Using the Pretty

I know I'm not the only one who gets anxious about using up my favorite fabrics. In fact, Kelly of Kelby Sews is hosting a quilt-a-long to address this very phenomenon. It's called the My Precious QAL and the idea is to use fabric from your stash that you've been saving or reluctant to cut in to because you love it oh so much and the idea of using it all strikes fear in your heart. Or something like that.

I'm haven't decided whether I'm going to join the QAL officially, but perhaps I should because tonight as I lay out my scrappy back for my Sew Happy Quilt, I felt more than a little uncertainty about using my entire yard of purple Jewels from Outfoxed and all my Tomato Spatter Dots from Retro Basics. Plus I'm going to use my ONLY full FQ left from the Grand Bazaar bundle that was the basis of my SHQ top.  I'm pretty sure this colourway of Jewels is sold out at The Workroom and I have no idea if it's possible to get more Spatter Dots (although it's listed on the Michael Miller site so maybe it's around). Getting more yardage isn't really the point. It's the idea that once I use the fabric, it's no longer in my stash to pull for future projects. Which, when I really think about it, is ridiculous because isn't the point of having gorgeous prints to USE them to create beautiful pieces?! Of course it is! And so, use them I will. Here's what the back of my Sew Happy Quilt will look like (excuse the fact that I haven't ironed yet please!):

Okay, enough blogging. There's an episode of Mad Men to be watched. I will leave you with a final pretty - my baby boy. If this isn't the sweetest photo, I don't know what is!