Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Always something to do...

Part of the time I like to stay busy sewing.  Usually something to do with quilting.  There are times when I don't really want to have to think about measurements, seam allowances, and things fitting together.  I just want to mess with fabric and sew a few lines.  That is when I go to this plastic tote...actually I have two of them but just took a photo of this one.  It contains scraps from other quilting/sewing projects.
I chose bits and pieces and sew them together, pressing after each line of sewing...and then I use ruler and rotary cutter and trim the edges straight.
Above shows the ruler being placed and cut to size the final time.
There is no set size to make the blocks.  Some people just set the finished crumb blocks next to each other with no sashing between.  But me, I want some control, so these I am sitting together like the photo below to begin with...
As you can see...no two blocks are exactly alike...and they are using up all kinds of bits and pieces.  The only thing, the plastic tote seems as full as ever.

This is what I am currently working on...it is fun to go down and create a little something each day. I look at them--some fabrics I remember what they were used in right away.  Others I have to think a bit to recall where they came from.  There are even a few that I actually paid for just to have some new variety to my scraps.  But those are very few.

I see fabrics from baby quilts, and from an apron I made for a friend.  I see fabric from a little dress I made Lorelei.  I see Snoopy fabric and remember how thrilled I was to find it.  I wish now I had bought more of it.  I used it in a small baby quilt for my nephew.  Quilts are full of memories...



10 comments:

  1. It's so fun to see the 'why's' and 'how's' of creativity.
    Many thanks for sharing the work-in-progress.

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  2. These are wonderful! And I love the huge bin of fabric scraps. The full bin is pretty just itself, and what a lot of things you can do with it! I am thinking of doll clothes for Lorelei! She could choose the fabric and you would sew it. A cool project!

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  3. ....And before you know it the bits and pieces become a quilt.
    Memories for sure. I Mother made my brother a quilt--king size--with material and pieces all about him. It was pretty cool. I wish I quilted but I don't. The best I do is embroider. That I like. MB

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  4. I have the same problem with my stash. No matter how much I use up, it never seems to look like there's less!
    Love your quilt blocks. So random and colourful!

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  5. Wonderful! I want to buy me a sewing machine so I can get back to doing things like this.

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  6. Love your blocks! Isn't it nice to working on something with no worries about precision or pattern.

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  7. i like it, and all those scraps are being recycled into beauty and usefulness... plus it entertains you... and US in blog land..

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  8. A very interesting photo series showing us the process of using the tubs of fabrics. Very well done.

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  9. The fabric tote reminds me of the fabric my friend's mother had when I was a child. My friend and i had so much fun creating doll clothes. :))

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  10. I like the way you do these and that orange really sets them apart! I have a plastic tote the same size used for the same reason! LOL. I need to get busy and use my scraps but hate the thought of ironing them first, since they are really wrinkled in that tote. My tote is not clear like yours, so when I want a scrap of something I really have to dig and hope to find what I am looking for. Maybe I should try your method and then we could swap "crumbs". I really want to use up more of my fabric.

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