Thursday, May 24, 2018

Bits-n-Pieces :: Improv Scraps

I have to say...there are never any scraps that are too small to use in my book!  And, I really have a hard time setting aside scraps from an original project.  Most of the time I share the projects from the scraps before I show the original project!  Maybe that's a little abnormal, or maybe that's me! 



All these original bits and pieces are from a project that I can share with you on June 4th.  I really, really hope you get a chance to see that one!  For all of you who swear you can't do improv...I swear you can!  I'm really excited about it and I think you will be too!  



After my secret project was finished, I was left with so many amazing bits and pieces!  It's not that I don't have plenty of other things to work on, but when confronted with scraps that are pure gold...a girl has to do what a girl has to do!  

As you can see, I was working with a rainbow theme for the secret project.  What ever was in the cards was going to be an explosion of color!



There were different shapes and sizes. Long skinny pieces and some larger chunks.  I was very confident that I could puzzle together each scrap and make something that was interesting.

I'm very comfortable working on projects without detailed plans.  I love the challenge and enjoy the process of figuring it out as I go.



My plan was to make a table runner.  I like making runners for a number of reasons.  One of which is they are relatively small and pretty quick to put together and quilt.  And if you only have a limited amount of scraps, you can easily stretch them throughout by adding background.

It's a good idea to have plenty of background fabric on hand when using scraps, especially if you need to make a little (scraps) go a long way.  In the case of this runner, I had a chunk of Moda Charcoal that I wanted to use and had to be very careful not to waste any of it.  Thankfully I had just, just enough to make a decent sized table runner!



I started with this panel of funky scrap shapes by adding strips of the background fabric in between each shape.  The results stretched the panel and evenly dispersed the color spots.



I tried to keep the larger scrap pieces as large as I could.  I didn't see any reason to trim them any more than I needed to.

  

The skinny uneven strips were trimmed down and separated with grey to extend the length.  For some reason I felt the need to keep these two sections true to a rainbow spectrum.  All the other panels I didn't worry too much about color placement.



I felt it needed a little more length before I called it done.  With a small chunk of background left at this point, I divided it in half and added a skinny strip to finish.




As you can see I have it basted and ready to quilt.  There isn't a design plan as of yet, but we all know I really like lines...I've never been adventurous!



It turned out rather crazy, don't you think?!   Gotta love those scraps!







27 comments :

  1. Hi Jayne,
    It turned out great! I love the charcoal background - it really makes all the other colors pop. This is a really fun runner - it will look great on any table and if you need it to go to a good home, I know one. Happy Thursday! ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. I really like the darker charcoal background as well and was so happy that I had just enough left to finish it!

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  2. it's amazing! you really inspire me to keep going with the improv. I'm getting more and more comfortable with it.

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    1. I’m very happy to hear that! The more you do it the easier it becomes. I can’t wait to quilt this runner today…hopefully!

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  3. It turned out beautifully! It looks like a lovely stained glass window. :)

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  4. I love it - it's like catching a glimpse of stained glass.

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  5. I'm laughing as I write this because I misread your first sentence and thought you were coming out with a book so I quickly read your post to see when "your book" was going to be released and didn't see a date so I had to re-read your post. I'm such a "duh" sometimes but really, you should do a book with all of your marvelous quilts and a chapter should be devoted on how you manage to produce as much as you do. Your creative energy is just mind boggling.

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  6. Gorgeous Jayne and I know your quilting will only enhance it. Just beautiful.

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  7. So cool! I like the dark background for a modern feel.

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  8. My color-lovin' heart is smiling over this great improv piece! Can't wait to see your quilting plan.

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  9. Very nice improv here. I don't usually see improv with a black background. Very nice.

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  10. That piece wouldn't end up on my lone, multi-purpose table, where it would be quickly lost among the daily debris; instead, it would go on a wall where I could enjoy it best!

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  11. It looks great. Can't wait to see how you quilt it. I'm struggling with my improv project. sigh...it's just so out of my comfort zone.

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  12. The dark background really makes the colors pop out!

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  13. This is just so cool! I’m amazed at what you can do with these small scraps - scraps that would probably just end up in the trash at my house!! Maybe I should hold on to them and try some of this - the results are just so fun! Can’t wait to see how you decide to quilt this one!

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  14. Your improv scrap project is amazing, Jayne! I love seeing your process.

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  15. You've never been adventurous! Really? Thanks for showing your process on this. It gives me an idea for some pieces I saved from a quilt I made last year. Now to put on my thinking cap.

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  16. The charcoal makes a beautiful background for all of the brights! I like the layout, too! Looking forward to seeing the original quilt.

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  17. Great Jayne, I love to save all those small bits. This is a unique and special table runner. ♥

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  18. Great use of those scraps Jayne. I can't wait to see your rainbow quilt. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  19. What a great way to use your scraps! Beautiful!

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  20. Beauiful, I love scrappy quilts.

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  21. Those scraps just glow on that charcoal! I can’t wait to see the secret project, but this one is a gem!

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  22. Sorry for not responding to your comments! Blogger is have some sort of issue...

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    1. Hopefully it will be fixed soon...I'm not the only one with this issue!

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  23. Super fun piecing, I can see why you could not get rid of those beautiful little scraps.

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