24 September, 2010

Grey/Gray

So, I spent a day organizing my fabric. I'm still not done. But I did get through the main stacks and all my bins. What remains are the scraps, selvages, and ongoing projects.

I organize everything by colour. And I had to get a new bin for one colour. It seems I've been on a bit of a grey kick lately. These fabrics range from almost beige to nearly black. Some have more blue than brown. I love the way they vary. The entire stash reminds me of a pile of rocks.

The vast majority of these fabrics have been purchased in the last 6 months. Yikes! I'm in love and almost ready to start cutting into these. Almost. There are a few projects in my head.

And I'm going to share that cutting with you next Friday when I'm part of Pat Sloan's Double Blog Tour for the Sullivan's Edge Rulers.

But first, I want to know, how do you spell grey/gray?

35 comments:

Unknown said...

Both ways. You and I know that I can't spell or type so really it doesn't matter what I say! Is one French?

~Michelle~ said...

Gray when I'm speaking American... grey if I'm channeling our English speaking friends across the pond...

KateKwiltz said...

Greigh!

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I've always wondered about the spelling too. I tend to use both. As a child I always thought it was gray, then as I got older I saw the grey spelling.

Amelia said...

We spell it "grey" in Australia - but I see it written both ways all the time. Love all that grey/gray fabric :)

karen @ badlandsquilts said...

I think it's gray in the US, and grey in the UK... my wedding china pattern was oxford grey and it was by a UK co and that is how they spelled it.

Kris said...

I love the ways I've been seeing people use gray lately. I really had no idea how versatile it was. I'm completely inspired by your stack!

Anna said...

I think it's gray in the US - but I always think of grey when talking about the weather: grey skies.

Squaresandtriangles said...

I like grey and I'm in the US, but I think I'm in the minority. I once tried to buy grey fabric at JoAnn, and the bolt of solid grey almost looked purple. I also like the variations, but I like my solid grey fabric to be, well, grey!

Melanie@Crafty Cupboard said...

I'm a grey gal, but I'm an American. We are few and far between. I drive my mom nuts with it :)

Katie B said...

Both are correct but "gray" is preferred, according to Merriam-Webster. Did I mention I'm a nerdy copy editor?

P.S. Love your stack of fabric. I'm a sucker for gray.

Suzanne said...

I actually use both depending on my mood and who will see the word in print. Silly, right?

Anonymous said...

I think it depends on my mood! Lately I've been leaning toward the "e," and I've been stashing greys too! http://homemadepineapplemarshmallows.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/fantastic-fabric-friday/

Esch House Quilts said...

I agree that gray is American and grey is used more by those of British descent. Being a first generation American of Australian parents, I figure I can pick - so I use grey because I like the way it looks better!

I think grey is my color of the year. Every project seems to want to have grey in it!

elle said...

I'm a grey gal, Cheryl. Well, pretty silvery white! lol

Lee D said...

i have never really thought about. I think i use both spellings, maybe because I am dual citizen, US/Canadian

Marit said...

Lovely stash! Grey (grĂ¥ in norwegian) is the slimmest stack in my stash. Like you say, they come in a lot of shades. The bit of yellow in there makes the grey sing!

LittleBook said...

I spell it both ways and then fret about whether I've spelled it correctly. I even had a gray cat at one point and I hated having to write his color down on forms at the vet's office for fear of being called illiterate. Now that I think about it, I think I like grey better. But I love those colors you've shown!

Victoria said...

Oh my goodness, that is so interesting... I never even gave it any thought. I imagine that I have spelled it both ways, never even being conscious.

I admit, spelling is one of my weakest areas, along with vocabulary, and pronunciation. I have no ear for language, (not even english!) and often miss such subtle differences. as this. As the child of a school teacher, I am dutifully hanging my head in shame!

Trudi said...

Here in the UK Grey is a colour, and Gray is normally a Surname! So I guess you can spell it either way, it just depends in what context you want to use it. I guess it's just like Know, now and no, they all get used or should I say misused :) (does that make me a stickler for detail or just picky?) How very thought provoking! LOL

Pat Sloan said...

what a great collection! do you know I only own 2 squares of grey someone gave me? do you want them??

Unknown said...

How strange, Trudy! I was thinking the exact opposite for the US (gray color, Grey name ala Grey's Anatomy). Even knowing that, I have a hard time deciding which one to use.

azuree55 said...

I can't spell anyway so it sounds correct...ok! I love grey. My favorite suit was a grey and pink thingy. When you have a grey cat, it is called a "Russian blue" I've had 2 tabby cats like those and the color of their fur is wonderful. A mixture of those same colors you mentioned. I love charcoal grey...Have an ink that color and I am wearing it out. Not as harsh as black but not as dull as brown. Black/white/red and grey...perfect quilt colors

corina said...

I spell it both ways, that way I'm correct 50% of the time. Love your greys. I just finished a grey/yellow quilt. Look forward to seeing what you make with your stash of grays!

Leah said...

i love the orange/blue contrast in the previous post, and your posts with process explanations. wonderful.

i think both are right. but i always google things like that to be sure.

Lovie said...

Being from Oklahoma - gray. I love working with grey/gray - it set off white and dark fabrics. Currently working on a quilt with multi-colors and gray as the sashing.

Dianne said...

In the english dictionary Grey is listed with a full explanation for the word. For Gray they refer to Grey and note that it is a North American version of Grey.
Either way I am drooling over your stash of Grey fabrics! I have no idea how much grey fabric I have.....could be worth a look!!

Kathy said...

I like spelling gray or grey both ways. Right now I've been using lots of my gray stash as I've been quilting along with Cheri and making her 5 inch "Soot and Ashes" blocks with my grey, black, and cream fabrics.

Sewing Junkie said...

According to Webster Dictionary. The gray spelling is the mixture of white and black. The grey spelling is the British spelling of the word gray. Chris

Joyce said...

By the time I finished reading all these comments both grey and gray looked weird, like when you say the same word over and over until it loses its meaning. Given the pronunciation of the word, I think gray should be right. Of course, I'm Canadian so I may be saying it differently than some of you. I love the color/colour with either spelling.

The Calico Cat said...

I think that I stick with gray (My cat is gray, but called blue) meanwhile as an American I get in trouble for slipping in "u's" here & there. behaviour. It just doesn't look right to me otherwise...

Miranne said...

Having been taught British English at school, and then spent four years at uni in UK, I'd say grey. Now, how do you spell that grey metal: aluminium or aluminum. Again, it depends where you come from.

Amanda Jean said...

i like to spell it "grey".

one year some of my family members were in a trivia contest at the county fair. they had the question, "what color has two appropriate spellings?" it, of course, was gray/grey.

i just love your grey stash. i need to collect more greys.

Sujata Shah said...

I use both. If I am not using spell check, definitely Grey. In India we followed British English. Color was colour until I moved to the U.S.

I do have few grey fabrics in my stash. Love all other colors bouncing off the greys!

CitricSugar said...

If I'm cranky and don't like the gray, it's gray. If I am in a good mood and the shade appeals, then it's grey. Seems more exotic and comforting with an e. :-)