An Ode to Precut Fabric
Posted by Lauren Herberg on Jul 29th 2020
From the author, Amanda Niederhauser:
“Playful Precut Quilts is my way of sharing the creative process with you! I’ve created fifteen quilts based on 12 ̋ blocks that give you the opportunity to add your personality, customize for any occasion, and let you mix and match blocks and settings.”
“Each project in this book is made with 12 ̋ blocks, and you can swap any of them! Each block is versatile because a variety of fabrics suits all the patterns. My sincere desire is that this becomes your go-to book when you want to make a table runner for your friend’s birthday, a baby quilt for your newborn niece, or a throw quilt for your parent’s anniversary.”
Lauren’s Take:
The ease and versatility of precut fabric bundles has impassioned me into writing an ode dedicated to the glories that are precuts.
Ode to the Precut
Oh, how I love thee, precut fabric
Everything comes together like magic
So many colors and designs in one pack
When it comes to perfection, you’ve got the knack!
My heart flutters, what brilliant mind devised the fat quarter
Nay, I won’t cut you skinny, rather a more useful slice of wider and shorter
Your genius brings out my inner hoarder,
Don’t tell my husband; I’ve made another online order!
Wanna get me started on layer cakes and stackers?
All these options could drive one crackers!
The perfect selection when I want the whole collection
It’s official, layer cakes; you’ve stolen my affection!
Oh, what a splendid thing is the charm pack
Just line ‘em up and give ‘em a whack!
Now I’m done with all the cutting…
No more ache and exasperated tut-tutting!
I’ll never put precuts into just one pigeonhole
Lest I forget the beautiful jelly roll
Long strips of fabric with so many applications,
Jelly rolls, you exceed all my aspirations!
At night as I lay awake,
Thinking, what will I make with this layer cake?
I search and search on my online browser
Then it hits me: Playful Precut Quilts by Amanda Niederhauser!
Seriously, though, precuts are pretty awesome. Many fabric manufacturers make these standard cuts of fabric so there is a huge variety for everyone to find their style. Precut bundles make choosing the fabrics for your next quilt project easy because the colors and patterns in each print all go together perfectly. Precuts can also save time and money. You get the variety without buying yardage of every print in a collection, which can be costly. There’s also less cutting time which quickly gets you into the fun part of sewing and quilting.
When you use your precuts in conjunction with Playful Precut Quilts you’ll have less fabric waste. Amanda designed these patterns to be made from standard precut shapes, so the cutting directions maximize the specific size of the recommended precut fabric.
As many quilters I imagine do, I have a large collection of precut bundles sitting and awaiting their ultimate destiny. I decided to allow one to realize its fate and make the wall hanging from Playful Precut Quilts.
“One-Block Wallhanging” by Amanda Niederhauser
Amanda shows that you can put any of the 12” blocks from her book into the center of the wall hanging. I love the variations that she suggests to jump-start your creativity with this project so I picked the first one to make for myself.
To show the versatility of these patterns I chose a very different style of fabric for the focal point for this wall hanging. I opted for a cool tones batik 10” square stack. As for the background fabric, I chose 2 different cotton low volume prints. A wordy print for the center and a more low volume print for the sides to make the star outline of the pattern really stand out. I know some quilters may say “No-no” to mixing batiks and prints, but I say “Why not?”
My fabric choices for the “One-Block Wallhanging”
My completed wall hanging top taken on a mural in downtown Walnut Creek, CA.
I think my wall hanging came out very different from Amanda’s version with 30’s reproduction prints. There is so much room for creativity and personalization in using Amanda Niederhauser’s book, Playful Precut Quilts, with your precuts. I also love the many options of block settings that Amanda includes in her book.
I’m already picking out my next project from Playful Precut Quilts. I would like to make the “Flower Basket” block, which uses partial seams to make a woven look. Amanda’s directions make it look easy and approachable for any level ofquilter.
“Flower Basket Quilt” by Amanda Niederhauser
-
