Friday, October 26, 2007

Nothing Wasted




After a 6 month craze (read compulsion) of making bags this last year I ended up with quite a few leftover tidbits of fun fabric. In a stroke of genius and a bit of nostalgia I decided to square off my scraps and piece them together for an easy fun quilt. I had never made a honest to goodness quilt that wasn't a rag quilt style. I secretly felt like I was cheating with the rag quilts. The result was something simply fabulous.


I love this quilt. It doesn't have a pattern other than each square was cut to 7 inches, I did blocks of four with coordinating colors, and colors start from left top to right bottom in a rainbow-ish color scheme. The back is white flannel I bought for nothing in particular with a red stripe down the middle for interest. It took me only a few sittings of several hours (with one little boy sitting next to me, eyes wide in amazement as the big picture took shape). In the end it was well worth the little time invested (and the incessant questions of whether or not said little boy could have this one).


This project just hot off the old Brother machine and I am eager to tackle something more. The next project will be more complex and probably have a pattern. More importantly I will know next time to use the safety pins for basting the layers together before quilting, to pre-wash everything, and that sewing machine needles are different for a reason. I might even go shopping at Goodwill for some good fabrics (an idea I got from another blogger/recycling enthusiast). A more pressing issue is the need for a bigger and better sewing machine.


After using all the scraps from my purse craze I got a little tiny urge - to make another purse... so I did.



6 comments:

jenny k said...

You are a genius

jenny k said...

Oops, I didn't finish...it is a beautiful rainbow quilt. so does said little boy get this one? You have got to teach me how to do that - how about when I come out in the spring? one homemade craft learned with each visit. =) you were always the creative one. Teach me how!!!

jenny k said...

also....your "i love you couch" looks fabulous - kinda like mine! great minds think alike.

Sarah M said...

Thanks! Little boy doesn't get this one. It is a family quilt that now resides on the "I love you couch." Jacob's is in the works. I will gladly teach you how to do this.

It's like we walked out of our rooms with the same couch!

Creative Mama said...

seriously... your amazing... what pattern are you using for the purse... AND have you checked out amy butlers patterns and fabrics...

Sarah M said...

never used a pattern... kinda freeky that way. I make up my own. That particular purse is made entirely from 4 fat quarters and for the first time I added interfacing to one of my bags. It made a huge difference in the way it looked and functioned. Super easy. Maybe I will post directions based on what I came up with. I haven't checked out Amy Butler's fabrics, but I am fascinated by what JJ found. I should look into it.