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Thursday, May 13, 2021

Mash-Up

You know those times when you don't quite know what to sew next? Yeah. I experienced that over last weekend. I had a little time to sew, and felt like sewing, but was wavering where to go next. So I grabbed the bin of scraps from my most recent projects, and just started in.


My initial thought was piecing some stack sets, ala Nicholas Ball's Inspiring Improv, but I wasn't very far into that when I realized they weren't the right scraps for that size-wise. So I just kept piecing stack-like blocks until the green and gold options ran out. But it didn't feel done, so I added in more colors - the navy and gray - and made some spikey triangle 'borders.' And on it went until truly, the pile of scraps was gone. I even tried a little fine-line piecing at the bottom, and used the last two little blocks over on the left.

I can't say this is the best or favorite piece I've ever created, but it definitely served a purpose. I felt compelled to MAKE, and I'm glad I followed through, whatever the result. Engaging in the process was what felt necessary and important.

Quilting was its own kind of fun, and if anything, I think it made the piece better. I quilted a very dense uneven grid using four different green threads plus a magenta. I find this kind of quilting immensely satisfying, and it made this random project feel kinda special.



I especially love the three 'pluses' scattered throughout this little quilt. They are definitely improvisational and not clearly defined. IE. You might miss them due to their irregularity.



Bound in a skinny (cut 1.75") dark navy, the quilt finished at 18.5" x 23.5" and ended up being just what I needed. This was fabric-play at its best.


12 comments:

  1. Oooh, thanks for mentioning the pluses and then showing the full quilt again. Made for a fun game of search. The quilting does take the top and make it feel very special. I love the use of multiple thread colors. The whole project sounds like it was a lot of fun to make!

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  2. very fun! sometimes just playing produces the best results.

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  3. I love it! It is so random and fun as all get out. I think it is going to grow on you. The quilting is marvelous and brings all the randomness together cohesively.

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  4. Mash Up is a stunner! I totally get that free to play thing, you were flying!
    I can see that being the start of an amazing series.

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  5. My favorite kind of project. Love the quilting!

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  6. "Fabric play." That was a topic of discussion during Thursday evening's Zoom Sip and Sew with South Florida MQG. I often feel like sewing, but can't face what's on my design wall that's going nowhere. So my latest intention is to daily give myself a half hour of fabric play. What am I turning to? My PRINT scrap bin. I'm mindlessly pressing and sewing pieces together. Looks like another Scrap Vortex (Amanda Jean Nyberg concept) is in my future. So, it's nothing as pretty as your piece. You're so good about handling scraps in an intentional way. This is a great little quilt.

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  7. Oh boy this is fun! I just love how you « play » with scraps and you’re right, the quilting really does take this one up a notch.

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  8. I’m always so amazed at how often the quilting makes the project “work”... I love it. Great job... and perfect solution to cure the need to sew!!!

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