Are You Too Comfortable?
A couple days in California and I am just California dreamin’. My head is just in the clouds enjoying the view. It’s so nice to be able to do that once and awhile. The problem is that I totally forgot to finish my blog post by Monday so shame on me. I am going to have to punish myself. No dessert tonight! In any case, I am here today to spin you around until you are dizzy. Yes, dizzy! Very dizzy!
I am going to make you so dizzy that your head starts to spin and you start to think differently….very differently. No, I am not a bully, some sort of psycho or a sadist. I am the fabric guy that is going to make you rethink some of the choices that you continue to make over and over again….boring (yawn). Yes, I know that we are all creatures of habit and I am too in a big way. It’s kind of nice to be able to stir other people up while I continue to do the same things day in and day out, but that’s what I do. I know you are thinking, “What the heck is up your sleeve Scott?”
Ok, ok, ok! Relax, I am getting there. You remember when you were a kid and used to play the opposite game? I say up, you say down. I say right, you say left. I say Tula, you say Kaffe (FreeSpirit Fabrics). I say Kim Diehl, you say Shelly Comiskey (Henry Glass Fabrics). I say Peppered Cottons by Pepper Cory, you say Coastal Dreams by Sharla Fults (Studioe Fabrics). I say Mandala Tango by Hope Yoder, you say Unknown Voyage by Tana Mueller of Western Denim & Dirt. Do you see where I am going with this?
I will elaborate for those of you that aren’t following, so here goes. You have been making quilts and other creations for years with a select group of designer fabrics that you adore. Not too often do you get out of your comfort zone or go out on a limb. In a word, you are a little boring. Yup, I am talking to you! Let’s put it this way, when you walk into your local quilt shop, the owner knows exactly which direction you are going and they know to a tee what you are likely to buy. Let’s call a spade a spade, you are not full of surprises! In there lies the problem and my mission today is to get you a solution…or not.
The mission is to mix it up when selecting fabrics. Get out of your proverbial comfort zone. Start doing the opposite of what the old you would have done. When you get to your local quilt shop, go left instead of right and shock the owner who thought she knew you like a book. Old you used to like big bold prints, but new you loves soft tonals. Old you used to love reproductions, but new you loves modern and loud. Old you used to love piecing quilts, but new you can’t get enough of 108″ quilt backings.
It’s just a game folks and I want you to commit to playing with me for the rest of the year. At the end of the year, I want you to do some self analysis and realize how all this change made you feel. Did it open your eyes to what else our amazing fabric world has to offer? Or did it annoy the heck out of you that you were outside of your comfort zone? In either case, you gave it the old college try an I appreciate you playing. The truth is that if you didn’t enjoy the exercise, you could go back to the old boring you….that’s your problem. On the other hand, if you had a blast doing the opposite, I just opened your eyes to the other half of the world. Enjoy it for what it is worth!
Let the fun begin!
33 Comments
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Allison,
Thanks for your message. Yes please! Shake it up baby! You got this. Have fun.
Scott
Margaret Harvey
But I gave up donuts and I’m eating oranges… isn’t that enough of a life change for this year? lol Seriously, I love a challenge so I’ll play along. I will attempt to make my first ever quilting project out of batiks… I don’t hate batiks, but if you put me in a room with 500 different fabrics and said “choose 400 you like”, batiks would not be in the 400. So I’ll start there and see where it takes me… seat belt fastened!
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Margaret,
Go you! Those 70 calorie munchkins will kill you. I am not happy with just one change. I need to keep pushing the envelope. Thanks for playing. Have fun.
Good luck with the new batik quilt. Can’t wait to see it.
Scott
Marilynn Dondero-Rich
So I love, love, love ❤️ Kaffe Fassett, batiks also….opposite probably calico or Thimbleberry, yuck ?! I just cannot go there!! I do however work with other types as I make friendship blocks at guild. ?
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Marilynn,
Love that you are a huge Kaffe fan….thanks for that. Yeah maybe not Thimbelberries, but there are plenty of goods different options out there. Have fun with it.
Scott
Diane Simmons
The old me loves star quilts, string quilts and reds, where should I go? Yellows, big blocks and paper piece?
Scott Fortunoff
Good Morning Diane,
You know where you need to go. Do it and have fun!
Scott
Renee Wald
What a great challenge. I love it when someone says to me, “ wow that is so different than what you usually make!”
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Renee,
Let’s hope a lot more people start saying that to you. Have fun!
Scott
Linda Bardes
OK, my favorite is big bold color, like Kaffe. So the opposite is solids. That’s really scary. Truly. That’s out of my comfort zone. Wow!
Scott Fortunoff
Oh Linda,
You so got this. Baby steps.
Have fun.
Scott
Missy
What an interesting perspective, I’m willing to try. But, to be honest, I feel like I already do this. I love color and beautiful patterns and beautiful fabric, I don’t really care if it fits into a certain “style” or theme. I’m like that with everything I do. I will try to force myself to look at the more muted, pastel, small print, boring fabrics and try to find some that are nice.? I just love color! And wild, and bright, and bold, and pretty, and loud, and…well you get the picture!?
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Missy,
Sounds like you are half way there, but you should push it even further. Go out on a limb. Have fun.
Thanks for your comment.
Scott
Barbara Esposito, TheQuiltedB
Oh Scott! I am fortunate enough to get to play with LOTS of different Jaftex fabric lines (but oddly, never Free Spirit…) and let me say this: IT IS SO MUCH FUN! I love to look at fabrics and try to determine what they are asking to be made into! That Blank Quilting chicken fabric? Apron! The Florella fabric? Crying to become a Meadowland Quilt! Studioe Hear Me Roar dinosaur fabric? Kiddie place-mats and a baby tummy time rug! I love seeing what I can create based on the fabric. So I say to anyone reading this, “step our of your comfort zone, go play with fabric, and create something you never created before!” You never know where it will lead!
