The same but not the same - the quest for the perfect gold fabric

My first trial on gold foil fabric just happened, by chance, to be on the perfect gold fabric - the remains of a fat quarter that I had bought locally. Cotton backed, it didn't fray, cut well into the smallest sliver, quilted like a dream, did not split, had a lovely soft handle and was a beautiful rich colour gold. It's only imperfection was it appeared no longer to be available - not locally, not on any quilting shop website nationally or internationally. I sourced, bought and tried about 6 other gold foil fabrics, none of which came up to the standard of my first.

Then, a friend of a friend sent me a fat quarter that she had found at the FOQ in Birmingham. Yes, this was it, the real deal, my original super-duper fabric!! I rang up the supplier (Bramble Patch UK for any one interested). Yes, they had it in stock. No they didn't always have it, couldn't always get it and couldn't say when or why they would/wouldn't have it. So even though it was quite expensive, I bought 10 meters - AND IT IS NOT THE SAME!!

It is close, much closer than the others. It is cotton backed, it does cut well and doesn't fray. The colour is the identical rich gold. It is the handle that is different. It feels like there is a thicker layer of plastic over the gold making it much stiffer. Where as my original and the fat quarter sent by my friend, handled like any other fabric, this is more like a plastic table cloth. It tends to drag and pucker a bit when quilting.

So, I've been trying to adapt to it - after all, I now have 10 meters to use!

I think what works the best is to alternate very dense with more open patterns.

Thanks for visiting...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @  http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Lizzie Lenard @  http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk