Disapearing Nine Patch Quilt. Update 04.06.2021

 I've tried to match the chambray fat quarters with batik quarters, either as contrasting colors and colors that seem to match.  I expect to continue to move them around until time to actually sew them.

 First, I starched and ironed all of the fabric.  That keeps it shaped nicely for cutting and sewing, not stretched and awkward.  I also cut the black (actually a charcoal grey batik on black) into 5 inch squares.  I wondered if the black was too much contrast with the colors.  I don't think so, and those will be smaller when it's all together.

I started cutting the fat quarters into 5 inch squares too.  These are the first few, with the chambray and batik matched in each pile.  There are 12 squares of each, so with the black centers there will be 3 large quilting blocks per pile.  I've actually cut about 13 piles now.  Some don't match as well as these do.  I may need to rearrange them for better color match.

I took a couple day break from cutting, to do some gardening.  Plus I was changing the razor blade wheel in the fabric cutter, and sliced a piece of my finger.  Fortunately, no blood wound up on the fabric.  So I wanted a break for that to heal.

On a side note, I want a quilt for Rufus's bed, which is actually my bed but he takes it over.  I want something more durable than the usual quilt fabric, and also inexpensive.  I bought three somewhat heavy weight 100% cotton, extra large men's shirts at Goodwill, that matched the 50% off labels so they were very cheap.  My wild guess is each can be cut into about a yard or yard and a half of fabric, so this is much cheaper than buying something at the fabric store.  So far, I have plain grey and blue tones, which I will keep to, maybe with some brown or tan, or off white.  We'll see how many I can find.  I think I need a total of about ten old shirts for this to work.   No hurry, and as the weather warms up and the corona goes away with vaccines, yard and estate sales can be an even more inexpensive source of cotton fabric.  I read somewhere that Goodwill throws away a lot of the clothing that is taken there, so I'm thinking this is a good way to recycle with low cost, and the end result will be more durable than if I bought actual quilting fabric which is not as rugged as these.