Husbands as Props for Quilt Photography and other Cool Stories

Without going into the various deficiencies of the dwelling we have in Hawaii, let me just say, it's not a quilter's house.  There is no place to hang a design wall where one could pin up a quilt to take a picture.   So, after trying various venues for photographing my Rose Garden quilt top, I had a workable idea.  

Bob decided to take a siesta in his living room chair yesterday afternoon.  I have often cautioned him that should he fall asleep in an accessible area and I am experimenting with a new hobby or technique, he could wake up dyed, painted, quilted, beaded, etc.  The only thing I vowed not to do is cut him into little pieces to make a Bob Quilt.  He always thought I was joking...well...maybe not....

Still puzzling about how to spread out my quilt to best advantage, I glanced at Bob's sleeping form.  Bob is a little over 6 ft tall and was all stretched out in his chair with his feet on a footstool. PERFECT, I thought.  I can spread the quilt over Bob and it would be high enough and even enough to get a passable photograph.

Bob woke up as I spread the quilt over him and was happy to assist.  He probably figured that functioning as a photography prop was preferable to many of the other things I could do in pursuit of my various hobbies.

I have a confession to make: I am a total convert to quilting pre-cut fabric.   I have resisted jelly rolls, layer cakes, turnovers, honeybuns and other dessert-named fabric shortcuts.  And charm packs held no charm for me.  

I have bought yards and yards and yards and yards, etc. of fabric over the years.  I've cut it into all sorts of shapes and had scraps and bigger pieces leftover.  This is what REAL quilters did.  They didn't buy pre-cut 10", 5" or 2 1/2" pieces that make  piecing faster and easier. 

 Well, shame-faced, I have to say...I have bought my first charm packs and layer cakes.   I like them because as fabric gets more expensive and I get older, I realized that buying yardage is costly and I have more fabric than I can possibly use in two lifetimes, let alone just the one I have.  And I've found it easier and faster to cut these into useful shapes.   AND they contain entire fabric collections, so they always go together.  Here are a couple of examples of some cute pre-cuts

 Mind you, back in the late '80s I didn't think machine quilting was "quilting" at all, but I have been machine quilting since the mid-90's.  So I guess this old gal can learn new tricks.