Scrap Magic :: Bits-n-Pieces

As promised, I'm sharing my finished table runner that I made from scraps.  Scraps from a secret project that has since become 'not' a secret project!  That project is here:  Scattered, and the process of how I used the scraps from it is here:  Improv Scraps.  

I'm a sucker for using every last piece I can and its not unusual for me to use the 'cast off' pieces and finish it before the original project.  When I was making the panels for the Scattered quilt, there was an excitement brewing inside me as I trimmed down the blocks and saw the scraps grow!  Gotta love a challenge!

Stained Glass
14" x 54"

I use gray as a background in so many projects, don't I?!  Usually I go with a very light grey, but decided to use the charcoal gray leftovers for this.  And I'm super glad I did!  It makes me want to replenish this one again. 



The black binding gives it more definition, or frames the pieces as if it were a stained glass window!



I quilted a combination of straight lines and free motion pebbles using a dark gray thread.  



You can see the quilting a little better on the back.  Pretty simple and easy to do!  The back is three different shades of gray pieced together.  I often have large scraps laying around that aren't large enough for one project, but when pieced together they certainly are!



Scraps of all sizes can become something.  By adding a larger piece of fabric to a small piece on one side or all sides become instantly more manageable.  Try it!  Once the piece is bigger you can trim it into a shape such as a square and piece several together.   



You could add strips between each scrap and make a long row and leave it as is, or it could be chopped up again.  The hardest part is letting go and letting it happen when faced with a golden pile of bits-n-pieces! 



This type of piecing and playing with scraps isn't every ones favorite thing to do.  You may look at it and think 'what the heck was she thinking'!  Imagine if we all did the same thing, imagine how boring that would be!

I tend to appreciate a style, theme or technique regardless if its my thing or not!  Its about the journey, the dedication, the time and work that goes in to a quilt.  

If it weren't for our community and it's support of one another, we wouldn't be who we are now or who we will become in the future as quilters.  So, a huge thank you for all the support I've received over the years.  This community has made me a better quilter!

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A Mini Made in Heaven

Screech!!  Not so fast!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if all our quilts were perfect when finished, or right from the start we were madly in love with them?  If our ideas could magically work the first time every time or translate from what we see in our head to fabric with ease?

Then again, if it was that easy, we wouldn't push our limits?  Or try new things?  Or be in love with quilting.  Something too easy would be boring!

12 1/2" x 11 1/2"

When I started this mini, I was in deep with playing with curves.  My 'Tendrils' Minimal Mini put me in an experimenting mode and I was in full swing.  By the end of piecing this...I was not in love.  I didn't much like it and I didn't really want to finish it...at all!

At this point I should have taken my own advice.  Advice I have dished out on many occasions, but seemed to have forgotten with this one.  Keep going!  Finish your project because you never know how it will turn out.  And it's only fabric!  This is especially true for me and improv.  



I'm not sure what motivated me to pick this particular color palette, other than I was experimenting.  By the time I had most of it together I could feel a Mid Century Modern color vibe brewing.

I shared my progress on Instagram and to my surprise I received positive feedback.  The most important advice was to step back, create distance and come back to it the next day.  Which I did.  And lo and behold, I didn't hate it as much as I did the day before!



I had a new vision of it and for it, which made me want to jump in and finish it.  I strategically added what I call my 'Faux Trapunto' to some of the 'flames'.  There reason I call it faux, is because I glue extra batting where I want it to go instead of sewing around the area and cutting away the excess.  

In order to get the shape and have it positioned where I wanted it, I used a glue stick to adhere the batting to the area after I cut the shape out.  If that makes sense.  It works for me regardless if it's a best practice or the right way.



By the time I quilted around the trapunto shapes and could see the texture I was looking for, I started falling in love.  Slowly it came to life with the quilting and texture. 

 

I quilted the heck out of it!  I didn't add the faux treatment to all the flames, just random ones.  

And I figured it was a good quilt to use a faced or knife edge binding to finish it off.  This is only the second time I've done this binding and wonder why I don't do it more often!  The tutorial is available here: @ Bloomin' Workshop Blog  

There are so many times when I am not feeling a project.  Maybe it's the colors, the fabric or the design.  I want to give up and move on, but I don't (usually).  Do you have those moments?  What do you do when faced with that situation? 



To start the New Year out on a happy note, I ended up sending this as a Secret Surprise gift to the person who encouraged me not to give up on it!  I hope she likes it!

On an entirely different subject.  If you are a no-reply blogger and send and email to me or anyone, we cannot reply to you.  I have tried to send templates of 'Star Thistle' to a no-reply blogger, it took me several times before I realized it.  If you are reading this...please get in touch with me from a different email address!  I want to send you the templates!

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Finished or Not   

Pot Holders :: Your Culinary Partner

I was surprised to see my tote of pot holders had dwindled down to three sets!  What?!  How the heck did that happen?!  Making pot holders seems daunting at times, and then I get going and find my groove.

Making a small morsel (pot holder) to compliment your culinary pleasures ends up being a joyful creative day!



Do you label your totes with what's inside?  Some totes I definitely know, others can be a trip down memory lane!



When I make my pot holders, I think of them a mini pieces of art.  Small, unique and nearly each one is one-of-a-kind.  I may make a few using blues or greens.  I may  make several that are improv.  Or half a dozen that are curves or waves. 



For these small pieces I can use some of my scraps.  Sometimes the amount of one color will dictate what color of pot holders are made.  It also allows me to throw caution in the wind and put together some pretty interesting (weird, strange, different) color combinations.

Right now I'm in the final stretch of sewing on the bindings.  It feels so good to have a stack waiting for the final step!  



