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!
Love your scrappy quilts! You’re inspiring me to get out all those strips and squares I cut so long ago! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteTina W in Oregon
Very cute doll quilt. I love all of the ways you have used your strips--especially that last quilt (one I've always wanted to make).
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that when I heard about the strip cutting I thought it was a great idea, but I could never bring myself to do it. Now I am glad I didn't. Sometimes I would rather have the fabric for setting squares, not strips. So I cut my fabrics when I need them, and not a moment before. LOL
Jean, your comments made me laugh! I cut all of my spare strips 1 1/2" wide, for reasons I can't remember. You've made some fun scrap quilts. Your last quilt top is especially beautiful!!! None of that matchy-matchy is right! And btw, going to the grocery store feels more like going to the front line of battle, to me!
ReplyDeleteI love the bottom quilt in progress you show, she's a beauty! I cut a lot my mother's stash into strips after she died and I inherited most of the fabrics. Last year I made a point of emptying the 1-1/2" strip box, I made a lot of quilts from that box. Now I need to do that with the 1-1/2", 2" and the 2-1/2" boxes. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeletegreat job.thanks for the share
ReplyDeleteclipping path