My Obsession with Precuts
Posted by Tricia Lynn Maloney on Sep 20th 2017
Ask any quilter what his or her favorite precut bundle is, and you will get a lot of different answers. Some people favor fat quarters or even half-yard bundles, while others are all about strips or squares, or perhaps triangles, or hexagons. It's exciting to be a quilter today because thanks to innovative and forward-thinking fabric companies there are sew many different precut fabric options available. I'm very curious to find out what new precuts are just around the corner.
Fat quarters were my first introduction to precuts. As a new quilter, I was earnestly looking for ways to build up my fabric stash fast. Fat quarters were the perfect solution! They were relatively inexpensive, so I could grab them up individually or even in lovely coordinated bundles. Additionally, there were lots of quilt books available using fat quarters to build wonderful, beautiful quilts.
I was content with fat quarters for a long time. I loved making scrappy quilts using my fat quarters. They were versatile, satisfied my fabric addiction, and they looked so pretty organized by color into neat drawers and bins.
Then at a quilt show . . . I discovered 5" charm squares and fell hopelessly in love. An entire coordinated fabric collection in a beautiful little stack of squares. Small. Economical. Big design potential. I couldn't grab them fast enough. Soon, I had towering stacks of charm squares. And of course, there were dozens of quilt books and patterns devoted to them.
I must admit that charm squares began my downward spiral into a colorful precut abyss—they led me to hoard other precuts such as strips, 10" squares, mini squares, and hexagons, which of course fueled my need for new tools, gadgets, books, and patterns. My obsession with precuts even led me to chop my scraps and leftover fabrics into my own strips and squares. Which of course made me require additional tools, gadgets, books, and patterns. I have to be honest—it was turning into a very vicious cycle.
A few years ago, my madness for precuts inspired me to create a quilt book using precuts. But instead of focusing on only one precut, I wanted to use ALL my favorites in the same book. Through trial and error and revision, this idea eventually became my book , I Love Precut Quilts!, published by C&T Publishing.
Writing a book is a huge undertaking and not for the faint of heart, but it is definitely a great way to share what you love with the rest of the world. Hello world, meet my favorite precuts!
Let me tell you a little bit about my book. You will find sixteen go-to beginner-friendly projects featuring my favorite precuts (and yours too, I'll wager): half-yard bundles, fat quarters, layer cakes, charm squares, and jelly rolls. Projects range from table runners and matching place mats to wall quilts, throws, and bed quilts. Here are some of the fun projects you'll find in my book:
BUT WAIT—there's more!
In I Love Precut Quilts!,you will also find fabric and color suggestions, plus helpful hints and tips for successful quilting.
Interested in teaching projects from my book? You can find free downloadable class plans for several projects in the "I'm a Retailer" section on the C&T website.
Visit my website at orphanquilter.com to find tutorials and free companion quilt patterns for my book.
Before you know it, you will be obsessed with precuts just like me (wink, wink).
To get you started on your new obsession, please enjoy this NEW companion quilt project, called Around Town, designed exclusively for you! Plus, there are multiple giveaways you can enter for a chance to win a copy of my book! You can enter C&T's giveaway to win an ebook copy right here: a Rafflecopter giveaway. And you can enter to win over on my blog, too: quiltwithaview.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
