Scrap Quilts

Everyone should learn to make scrap quilts. A reals crap quilt...using your scraps and not buying any new fabric!

I say learn because you can't really throw everything in. There is some order and some planning even if one is using leftover bits of fabric to make a quilt top.

Everyone who has made quilts has some scraps leftover. Why not use them? Throwing them out means they end up in land fill!!

I get very excited when I come up with a way to use up my bits. I feel like when I make a fabulous dinner using whatever is in the fridge! Like profession chefs who discover a food, like cauliflower leaves, that are normally thrown out. The chefs serve them in a fancy dish! So satisfying. No waste. That is better than recycling!

After the gingham fabric, I added the green strip.
The entire thing needed to be calmed!
It is amazing what a difference that bit of green border made.

So I decided to use up some old, 4-patch blocks already made (about 8 years ago!) and set them on-point. The challenge was finding a background fabric and a fabric for the set-in blocks using what I had hanging around.

What a fun design. I love it. Picnic in the Garden.

Disappointing News

I found out today that my piece Last Tree Standing has NOT been selected for an exhibit to be shown at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Carrefour Europeén du Patchwork in Alsace, France.

Last Tree Standing
2014
25cm x 100cm
assorted fabrics, hand applique
 machine stitched,
metal staples
Afghanistan embroidery

The idea for this exhibit was to select from a web site a hand-embroidered leaf made by Afghani women and integrate it into a textile piece. The length had to be 4 X the width. It was open to EU participants only. I was able to apply through my Italian citizenship.

The idea I had at the beginning changed when I saw how large the embroideries were. (green leaves)

Last Tree Standing
detail

The commercial fabric I used as a background had the shadows of trees. It looked to me like a war torn area in a foggy scene and shadows of tree skeletons in the background. Over this background I created a tree only using fabrics I collected from the floor of a seamstress' atelier.

My tree trunk is made of velvets and stretchy polyester, cotton and textured woven pieces and hand dyed silks. I 'painted' the trunk using all the fabrics that were destined for a land fill. I did not purchase any new materials for this piece. The colours are plentiful- purple, blue, orange, brown, green, pink....I particularly like the stapled number onto the trunk- a selvage edge.  It makes a powerful statement.

Last Tree Standing, detail

I really like it. I am sorry the jury, made up of 5 European women, did not feel it worthy of being part of the 60 piece exhibit.

Along with my generic rejection email, I did get a lovely personal email from the organizer. She called it "an exciting piece with profound symbolism" and she liked my choice of colours.

Even with her great comments, it is still disappointing news.

Where are you?

This isn't the night sky in South Africa.

It's a light fixture.

It's made of recycled milk cartons.

You can see the expiry date of the carton
stamped on a leaf.

It was hanging at the Tokara winery near Stellenbosch, South Africa. We were there last week.