@jennjennedington279]

I love this comment

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Me TOO!

[@michaelcaselli2716]

Thank you for such a comprehensive video and the tips on how to ‘study’ color. I have the very same Zen Chic pattern saved in my Pinterest quilt folder! Have you ever thought of having a quilt-along via your channel? I’m excited to see your quilty progress, hanging behind you in your studio very soon!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Denise! (and I loved that pattern the minute I saw it!) I have not thought about doing a quilt-along--I would be the one always behind!! LOL!

[@stephver]

So glad you love Zen Chic! My favorite. Brigitte is soo nice! She helped me with my flying geese. Her Twisted Geese quilt is my absolute fav! I’ve made at least 10 in different color ways. Cathy, when will we see a line from you? You’re so good with color. Going to check in with you on Instagram, haven’t been on in a while. Sorry about your local quilt shop 🙁. We are transitioning out of brick and mortar, for real. Good to see you! You are really so talented. Thank you for making these videos for us.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Aww! Thank you, Steph!🥰 I love Zen Chic designs-she often has a lot of background and/or negative space in her quilt designs which love, but require a lot of yardage! I’m curious how this one turns out if I actually get around to making it! 😊

[@stephver]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts it’s going to be beautiful!

[@stephver]

Oh, and I forgot to say- if you need yardage- Sew Yeah has steals every Saturday night on KZbin. I think 5 yards for $60/$65. And Missouri Star runs amazing sales on solid 108” yardage. I think through their daily emails. That’s where I stock up. On my birthday though, I treat myself to Zen Chic or Kaffe. Hope this helps.

[@bethknight4342]

There is a game I play on my phone occasionally, it's "I love hue" very fun!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh my! I would say "I'll have to try it!" but I'd better not---I might not ever get another video made if I got into it! LOL!

[@stefflcus]

I thought I commented on this already! Four days later, and here we (I and my opinions that I can't keep to myself) are. :D For the plaid, I'd go with either of the greens but ESPECIALLY the darker one at 29:37 because that feels more pleasing to me when combined with the other two solids. And it's yummy, of course. Yes, I'm the one who prefers maybe a simpler color scheme for more "punch," but also I apparently prefer yellow/blue/green to yellow/blue/slightly differ'nt blue? (Aqua? I don't know, you see what I mean.) But then again, the hunt is one of the fun parts and maybe you'll find something completely other or the not-blue will be right when it gets together or... THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING MEEEEE! I have so much fun watching these!! I love watching the process, and you always come up with something gorgeous in the end. ☕

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Steff!!

[@Siennaflower]

I'm completely a color person too!! I have very visceral reactions to color, which change from time to time. I fall in love with certain colors, and they become my guiding light as I change a room decor or develop a seasonal wardrobe. I like to focus on only a few colors at a time, and limit my projects. When I'm changing my room decor, I will add, say, white or burgundy, and take out, for example, all the yellow, or blue, etc. That's how my rooms morph from one iteration to the next. I often keep one or two of the colors I've been using, and change another. Or, I will change the accent color to be my main color, and replace the main color with a different accent color. That way, I reuse things I already have, and add a few new things to it. When I'm shopping, I usually know immediately, viscerally whether to choose something. When I get excited, anxious, and a bit guilty (do I really get to indulge in this glorious awesomeness??), I know I'm on to something! ❤ I also move my decor around the house to different rooms, so that, for example, the livingroom decor gets used in the bedroom, and all of a sudden looks new and different!

