Thursday, February 11, 2016

Some Solid Consideration, Among Other Things

First, among other things:
I have spent some pleasant time cutting 1" strips in prep for the next round of my Sweet '16 Medallion:  4" Court House Steps blocks. I have gotten many wonderful pieces of fabric lately, and it is fun to just cut a few strips to use randomly :)
And my little stack is growing :)

Then, on a trip to the city last week, I added a .50 cent coffee cup to my "rotation", not too big, not too little, just right! Which I have been lately discovering, can be the hardest size to find!
And I bought a new to me purse! It has a zipper. It is sturdy.  It is black. It was just time.
And I was getting a bit desperate.  This one had to go, sorry! It will do for awhile anyway :)
I was also able to squeeze in a visit to an LQS, Spring Blossom Sewing, in Billings.
"Mini Mikes" from Michael Miller, and a sweet dot from Maywood Studios :)
Now for some Solid Consideration:
I also picked up a few more 1/2 yards of solids, as per my deliberate "grow my solids" plan! The purple I hope to use as a binding on my Dresden quilt. More on that soon! 
These are pretty nice looking pieces, no?  That is a really light pink in the middle :)
Do you see that?  I bought them at...Wal-Mart!
1 1/2 yds for $4.47! You see, they have begun stocking Waverly Solids. Did you know that?
By the numbers at least, they are the same as Bellas and Konas, 60x60 thread count. They are $2.97/yard. So for the price of my gas station coffee, I can have a 1/2 yd of some random solid! Yes please, I'll take 3! If I gotta drive 4 hours one way to Billings, I am coming home with some fabric!

I don't know how well you are able to see this, but on the left is a stack of  Waverly solids. On the right, 2 Konas on the bottom, 2 Bellas on the top. 
Honestly, at least 90% of my fabric purchases are made online. 
There are so many online shops that I have real loyalty to because they are who I see regularly, while I may visit a physical fabric shop, including Joanns and WalMart all of once or twice a quarter, if I am lucky!
 It is a treat to be in  a fabric shop, but time and number of stops is always an issue when the whole fam is always in on these big city "expotitions"!  And I have to admit, in the back of my mind I am always comparing their prices to my online friends...even with shipping, many online shops can't be beat by "locals".
But that is not always the point, is it? I want to buy fabric everywhere I can, lol! 
Which brings me back to Waverly Solids at WalMart.  They work up nicely, they look as good as any Bellas or Konas I have.
But in the end, one of the biggest reasons I have been buying my solids at WalMart?  
The prospect of "solids acquisition" completely sweetens the inevitable trip to WalMart and the chore that it is!  
So I throw this 'Solid Consideration" out there for anyone whose pocketbook may need a little  extra TLC. 
You don't have to broadcast to all of blogland where you got them if you don't want to, but at least you have a bright spot to look forward to in those acres and acres of WalMart!

I am not dissing "designer solids" at all, because I love them too(Love love Moda! Love love AG, and Kona!) This is just my awkward version of a PSA.  Sew, for what it may be worth, you're welcome :)

I have just rediscovered "Really Random Thursday", over on Cindy's blog, Live A Colorful Life!
What better linky to share this Really Random post on :) Better late than never, eh?!











6 comments:

Podunk Pretties said...

Thanks for sharing this. I'm no fabric snob, walmart here I come.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

There is something special about being able to see and touch a fabric before buying, knowing exactly what quality and shade. I have on occasion been caught out with a cheaper solid not being colourfast or washing and ironing so well as others. At your Walmart prices they are definitely worth a try!

SarahZ said...

Hehe! Thank you Podunk and Karen :) Well, you know, I have had less than stellar luck with some of the cheaper solids at Joanns and at WalMart before, ...I have readily come to like and even require the density and quality of nice quilting fabrics. So when I spotted these, I looked em over pretty closely...at the time, I had been using a lot of Bellas and was struck with how much they looked alike in texture. So I googled the thread count of Konas and Bellas to find that they were indeed the same as the Waverlys! So, check the bolt ends, they may not all be Waverly, but the ones that are will boldly proclaim the thread count too :)

Gina said...

Beautiful colors!!!! I love quality at an awesome price!!!

Maker Joy said...

It looks like you've had a wonderful week. I love seeing the pile of scraps that grows whenever I've spent time with the rotary cutter. I think it's all those possibilities...

Lara B. said...

Sarah, I do that too: sweeten a chore with the prospect of something fun at the end. Thso fabrics look lovely. I always thought of Waverly as home decor weight fabrics and it is great to hear about these solids.
LOL, It is hard to find a mug of the exact right size.
I saw a peak at your grandmother's dresdens... hmm... where was I? Instagram?