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Artist and crafter, Carens canvas and craft My ETSY shop, Colourful Cosy Lap Quilt, Crazy Patchwork Quilt, Creative moment, Fun with fabrics, Hand quilting, Patchwork with tiny scraps, Picnic Rug Blanket, Snooze Blanket, Unique Colourful Creations
…..using up new, but, tiny off cuts of fabric…..
A little over a week ago, I finally tipped out my bags of leftover cotton fabrics, with full intent to use them ALL up in one project (how wrong I was on that though)!! I’d been keeping the bits quite orderly in separate colourway bags… but then….came face to face with this unruly scrappy looking pile………
Somewhere….within, lay my next project ;-0
Not daunted by their tiny sizes, my main concern was to make something with some kind of symmetry in the final finished piece, whilst also avoiding putting too much thought into choosing every single piece to go next to the last as I sewed, otherwise it would never get done….. So, I tipped the piles into a kind of colour ‘blob area’ next to the sewing machine, all within arms length, where I could just grab a piece randomly and stitch away wherever it would fit in and around the ‘crazy patchwork method’ I had decided to go with…. For some stability I decided also to stitch them onto some pre-cut small squares of cotton wadding, which I later trimmed back to neat 5.5” square
Things were definitely looking very colourful by now 😉
For this project, I had made a pact with myself, and decided I wasn’t going to go and buy Anything!!!!….it would all have to be done from what I already had! So, I picked a lovely lime cotton print which seemed to keep the super colourful theme on track… after measuring to make sure there was sufficient to cut all the remaining squares I needed, I realised I would have just enough to bind too, if I pieced five lengths together 😀 ……Already doing a happy dance and I’d not even started sewing the squares together lol
Once assembled into a large panel, I used lightweight synthetic wadding and added a cream cotton backing before hand quilting over the entire piece…
….believing…’you can Never have too much colour!!’ … I added in a lovely bright blue around the border, which I think, added just the perfect balance to the whole look and completed by hand stitching down the lime binding 😉
Another cosy colourful creation completed!
At 42” x 60” it’s the perfect size for a Snuggle snooze blanket/Lap quilt/A single bed topper…OR even a super picnic rug!
I’m super happy with this little quilt which emerged from the scraps…. though, I still have issues with my left overs ;-/ Although I made 42 (5.5 x 5.5) squares…In the end, it didn’t even look as though I’d used any from the pile at all!! On that basis, I reckon there are at least another 20 quilts waiting to be ‘discovered’ in the scrap bag….better set to again then 😉 !!
Caren's Creative Canvas & Craft 
that’s fabulous for spring… I would like to have a dress in this colors for a spring break party (I’m sadly too old now to get an invitation for such a party sigh…)
It does have such a lovely Spring feel about it, with the fresh greens and if only our sky was such a colour instead of a miserable grey 😉 Surely never too old!! You could always host one of your own for the ‘only slightly more mature’ ladies around ;-D
You are far to talented and clever. That’s a such a fab quilt and making those squares with all those fiddly little bits – amazing! Looking at the quilting and thinking crosses might be the way to go with the quilting on my quilt. Although it will be a while until I get there. Any special tips on doing them in particular?
Thank you for such a lovely comment Bekki ! It was fun to make and I know I do use the simple cross hatched quilting a lot but it does give a nice result for quite little effort. I have a long 24.5 inch ruler which has two angle lines, either of which are fine and use a Frixion Pen to draw on the fabric panel before quilting, they are great if you’ve never had one, certainly worth the couple of pounds, as after quilting you can just use a hair dryer on a fairly hot setting and the pen lines melt away… 😉 Hope that may help when you get to that stage
Thanks, that’s really helpful – I do own a frixion pen. I’m also now looking at your tiny pieces patched together and thinking I should have a go at that with all my scraps too 🙂
Definitely!! They’re much better put to some use than languishing in little bags 😉
Dearest Caren
Your quilt is AMAZING !!!! the colours are a wonderful spring like sight to behold, I’m so envious of your obvious talent of keeping your promise to yourself of not buying anything LOL
Your quilt would brighten up any toddlers bedroom a treat. Congratulations on bringing your followers a ray of sunshine through your creations
Roma 😀 Thank you so much for your lovely kind words..to know that I bring rays of sunshine to cheer fellow readers is more than enough reward for my little makes!! I held my resolve and stuck to my word, not a scrap or thread was bought to make this little quilt…though going off how little impact it made on my stash…I need to live at least another 99 years to even crack off half of it lol 😉 Have a lovely weekend – Hope you and Moo have been enjoying all the adventures around and about some more!!