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Barb,
Thanks for the nice message. I can’t believe you never had some FreeSpirit fabric. I will have to change that. Anyway, hope to see you get out of your comfort zone and into something so not your typical Barb. Have fun. Have a great weekend.
Scott
Kathy Ogle......but my FB name is Crissy MacBean
I agree with you Scott. I’m all about trying new fabrics, colors, patterns, and techniques. For me, it’s all about the creative process. Enjoy your interviews and videos. Thank you for your fun and informative posts.
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Kathy,
Sounds like you are ready to play along. Enjoy the change. Thanks for your kind words. Thank you also for being on this journey with me. Have a great weekend.
Scott
Donna Stanley
I started this last year with the kaffe mystery quilt. Just bought pinkerville from tula pink! Moved from nature and blue- getting there!
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Donna,
So you are already playing this game! Good for you. Hope you were happy with all the results.
Have a great weekend.
Scott
Tracy Cusack Gatlin
I really like Kim Diehl as a designer and author. I buy her fabric, have always loved Henry Glass Fabrics, yet I have never made one of her quilts. A place I would like to stick around.
However, I love colour, and texture. If the fabric has a good hand, and the colour calls my name I buy it. I make bright modern baby quilts.
I have two passions fabric and books. I really don’t get stuck, I evolve.
Thank you for planting the seeds of change, growth.
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Tracy,
That’s funny that you have never made a Kim Diehl quilt. I think it is time :). GO for it. Would love to see what you make. Have fun.
Enjoy your weekend.
Scott
Lea Brummett
I did just that last fall. Working out of my comfort zone last fall helped to inspire creativity in my normal pallet. How that happened I’ll never know but it was fun. If your interested you can see my favorite creation, a black and white Christmas quilt. Normally I design in bright and happy colors leaning more towards a juvenile color pallet. http://podunkpretties.blogspot.com/2018/11/snow-on-farm-quilt-is-finished.html
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Lea,
Glad you are already playing. The black and white quilt looks really nice. Good work.
Now you need to change it up again and start the game over. Have fun.
Scott
Bonnie
When I first started quilting in the late 60s it was very difficult to even find 100% cotton fabrics. In the 80s (or so) there were better selections but we weren’t dependant on the companies offering compatible prints. We worked really hard and learned a lot by auditioning bolt after bolt in the fabric shop until we got the look we wanted. I took a break from quilting and was very surprised when I re-entered quilting to see that fabric companies had taken the fun out of designing a quilt by offering a collection that short circuited our need to find a light, a medium, and a dark fabric and in a small print, a medium print, and a large print.
Your challenge is a good one and hope many will take you on.
Thank you for this most interesting journey.
Bonnie
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Bonnie,
Wow you have been quilting for a long time….go you! Yeah, we fabric guys took the fun out of it. The thing is that these days everyone has a lot less free time to go on a wild goose chase every time they want to make a quilt. I am sure they will change yet again. Anyway, thanks for playing. Have loads of fun.
Scott
Beth -near Louisville KY
Why stop there. If they are stuck in a fabric type/style, then the chances that they go outside the usual pattern are also in need of a challenge. Substitute colorway, play with the color choices as they would the fabric choices. There is so much more to designer/fabric patterns- S-T-R-E-T-C-H your creative powers!!!
Scott Fortunoff
Hey Beth,
You trying to take my job? LOL 🙂 I love this idea. S-t-r-e-t-c-h your creative powers. Have fun.
Scott
Liz Tavares
I love this post! I have recently trying new quilting things and it has been wonderful. Just this year, I have taken the dive into wild and bold fabrics (Kaffe and Tula) and have ventured into EPP and applique. Yes, sometimes it is frustrating to go through the learning curve but I am learning to except less than perfect results at first. It’s all about the journey. It’s fun and expands my enjoyment of quilting. I even started knitting! Don’t worry Scott. It will never become by big love like quilting is! LOL
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Liz,
Seems like you are playing my game all the time which is great. The world is your oyster, you might as well enjoy everything it has to offer. Have a great week.
Scott
Rebecca Petersen
It’s a good plan! I’ve tried to make enough different quilts so that I don’t have one signature style! But the problem is, I’ve got so much going on/planned already, I may have to purposely try to do this – but in 2020!!! LOL But it is fun to try – I remember the first time I made a brown quilt – I never thought I’d like it! I figured it’d be boring. Instead I loved it. Then I tried a pink, orange and yellow quilt – and wow! It was amazing! I need to try different techniques, though! I’m pretty stuck on smaller pieces, but have never tried something like a landscape quilt or any type of art or picture quilt.
Thanks for all you are doing to educate the quilting community on so many different aspects of the fabric business! We appreciate it.
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for the nice message. Your plan was meant to be mixed up. Come and play now please! We can’t wait until 2020 because there will be something else then. Have fun and a great week.
Scott
Judy Stone
Yes haw! I am always looking to change up my game plan. I will try this for the rest of the year! We are creatures of habit, but it only takes 21 days to set a new habit. Let the fun begin!
Scott Fortunoff
Hi Judy,
So funny that you said it only takes 21 days to change a habit as I was recently reading up on that subject. Great minds think alike! Enjoy the game. 14 days to go.
Regards,
Ye haw Scott