Double Addiction

Along with a fabric addiction, I grapple daily with my coffee addiction (Well, maybe grapple isn't the right word - "revel" would be more accurate.) I bet most quilters bear this euphoric double addiction, and the fabric companies know it. They produce a LOT of coffee-themed fabric. When I  started quilting (and fabric shopping), my motto was 'Collect 'em all!' 

Over time, I became better able to limit myself , if not in the number of cups I drink each day, at least in the number of coffee fabrics I purchased. Some are better than others in terms of  fun and wow factor. I especially like it when the cups (and other coffee miscellanea, like pots, coffee bags, French presses, scones) are large and have clear outlines (no overlap), so I can use them in applique well as quilting.

The photograph above is a closeup of one of the very first coffee quilts I ever made. Here's the whole quilt, followed by some details. It measures about 16" x 20". 

I went to town with the embellishment. The cups emanate brown 'steam' stitching, topped with brown or gold seed beads. The borders have more seed beads, at regular intervals. The light background is hand quilted with gold and green threads. 

Here's part of the bottom border: 

I'm having a little trouble remembering what I was thinking with those borders. First, because the border prints are total non-sequiters: goldfish, peacock feathers, flowers, a pear, a turnip? Maybe I drank so much coffee that day that I didn't have the patience to do a thorough search for fabrics that might actually relate to the theme. At least the colors work. There is one  print (shown directly above) with a double-faced Picasso-like figure looking distraught. That choice DOES make sense: It's how I feel when I don't get my fix. 

Another mystery: the odd jutting tabs from the center of the top and bottom border. As I recall, constructing the quilt, some of the fabric was jutting out on bottom, and I was about to cut it off when I decided I liked it! So I made a matching tab on top! It's a perfect example of how beginners, which I was at the time, can be much more creative than old hands; most of my current borders are distressingly straight.

Have I whetted your appetite for coffee fabrics? (if not for distorted Picassoesque facial fabrics?) When I'm searching for any conversational fabric (aka novelty fabric), I go to one of these places: 

• http://quiltshops.com/search.htm  Enter your words (coffee fabric works fine), click thumbnails, and see lots of choices. 
•  http://www.fabshophop.com/fabsearch.asp.    This 'Fabricshophop' site is similar to the service above, it searches dozens of shops with one click. 
• Spoonflower.  http://www.spoonflower.com/spelunks?type=&q=coffee&x=0&y=0. Enter "Coffee" in the search window. Spoonflower is a site that turns people's art into fabric, and while these custom fabrics are a bit pricey, they're worth it. 

Excuse me, now, I need another cup. 

Silhouettes and Hunting for Novelty Fabrics

Artist Nikki Rosato makes the most incredible silhouettes out of maps.
http://www.designaside.com/10518/arte/nikki-rosato (Thanks to the Craft newsletter, where I found this.)

I'm thinking that Rosato's idea would be interesting to try with my New York City subway map fabric, (no financial affiliation)....

What a great gift for New York friends, if their silhouette could be cut from NYC map fabric!

It's also interesting to think about using other dense novelty fabrics to cut silhouettes....like maybe my paper clip fabric...

Or pretzel fabric: 

There's so much wonderful novelty fabrics out there, including maps, office supplies, food, and almost anything else you might imagine.  Would you like to find a specific novelty fabric? The two fabric search engines I use are:

• Quiltshops.com. Their search page is at  http://quiltshops.com/search.htm. Enter your search terms in the box (like "map"), and click "thumbnails."  
• The Fabric Shop Hop's search page: http://www.fabshophop.com/fabsearch.asp. 

You'll be amazed by what you find! Enjoy the hunt!