We have curated a wonderful group of creators, sewists, makers. These fine stitchers are working on a special project with me and Studio e Fabrics.
We are doing a bag exhibit. The bags are to be made with 100% Peppered Cottons. So, what are Peppered Cottons? Well, do you remember the Roaring 20s Quilt from a few years back? All the fabrics in that quilt were Peppered Cottons. Peppered Cottons are Shot Cottons.
Shot Cottons have been around for years. Decades. A shot cotton is a fabric that is created by one color of a cotton fiber running as the warp, and a different color running as the weft.
If you have a color running one direction and white fibers running in a perpendicular direction, it is a chambray. But, if there are two colors it’s a shot cotton. Because there are 2 colors making up the fabric it creates a dynamic appearance that has greater expression than just a solid fabric. A solid cotton fabric has the same color running along both the warp and the weft.
As long as we’re discussing warp and weft, let’s talk quality. Big box fabric stores were able to sell fabric more cheaply than independent fabric shops. There are many reasons for this. I would often hear people say that the big box stores sold fabric of a lower thread count. People are under the impression that thread count is the end all and be all. While thread count is important, it’s also important to note the quality of the threads. You can buy sheets with a high thread count but with inferior quality threads, and the product will be a lesser product. Keep this in mind.
Peppered Cottons have a high thread count and the threads are high quality as well.
So, back to our project. We are each making a bag. The bag is a predetermined size. The bag must be improvisational. By this we mean that you must come up with your own pattern and design. There is to be no hardware that is prominent. The bag has to be lined. And, it must be made only with Peppered Cottons.
So, without further ado, I would love to show you the bag made by Wednesday Standley. It’s so cute and such fun. The color combination is so unexpected and it is just so awesome.
I will continue to upload photos as we make progress. I can’t wait to see them all together. Oh, and, these bags will be exhibited on the Studio e website and at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show in Madison. If you see Wednesday, tell her you love her bag.