Only another 72 stash quilts to go before you make a dent in your stash then LOL
Worked all weekend ~ 3 shifts in 2 days still the money will be handy to feed my sock knitting yarn obsession !!
I have a long weekend off for Easter hopefully my Very Important Order should be completed by then 🙂
LOL your estimation is so near the truth!! this carrier bag’s worth may even hold half of that in itself ;-/, let alone the twelve boxes I have living on the ledge …sigh!
OMWord!!…do you sleep propped on a stick on such long shifts?? LOL that is some hours put in over the weekend – though I’m sure all your lovelies are so happy to have you on their standby and for great company 😉
Sounds like you are quite bitten by the sock knitting bug LOL I’ve no doubt that you have perfectly mastered those needles now!!
OOOO!! can’t wait for the big reveal of the VIO…don’t know how you fit everything in to be honest…maybe you should also host a juggling show in the next fair 😉
Hope you enjoy your long weekend off maybe even with a juniper berry ..or, 2!!
Your a fine one ~ the hours you put into your hand stitched quilts shows your not work shy either 🙂
Will another scrappy quilt be making an appearance soon ?? surly all your little scraps are eager to make a debut in the ‘Caron Taylor’s Emporium of Fine Arts’…you won’t deny them will you LOL
I’ll be back to the ‘normal routine’ of working school hours week after next ~ which is super full of work related stuff already *sigh* and don’t forget I get a whole month off to concentrate on Moo related expeditions coming up in July when 2nd born fly’s off to Tanzania,
It’s certainly all go at your end 😉 not sure if working the ‘school hours’ is easier or harder??…I suspect somehow you manage to pack even more in on those weeks, not to mention keeping your fashion statements top notch for playground mums to admire ;-D
OMGoodness how quickly the time has gone since you first mentioned 2nd born’s great expedition and Moo and your upcoming adventures are only a matter of weeks away now!!
It’s true…I couldn’t deny letting more little scraps have their moment lol the whole Easter break, whilst everyone else was munching on chocolate…I was having a great time forming new little panels for another quilt 😉 and bonus…no weight gain into the bargain!! I have just finished all the quilting today and will be adding the binding tomorrow…it’s amazing how much you can get done when you stay off the computer for a few days…but by eck….I’ve a lot of catching up to do now on WP!! I quickly noticed you posted, can’t wait to read more in detail 😀
Sewing or chocolate, sewing or chocolate ….my choice would be sewing LOL
Can’t wait to see your latest quilt I do hope it’s another colourful affair
….Are you SURE???!!?? LOL And I thought it was only me that was a bit odd 😉 I’m sure giving that option to the majority would get a much different answer
Oh, it’s colourful 😉
Just seen your latest creation WOWZER
😀 xx
I love how you are able to use all your scraps Caren. So clever!!
Thanks Sue 🙂 Though I’ve a long way to go if I’m ever to use them all!
I can only imagine Caren.
😉
Really impressive! I look forward to seeing the next 20!
🙂 Thanks Sarah Having had my little flock home for the weekend, I’m planning to get back to work on Tues…watch this space!! But, don’t hold your breath…could take a little while to do 20 more 😉
🙂
Beautiful work! I love the pattern and colors! 😀
Thanks so much Jackie I was really happy with the result, loads of colour, but still not too overpowering 😉
I absolutely love how you use up all your tiny scraps for this – and everything from your stash, too. Brilliant! Such a lovely, happy quilt, perfect for this time of year. All hand quilted? Wow!
Thanks so much Sheila 🙂 I always feel so happy when I don’t have to buy anything to complete a little project! LOL not sure if that means I already have too much waiting in the wings though or I have small enough remnants, big enough to fill the purpose ;-D
That is amazing! What a fabulous use of scraps – but it doesn’t look like scraps at all!
Thanks so much Tina ;-)!! It does involve a lot of work but I do think it’s worth giving the little scraps a new lease of life ;-D …after all…they missed out on being a first hand creation!!
True. I was quilting myself yesterday but your skills way surpass mine!
OMGoodness I think not!! Your patchwork machine cover is so lovely!! Looking forward to more of your creations Tina 😉
Thank you so much. Carefully photographed you can’t see the blips. Still practising cutting perfectly – we all know a few millimetres out and the finished result works out wonky! Or is that just me ….
…nope not just you ;-)! I seem able to master the cutting no problem, then have issues from time to time sewing in a straight line lol silly really, as the machine is made to do just that and would do perfectly without my intervention 😉 Still, we got to keep at it!!