(Please note that affiliate links have been used in this post.)
You guys. In my most recent years, I’ve been a bit more taken aback by beauty. The beauty of handiwork. The beauty of a masterful painting. The beauty of nature. The beauty of people. Maybe it’s my age (I’m 34). Maybe it’s new experiences or new relationships. I find myself taken aback by beauty.
Fabric is no different. Extremely talented people work hours and hours to create meticulously designed fabrics. Beautiful fabrics, that is. I discovered this line of Outback Wife fabrics by Cathi of Gertrude Made, and it kind of stopped me in my tracks.
I think it’s absolutely beautiful.
(Outback Wife Anna in Teal)
I am a regular reader of Rita’s blog Red Pepper Quilts. She can combine fabric combinations like no one else. On top of that, she lends herself well to traditional blocks…often simple quilts with clean lines. I love that she can take an extremely basic quilting pattern and combine that pattern with her incomparable taste in fabric (plus amazingly perfect quilting skills) and create a masterpiece.
Her blog is one of my favorites for quilting inspiration.
One day I scrolled past this post of her’s: http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2017/04/outback-wife-quilt-finished-quilt.html
Yes, I scrolled right past that quilt. It was different than many of her quilts. It wasn’t the scrappy, bright, and eclectic feel I was accustomed to on Rita’s blog.
But then I went back.
(Quilt pictured above by Jemima from Tied with a Ribbon.)
I went and did a bit of reading about Cathi, the designer for the Outback Wife fabrics. She’s from Australia, and she designed these vintage inspired fabrics as an ode of sorts to the outback or bush women of Australia. (Every fabric has a name, like Anna, Rachel, or Elaine. Each name tells a story of an ‘outback’ wife.)
At this point, I still wasn’t sure why I was so drawn to these large floral fabrics. They just don’t fit with the typical fabrics I’m drawn to and peruse on a regular basis.
Then, I saw the couch Under the Sycamore posted on Instagram. I was immediately drawn to the fabric on her couch, and then I realized, ‘there was that beautiful Outback Fabric again.’ Why do I continue finding myself drawn to this outback fabric? That couch there below? Such a work of art!
(Picture from Ashley’s blog.)
I try to always leave fabric in my shopping cart online for at least 24 hours before buying. It’s amazing how fast my tastes change over night.
I ran into a new problem, though, as I went looking for some Outback Wife fabric. I COULDN’T FIND IT FOR SALE IN THE United States. I was dumbfounded. Really. I looked all over Etsy and some major fabric stores online, and I could not find any of the fabrics I was most interested in.
(Quilt above by Blair from Wisecraft Handmade)
There were a few different fabrics from Cathi’s lines that I liked most, and instead of buying lots of fabrics, I narrowed my favorites down to two. I was on the hunt for the Anna fabric in teal and the Elaine fabric in orange.
After searching high and low for Anna in teal, I realized I couldn’t find it anywhere because it hadn’t shipped to the United States yet. I found it for pre-order from Dabble and Stitch, but I didn’t want to wait. I found it at a store in Canada called Periwinkle Quilting and Beyond. After having some credit card issues because of buying from a Foreign Country, I received a beautiful package of Anna in the mail. (The owner was extremely kind working with me and my credit card ignorance.)
Below is the pillow I made for our living room in Anna in teal.
The other fabric I was searching for was called Elaine in orange. This is the green fabric pictured just below, and it’s also the fabric pictured on the couch a few pictures up. I learned quickly that this green fabric was hard to find because it was from Cathi’s first line that was released months ago. The sweet lady at the fabric shop in Canada said it sold out very fast in her shop.
I was able to track down the Elaine in orange at two shops. I bought it from Red Thread Studio, but I also found it from Threads and Ewe (I’ve never purchased from them before.) I discovered these fabric shops by going tediously through this list I found on Cathi’s site that supposedly lists the shops that carry her fabric.
The above picture will hopefully be transformed to the below picture soon. You can find the below picture in Cathi’s Instagram feed. (Here is the actual blanket.)
The whole cloth pillow and whole cloth quilt are the easiest visually for me to create. Using these fabrics in the midst of patchwork is hard for me to visualize right now. Also take note that the Outback Wife fabrics are a thick fabric called barkcloth. I’d compare it to canvas or upholstery fabric, but I hear it softens in the wash.
Will I buy more?
I’m extremely tempted. My husband is not quite as captivated by the beauty in these fabrics as I am, but these two pictured below are very very tempting.
(Rachel in mint and Ginni in blue.)
I’ve never purchased from Dabble and Stitch, but I may give them a go as they are one of just a few shops that I found that are carrying Outback Wife. My ambitions are often greater than the time I can commit to sewing and creating, but some fabrics are hard to pass up. 🙂
Before I finish, I wanted to ensure you guys knew this post is not sponsored or at all associated with fabric shops or designers or anything of the sort. I dedicated a post here because these fabrics are so out of my norm, and I think they’re beautiful. I hope they bring a bit of inspiration to you. Good day!
