Sunday 28 February 2016

New beginnings and old ends

I have been struggling with commitment issues lately, leaping from one project to the next, on and on and on again. Not much is getting finished, just a lot of new ideas and starts and sketches and pulled fabrics. On one hand, I should celebrate and just go with the flow; there will be plenty of time to finish things when the momentum wears off, right. On the other hand, I feel tired and restless and a little guilty not seeing anything through.

Oh well, it is what it is.

All the restless energy has some positive results though, like going through all the old projects (shoe) boxes that have been stashed away on a shelf since moving into my new space almost two years ago. There were some wonderful surprises there. One box was filled with 2 ½” squares from way back in the beginning of my quilting journey. Not all of them were quilting cottons, and not all of them were square as such, so I sorted them and was about to throw them out when I looked at the rather lovely mix of colours and decided to sew them into a table runner for spring, not adding anything else.

I started piecing the squares in “Thick and thin” together on Friday afternoon when the boys were spending time with me in the studio (who am I to say no to such a request!). These are not my regular colour palette; I know.

The layout is a semi random “pattern”. I had two squares to spare when I was done.

I started quilting it tonight, and am having fun practising some new quilting skills.

I may or may not add appliqué later, maybe some small flowers which I found in another box. The name is referring to the fabric quality which ranges from thin (washed out bed linens) to thick (pillows and table cloths). The backing is a lovely ever so soft bed linen.

I have also emptied out all the shoeboxes filled with scraps. Oh my, those scraps are just multiplying - even a year of making stuff from scraps didn’t make a dent. I have been piling scraps upon scrap upon boxes for ages now, so it was time to address the problem. I wanted open containers to make them easy to use, so I purchased some small trash baskets and sorted most of my scraps into them, Yellow+orange, pink+red, purple, blue+green, neutrals, batiks, strings and bits and bobs. It felt so good! 

Placed right underneath my cutting table (which I don't really use that often), they are ready to be used. There is already enough stuff in them for several scrappy quilts. Not just yet though, I have quite a backlog of WIPs to finish first.

Thanks for stopping by!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Nina Lise! That's a good use for the found squares. I think some applique would make this 'yours'. It's a beautiful background for flowers with green grass. Great that you fixed your scraps. I feel a little same as you, stepping from one project to an other, can't concentrate well and I'm already thinking that soon I'm busy at work and in summer there is not much sewing time. Have a lovely week! x Teje
    www.nerospostbox.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Scraps NEVER seem to get all used up! I have been trying to use scraps this past year also and have made some progress but the scrap piles don't seem to disappear. Always great inspiration from you tho.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have said it a million times...scraps are from the Old Testament because scraps begat scraps which begat more scraps! Is it possible to ever really use them up? I doubt it, but you're off to a good start using up those squares and resorting your scraps.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.