Happy Monday and hello August! Welcome back to the next post in my Building a Fabric Stash series. Today I’ll be talking about novelty, holiday, and seasonal fabrics. I have a lot of favorites in these categories, and I’m excited to share some of my thoughts on purchasing, storing, and using these fun fabrics.
There are many different fabrics I’m drawn to in the novelty fabrics category:
kitchen-themed prints, text and word prints, holiday-themed prints, and juvenile prints to name just a few. But what do you do with these types of prints? And how much should you purchase? Here are some ideas for using these fabrics:
Use novelty prints for fun borders and backings.
Use novelty prints for bag linings.
Cut up novelty prints into squares for simple patchwork quilts.
Use novelty prints for “I Spy” type quilts (make a list of things included in the quilt so kids can have fun searching) .
Use novelty prints for kitchen accessories: pot holders, table toppers, and place mats.
Use novelty prints for fabric gift bags.
I purchase fat quarters or fat eighths of novelty prints for piecing, and when I really love a novelty print fabric I will purchase enough for a quilt back or backing for table accessories.!
I love making Christmas projects of all kinds: quilts, gift bags, pillows, table decor items, and wall-hangings and stockings. So I purchase and save Christmas novelty prints in small amounts (fat quarters) for piecing and in bigger pieces for borders and backings.
I also love Americana and patriotic-themed quilts and projects, so I purchase and buy those types of fabrics when I fall in love with them. I try to cut up left-overs from bigger projects as I finish so I always have a good supply of squares and strips for smaller projects and gifts.
Other categories of seasonal fabrics include fall, winter, spring, and summer-themed prints, Valentine’s Day prints, and of course Halloween prints! These fabrics are best stored together for ease of putting together a project.
Do you have any other fun ideas and suggestions for using novelty prints? Please share in the comments!
Tomorrow I’ll be back with the Christmas in July idea post and parade, and…if you’ve been thinking about purchasing anything from my Etsy shop lately I have some Desert Bloom mini charms arriving tomorrow. One free with any shipped order while supplies last (US shipping only and does not apply to PDF purchases). Just leave a note in the comment section: Desert Bloom Mini Charm!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hildy says
Thanks for the suggestions about what to use novelty prints for. I have some in my stash but normally don't use them.
Deborah DeBerry says
What fabric collection by Moda is that with all the blue and cream shades of fabric? Those are my favorite colors. I would like to have that whole FQB added to my stash. poladydwd(at)yahoo(dot)com
Helen L says
Wow: looking at your instagram thumbnails: is that really your temp? Awful!!! You need to be a Snowbird and move north for the summer! And novelty fabrics: I've done that (an I spy type quilt) for several kids of my nieces and nephews: so fun to do, to raid through my stash and pull things that they can point out and have fun with. My FB header pic has one of them on it.( https://www.facebook.com/helen.lebrett) I actually put two of each print in the quilt so he could also do a matching type game with it. And I've used novelty prints w/ white backgrounds as low volume backgrounds to add fun and interest: doing it with some of your prints in a quilt right now. 🙂 I hope it cools off a bit for you soon!!!! Have a wonderful week! Hugs, H
carolg says
I love them for bibs and burp cloths! You should have a smile while someone spits up on your shoulder, right? Thanks, Sherri. I always enjoy your blog.
Michele says
What a helpful post with great suggestions! I love buying novelty fabric, but I don't always have a plan for it. Using it for bag lining is one I'm definitely going to use 🙂
Kristi says
I use novelty prints for a 'focus' fabric. Novelty prints typically have multiple colors, so those colors become my color scheme. Then I add various other fabrics from my stash. My usual cut when I buy for my stash is 1/2 yard, but often for novelty prints I buy more than that so it can be the 'main player' in the quilt. For example: piecing and a border, or plain companion blocks in an on-point setting. My favorite are animals (love birds! and other things that are a bit kooky-moose!) and juvenile prints (especially for boys and men: rockets, cars, bicycles, boats, etc..)
Lynda Hill says
I too love novelty prints and since I mainly store my fabrics by colour, often just put the novelties in with its colour mates. Orange typewriters go in the orange, green writing in the green etc. Then when I need a certain colour, I just find it and use it!