The question was what to do with my Gypsy Bandana pink fat quarter bundle.
I’ve been thinking about that one for a while and I finally got my answer from Bundles of Fun: Quilts From Fat Quarters by Karen Snyder.
The book cost a massive $5 at one of those remainders book sales, the kind where they temporarily fill a vacant retail space with a whole lot of (mostly crappy) books. At that bargain price I felt it was worth the risk and I’m confident I’ll get my money’s worth.
Bundles of Fun has only a handful of reviews on Amazon, but they’re mostly positive. The patterns seem OK but I’m a little frustrated by the layout and organisation of the book. I’m also amazed that the author found a way to sneak in a photo of her wedding day. I wish her well but when I publish my book there certainly won’t be any wedding snaps in it.
The Bento Box quilt pattern was described in two variations – one made with a single fat quarter bundle and the other made with two. I’m going for the larger sized quilt but may reduce it by one row of blocks as the recipient is still only seven years old and not that tall. I bought Prisma plains to complement the fat quarter colours.
One of the Prisma fabrics was double the price of the others. I asked why and was told it was organic cotton because, “some of our customers prefer more ethical choices.”
Can you spot the Ethical Choice?
Hmmm. I assume the cotton was still grown in a mono-culture, mechanically harvested and chemically processed, before it was dyed the poisonous lime green colour I purchased. I wonder what the levels of carbon emissions and waste generation were in that process. Was I really making an ethical choice or was just supporting the latest trend in consumer products marketing? I don’t know.
The lime green bled colour like you wouldn’t believe in the pre-wash stage, too.
A Journey with Fibre 
I enjoyed your comments about the ‘ethical’ choice. Thanks for stopping by and leading me back here; I’ve enjoyed looking around.
Thanks for your comment. My dilemma around treating our planet gently is the same as most other people’s I believe – I want to be gentle, but I don’t want to give up the things that make my life comfortable/enjoyable. I really hope our children and grandchildren don’t pay the price for that.
“I want to be gentle, but I don’t want to give up the things that make my life comfortable/enjoyable.”
Honest and well put. That’s exactly where I am :-/
Bento Boxes are cool…I’ve finished a couple small quilts using that design.
I’m happy with the look of the blocks I’ve completed so far. I’m doing a little cutting before or after work each day and it seems to be coming along quite quickly. That’s a welcome change after those house blocks.
You had me in stitches with this post and I’ve shared it with two other people already. I couldn’t agree more with everything written and my conscience is clear. Since I’m not ready, nor have enough time to “spin” my own fabric I’ll go on buying what I need at as a reasonable price I can find. I hope the quilts I make will cause people to turn down the heaters to offset any “carbon emissions” the fabric manufacturing process might cause. I am laughing sooo hard while writing this!! Fantastic post.
I love bento quilts! And I may be cynical, but yes, I think “organic” fabric is a marketing ploy, but I guess one manufacturing process that is more gentle is bettter than nothing…but double the price? That’s a bit rich!