[@freddiehansen7324]

I love precuts. You get a whole fabric collection that goes well together, however, I don't "feel" that they are all MY preferences if you will. I get it they are made to match and look lovely together but they can feel a little "impersonal"? For me, a quilt is personal. I like to pick fabrics that I love, and that I like together regardless of designer. Which is also why I enjoy using shirt fabric. Because you have to work harder (and smarter) to get the "just right" mix - you are very good at that! Having a "Colorist" in the household helps I bet lol my oldest is my colorist and she is usually right. I would probably have used both of the two blue-green/sea glass with the madras shirt fabric - the lighter with the lighter strips and the darker with the darker.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Freddie, I agree wholeheartedly! Beautiful quilts come from those fabric lines, but they can feel impersonal to me, as well. You aren’t the only one to think about the sea glass and the darker blue with the two different strip types-it would make for some beautiful variation to be sure!❤

[@pammeinzer6757]

I have a hard time deciding what to put together with what. I call this process of elimination. You don't always want to put same colors together. Thanks for this tutorial.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Pam!🥰 and yes it is a process of elimination for sure! Which I love!❤

[@marygem]

Could you put the lighter and darker turquoise strips together, instead of trying to match them with a wholly different fabric?

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I could-there was something about the darker turquoise that just didn’t work for me, tho.

[@terriellenhenninger7938]

Your description of the color wheel reminded me of the The Spectrum song by Disney.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

LOL! I've never heard that song until today---I just listened and laughed!

[@terriellenhenninger7938]

@@TheCatBirdQuilts I remember hearing it on wonderful world of disney on sunday night when I was a kid.

[@amymcadams6043]

Love

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thanks, Amy! 😘

[@sherimcgill5139]

I love watching your vídeos. You remind me of my big sister for some reason, but I’m probably older than you! I have to comment though, if I spent as much time pulling fabric as you do, I would talk myself out of ever doing anything 😅 Isn’t it interesting how everyone’s methods are different? Usually, my first picks are my best. I know…weird.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Sheri! And I hope it's a compliment that I remind you of your sister--I'm gonna take it that way, even if you are older than me! 👍🏻 And yes, I love how everyone differs; I bet you're really good at fabric pulls and that's why your first picks are best! 🤓❤️😊

[@jeanettewithrow9641]

Very interesting. Colour choices is something I'm not good with it. Thanks for video

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Jeanette!

[@monavance2125]

Hi Cathy😊 I really enjoyed this video, following your thought process as you paired up fabrics. As you were going over the plaid shirt strips (which i luuuurvvvv!) I began seeing them as two different pairings. Did the two strips represent how the repeat in the plaid played out with the rest of the strips? Could you split them so the greener half would pair with your mint and your bluer half with the bluer solid? I hope I am making sense. I hope there is more to see in this story as fabrics make the final cut- pun intended wahhh wahhh See you next week❣️

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Mora! Yes I separated those 2 strips because even tho they’re the same shirt, the print reads so differently. And yes, I might pair one set of strips with the light mint and other strips with the darker blue-if that’s what you mean then it made sense to me!😊🤓👍🏻 Thanks for watching and commenting! ❤

[@TheQuiltingLunchLady]

I do very similar things. I am super picky about color. I never worry so much about value, usually because the colors I work with usually provide enough difference with out the value being an issue. For me it truly is about the color. Is it in the same family, is it really just a lighter or darker shade? Is there enough balance between warm tones and cool tones?? Or is there enough of one color to add that visual pop that most quilts with similar values need? That is how I go about choosing what fabrics I need. Sometimes I buy, get it home and then go nope! But then, it gives me the excuse to go shop a little more to find the right fabric. Good luck with this project, it looks like it will be a lot of fun to work with!!! This is Christine Ripka from MN. I changed my KZbin name to give myself a little more anonymity. Have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day!!!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Christine! I never would have known---glad you told me! Thank you, as always, and happy Mother's Day to you, too!

[@judyallhands3361]

I cannot put colors together, that's why I always go with a designer grouping. I'm in awe of people that can put colors together that work. More videos like this.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Thank you, Judy! I think fabric pulls may become a regular feature on the channel!