I don't think pot holders have to be boring.  They can be gorgeous and functional all at the same time. Right?!  They can be bold, funky and crazy, as well as protect your table from heat.  

These are a few of my favorites.  Teal improv or autumn waves, classic black and red or totally funky green!



The pastel set is really off the deep end for me!  But I kind of like them, probably because they are not my normal colors.  

I always use a layer of Insul-Bright and a layer of batting in between.  And I'll admit...I never add loops!  I know they are pretty standard, but frankly I never leave pot holders sitting (or hanging) out!  After a meal, they go straight back to their drawer!  What's your preference? Hang or not?

 

This one will be first on the binding list tonight!  Black and white, the speck of red...I like it!



I even went 'traditional'?  I often use reproduction feed sack prints for this simple design. The squares are 1", the perfect size for the small prints.  

The one on the right was my first disappearing nine patch!  I know, I've never done that before! There were a few added pieces after the first cut, but I think it still counts!  



Do you make pot holders?  Are you a 'loopy' person?  By that I mean....loops!  

So now, with my pile of hot pads standing high...I can take a break from them!  

LINKING:

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Finished of not Friday

It's Good To Be King! (bed runner that is)

As I'm sitting here watching the torrential rain, not wanting to venture out for the much needed thread or that trip to the dreaded grocery store.  It seems a good time to blog about a project that has been finished!

When I first received this custom request, the first word I saw was KING.  My eyes glazed over for a split second until I realized it was a King Bed Runner.  I was intrigued, as I had never made a bed runner, let alone ever thought about it.

When Rachel first contacted me and let it be known that she had been quietly 'stalking' my shop and my quilting style seemed right up her alley, I knew I had to work with her! After a little back and forth with ideas, size and colors we came up with a plan!  

22" x 88"

The finished bed runner!  Sand, Sea and Sunset.  Perfect for condo living on the beach! Rachel was amazing to work with.  I loved making each intricate panel for her, but really loved that I had been given creative control to do what I do.  

The gray back ground lets each panel and color stand out.  I was a quilting demon with the waves!  Lots and lots of horizontal organic lines!

Creative photography...I love shooting pictures from crazy angles just to see how it turns out.  This shot was my favorite!

Besides the runner, there was a pillow cover in the mix too!  

20" x 20"

Of course staying with the theme, I incorporated all three panels in to one lovely pillow! Classic envelope closure in gray and again, lots of quilting.  Except for the pillow I used different thread colors. 

You never really know if someone is going to like the finished product in person.  Selling on Etsy has been amazing for me.  Perfect solution to my quilting obsession.  That being said, the majority of people do not come back to let you know how they liked something. Even when you make custom quilts for them!  I know...I maybe a little insecure!  

Rachel came through!  Not only did she let me know right away that she loved her new bed jewelry, she sent me pictures!  

I kinda want to live here!  Gorgeous room Rachel!  I am ecstatic with the finish and that you love these.  Thank you again for having complete confidence in me!  

...and it is still raining...

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CITY SUNSET

Its always a great feeling to finish a quilt!  The planning, pieceing, doubts and (sometimes) aggravation are all behind you.  All that is magically erased.  Forgotten.  And there it is...all done!

'CITY SUNSET' may be the quilt I am most proud of, most in love with.  For me, improv quilting is a gamble.  You are taking a risk, betting that that idea in your head can be executed with fabric.  Quilting without a pattern is intoxicating, energizing and exhilarating!  You never know what you will end up with and can lead to some pretty amazing and bold designs.

49" x 62"

I named this one CITY SUNSET.  I added random pieces of gray throughout that ended up reminding me of sidewalks, streets, concrete.    

The hand dyed fabrics were the perfect choice for this one.  Adding a few Shibori pieces throughout created a some more visual interest.

Using several different colors of thread, I machine quilted a geometric design.  Determining how to quilt it was the hardest part, I think!  I was scared to death about this step!

How do you decide what quilting design you will do?  Will you machine quilt, free-motion quilt or long-arm quilt it?  If you are like me, you haven't mastered the FMQ technique (that is another post!)  I keep saying that one day I will. 

I couldn't wait to wash this one!  I love seeing the final piece after it has been washed and dried.  Maybe the rumpled, crumpled, crinkle look from drying is what makes you feel like it's complete, it does for me.

I have to say, I love a pieced back.  I used four different solids, added a few curved lines and there you have it!    

I'm thinking that I'm happy with this final quilt.  Happy how it came together, happy the 'vision' in my head was translated to a quilt, and happy its finished!

Now on to the next one....

Quilting Time

My latest Improv quilt.  Its been a work-in-progress since the beginning of September.  I have had it pinned and ready to quilt for weeks, but I couldn't decided on how I wanted to quilt it.  

I love Improv.  Its such a blast to start with an idea and see where it takes you.  It gives me freedom and lets my creative 'artsy' side take over.  

This quilt was an idea that turned out so much better than expected!  I wasn't sure if what I saw in my head would make it to the design wall.  

One of my favorite things about this quilt is all the colors are hand dyed fabrics!  (except the gray and white).  My daughter is a Fiber Major and has been sharing her education with me!  We get some pretty amazing colors.  This was the first BIG project where I used all hand dyed.  They are all so pretty that I hate to cut them up - now that is a WIP right there!

I started with a variety of yellows and gradually added peachy/oranges.  Ending with lots of delicious pinks!  The gradation of the colors came together nicely.  The shades melt together  and actually resemble the idea I had in the beginning.

I'm nearly finished with the quilting.  I decided to go with an all over geometric design.  I think once its washed and the crinkle goodness happens...it will be perfect!  I can't wait to see and share it!

This little creature is Mary.  She loves to make sure you haven't forgotten her during any quilting project!  And for the record, this quilt is not for you little Mary Christmas!