I have decided that social media is entirely to blame for me getting so carried away with quilting.
I don’t think I’m passing the buck or shirking responsibility. I sincerely think it’s true. Remember the good old days of quilting . . . back when you maybe knew the names of one or two fabric designers . . . when the inspiration for your next quilt came from a book you might have had on the shelf for several years . . . when you chose fabric without a clue as to the name of the fabric line or the maker . . . and when you bought cotton thread without knowing (or caring) what brand it was?
I remember those days. I was a much more relaxed person, so content and oblivious to the big wide world of quilting. Now I am a quilting social media butterfly. I am checking Facebook, Instagram, blogs, Twitter and good old fashioned email to stay on top of the latest fabric releases, designer announcements, sew alongs and product information. I plan projects based on fabrics I have only seen on the computer screen, which maybe won’t be released for months. I have become Instagram friends with lovely women who share my passion, but whose real names I don’t know. My i-phone loses serious battery juice every Friday evening as I check for sew along posts. I text my best quilting friends several times a week, sending screen shots of things I find that have really sent me over the moon, even though I’m sure they’ve already seen these images during their own social media frenzy. I am inundated with ideas. I am blogging. I have to make lists of all the projects I want to do. I have to make lists of all the projects I am currently doing to remember what I’m doing. I am on quilt media overload . . . and let’s be honest . . . I love it!
I was reminded of the power of this social media quilting frenzy the other night when I came across two pieces of fabric I have been hoarding for nearly a year. Last fall I read a blog article discussing a Japanese fabric designer, Suzuko Koseki. This led me to some on-line sleuthing to see examples of Koseki’s fabrics. I will admit, I had never given much thought to fabric designers and the quilting industry outside of the United States. It was an awakening for me. Koseki’s fabric designs have a uniquely modern/vintage look. They are very sweet, a bit nostalgic and the saturated colors are gorgeous. She uses a lot of unique text prints (recipes, sewing pattern instructions, etc.) which add interest. I was particularly drawn to a few lines which showed women shopping in Paris and women’s dressmaking patterns.
Prior to reading that blog article, I had never heard of Suzuko Koseki. Thanks to that blog article, I widened my quilting world viewfinder and just had to get my hands on some Koseki fabric! I could not find any at my usual shops (local or online), so I went the Etsy route to make my small purchase.
I was thrilled to receive one fat quarter and one panel of beautiful Suzuko Koseki fabric, all the way from a shop in Singapore. The fabric was the same price point as fabric in the United States, and the shipping was just over $5. Tucked inside the package was a sweet little hand written receipt. It tickled me as much as the fabric. See the little note? It is \”Just for Taunja.\”
I realize now I have been hanging onto that fabric for nearly a year. The cornflower blue panel with the pretty shopping girl sporting a beret and bouncy ponytail has been sitting in the top drawer of my fabric dresser, just waiting for me to get my act together. It’s a shame. It is such lovely fabric. It needs to be used. But if there is one thing I have learned in the past two years as a result of my quilting social media butterfly status, it is that favorite fabrics are quickly bought out, leaving disappointed quilters high and dry, with only the pretty online images remaining. Social media has made hoarders of us all. I just cannot bring myself to cut into this treasured fabric.
For now, my Koseki fat quarter and panel are back in the fabric drawer, awaiting that special project. I’m also hanging onto the envelope and hand written receipt because in this crazy, online world, those pieces of paper also make me happy. I’m sure I will find the perfect project for my Suzuko Koseki fabric very soon . . . probably on Instagram!
Thank you for reading. If you have any project suggestions for my current dilemma, please let me know! I hope you also get carried away quilting often!
~Taunja
Thank you for helping people get the information they need. Great stuff as usual. Keep up the great work!!! smm panel
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