[@alexandriaspann8194]

Cathy if you were to buy a jelly roll what line or designer would you get

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Ruby Star Society. No question! Now which ONE of the RSS lines is a whole other discussion!😂 I really like Rashida ColemanHale’s Linear, and I like Hole Punch Dot and I still really like Unruly Nature, too. Ahh!! So many beautiful ones out there!! 🤩

[@michellelynch6715]

In the movie The Sound of Music one of the daughters was Brigitte and they pronounced it Bri-Ghee-Ta. If I remember my high school German (senior class of ‘76) that would be the German pronunciation. I enjoy your videos…tempted to start using thrifted shirts, but I have so much stash and so little time, I need to use what I have, not build stash….Darn cancer! But your thoughts on color sure will help with combining a wide variety of fabrics from what I have acquired over my 30 years of quilting and what I got from my mom (much from thrift stores, but she mostly bought women’s dresses/Mumus to get yardage.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh, Michelle, you're right!! Now I'm on a mission to find out! (I will report back my findings.🤓) So glad you are enjoying the videos--it's never too late to use thrifted shirts! 😘 And you're right---darn cancer! I think it's wonderful that you have fabric from your mom's stash too--muumuu's and all! ❤️

[@c_mclaugh]

Since they are shirts, I wonder if you could think about what color pants would work with them. That multicolored strip would look so nice with a brown or tan pant. Don’t know if you would want to add a brown to the mix? Such a fun puzzle to work on!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

Oh I love this idea! (And sometimes think about that when I’m breaking down shirts!) I bet a charcoal green might look neat too-especially with that yellow! 😍

[@janiewilliams5803]

Hoping Cathy or a follower can answer this. I am machine quilting a baby quilt on my domestic machine, and using shirt fabric, 100% cotton, as the backing. Having many instances of skipped stitches. Have made several with this machine, prior. But this is first time using shirts as backing, and sashing , also. Wonderi ng if the tightly woven nature of the fabric is causing this. Thanks for any suggestions.

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

It is certainly possible that the tight weave of the shirt fabric is a contributor to skipped stitches. For me, the cause is usually wrong tension, “pulling” the quilt through (rather than letting the machine do the work) or not using a new, sharp needle. Especially the new needle! If you’re free motion quilting, skipped stitches can happen when the movement of the quilt through the needle outpaces the pressure on your foot controller (which I’m sure you already knew.) I’ve also had skipped stitches with a walking foot when I try to go too fast (but again, usually the needle is the culprit.) I hope this helps! And maybe another quilter/sewist here has additional suggestions?

[@jennjennedington279]

The needle is almost always the culprit. I would start there and also clean out the bobbin case and the feed dogs. Quilting makes a lot of fluff that collects and impedes the workings.

[@janiewilliams5803]

Thanks to both of you for your insight. I had tried 3 different sized needles. Have read that tightly woven needs a smaller needle to punture. My machine is due for routine maintenance, though I do clean regularly. Maybe that will help, or technician may see a problem. Thanks again. I really like using the cotton shirts and hope this will be resolved.

[@teresamcfadden2414]

Having a colorist (husband) in the family always helps with my choses

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

It is a huge help! 🤓👍🏻

[@randylls5341]

You could try designing a quilt. I like doing the math and figuring how much fabric.

[@AvivaHadas]

the "Amy" who got name dropped (in jest, its ok, "own who you are!") just counted 450 out of 512 reds! WINK WINK

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

And you should own it because you’re awesome and make beautiful quilts with those gazillion color fabrics! 🥰❤️

[@gwenj5419]

If you use a pre-cut pack and use someone else's pattern, is it really creative at all? Your only input is the sewing. So it seems more of a technical enterprise.

[@user-iw2sk9mg8j]

I LOVE listening to your thought process!! I have a song recommendation for you that fits you and this video perfectly (even better than True Colors). It’s also a super sweet song. “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” by Kristen Andreasson. Please look it up!

[@TheCatBirdQuilts]

I will! Thanks for the recommendation! ❤