Sunday, July 19, 2020

Bright Ideas Come Home to Roost


Do you remember back a few decades....1980's or so? Someone had the bright idea that when you have a fabric out for some other project, all straightened and ready to go, that if you cut a few strips from that yardage…1.5”, 2”, 2.5", you would have this wonderful stash of ready-to-go strips for countless projects.
 "Cool! Great idea," I thought.
The idea was wide spread, apparently, because a lot of us fell for it. Decades later, we "ladies of a certain" age are saying, "How the heck can I use up all these strips?"
Today I finished this little doll quilt  - the result of restlessness over isolating, quarantining, a life where going to the grocery store is an exciting outing.

I needed to stitch and stitch and not think...so I pulled out the bin of 1.5" strips, squares, partial units and rows and put this together.







Just in time I remembered, I'm trying to use up  strips  - so I pieced the back using partial units and some 2.5" strips.

 (I'm heading toward diving into improv style so this is a warm-up)





I practiced free motion work with loops and an occasional heart. I had to cut binding from yardage.
I have lots of 'binding leftovers' but none were long enough or quite right. I needed a solid -the piece was busy enough already.









A look at my labelled containers on shelves





And here are just a few of the projects I’ve made with those handy dandy strips….all scrappy by necessity, right?  No matchy-matchy color coordinated ‘line’ of fabrics from Marcus Brothers or Judy Rothermel.
 








this is a top in progress...




I guess those strips were a pretty good idea after all!

Did you get into that - and are you still trying to use them up?


Adventure in Improv Coming up!

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Hello Again!

35" x 50"

Time does fly and all that....but here I am, still kicking --but rather 'in place' these days due to the pandemic.
If you’re checking back in, THANK YOU! Who could blame anyone for losing interest in my ramblings as randomly and infrequently as I’ve shown up!


Here's a quilt I just finished. I found the pieced portion in my 'stuff' - started long ago just as something to stitch....a rail fence variation that uses 5 strips, working out from the center with same fabric on each side. My records show that I started playing with 1.5" strips in this layout in 2011!
I had no idea what it would become ...as I said just something to sew.







I decided it was big enough to call done. I added borders, pieced a backing and used some leftover precut 2" strips to bind it....scrappy all around.  (more on those pre-cut strips next time)




I machine quilted straight vertical lines 1.5" apart and then stitched every 5 inches horizontally (just 1/4" above the bottom of each block.) My July finish. (I set a goal to finish one project every month until.....well .. . they're all done? 
A little humor. :)




I hoping having publicly stated a goal for finishing projects will get me back in the blogging world.


Stay safe, keep sewing and leave a comment just so I know you're out there!

Jean



Hello Again