This being my birthday week, I've decided it's OK to relax my usual frugality.

And even though I'm going to be AT a quilt shop the end of this week, I took some time to scan eQuilter.

And wound up buying a bunch of fabric. But that's OK. Really, it is. Because it's my birthday week.

And, they had "World Traveler Gnome" fabric. World traveler gnome*. I love those kinds of crazy novelty fabrics. I have a few fabrics with other world landmarks on it. And I love gnomes. I'm seeing it as maybe 4" or so squares, framed with narrow strips of coordinating colors....just simple "framed" blocks, but simple is best with really distinctive fabric. (Oh wow, if it comes in time, I could take a snip of it...or the selvedge with the color-dots on it - and get coordinating fabric, if I don't have just the right things already, when I go out to the quilt shop. I could see just getting a bunch of that "Dimples" fabric that I love so in colors that would go and using it as the bordering fabric)

(*and yes, I'm aware that it's very possibly inspired by a travel website's advertising campaign...but again, I don't care. Those are actually among the few ads that crack me up these days, so the whole thought of world-traveler gnomes makes me smile. And anyway, that series of ads was itself inspired by the phenomenon of jokesters taking garden gnomes and photographing them near world landmarks...)

I love novelty or conversation fabrics - stuff that makes me smile, that is cute or funny or even just ODD (I have some fabric in my stash with things like forks on it. I suppose it was sold for things like tablecloths but I am going to make some kind of a quilt out of it). I admit that that's why I bristle a bit when the quilt-snobs roll their eyes over novelty fabrics - I know there are people who think it's somehow "less creative" for someone to take and make their quilts out of distinctive fabric. But I really don't care...it's what makes me happy.