Scraps anyone? PLEASE READ TO BOTTOM!

I decided that today I was going to try something new with this blog. I want to see if it can actually help me in my moment of "unfocused motivation".
I noticed that I have had a lot more visitors to my blogs, thanks to Crazy Mom Quilts. I posted one of my Finished WIP on her Friday blog. So now I am hoping to catch someone'e eye, and maybe even start a movement, literally of FABRIC!!! Yes.

I have many blogs I follow, many being stash or scrap busting blogs (Thank you Bonnie Hunter@ QUILTVILLE). I have always had a compulsion to hold onto fabric drops (aka scraps). It seems like such a waste given the cost and beauty of fabric. But sometimes, my intentions are better than my motivation. Just because I once used it, or saved it, doesn't mean I like it anymore, or want to use it again. And like a lot of quilters, my fabric preferences have changed over the years, as has my quality of fabric. I started out with classic calicos bought at big-box-stores, and over the years discovered designers or styles I liked. And Batiks...let's not even go there!
So here is what I am proposing. Does anyone want to swap some scraps? By color, by size, by weight even? I know from years of getting my mom's " cast offs" I have discovered I like fabric I would have never picked out on my own in a store....cost, too crazy a color or print, but once it was in my hands, ooooh, it was like Christmas in July! I have fabrics going back to the early 90s. I have Moda drops from this past years collections, and every thing in between. It might be fun to see what other people use. To see what you could make with some fabric someone else is tired of looking at. Is anyone game?
I have lots of 1/2 and 1 yard cuts, and as you seen, a BIN full of scraps ranging from 1.5 inch strips up to who knows what. But bottom line, is anyone willing or interested in doing this with me? If you want a better idea of the type of fabrics I have, look at my past finished quilts....chances are I have fabric from EVERY ONE of them left over.

 Be brave and don't be picky. I will send it first! Send me an email with your address and if you want to swap by color, size, print (calico, batik...) rough weight and I will see if I can match your request and send you something. And you can send something back when you get my "present".  Let's move this fabric around, and get inspired!

Zen Rose Quilt DONE!

In the spirit of Finish it Fridays (thank you Crazy Mom Quilts!!!), I got my butt in gear and finished another quilt!!! Let me just say, I was just content as could be making quilt tops and stacking them in my closet for that "day" down the road, but now that I have discovered the fun of machine quilting, watch out!!!!

~Here's my pathetic backstory~
One day in 2009, I got an email that this fabric line was on sale at Fabric.com. Not my usual choice, but I had just seen a pattern in a magazine, and it was like Karma was screaming at me. "You can do it, you can totally justify this one, you know you want to" the fabric chanted off the screen at me. So, ok, I did it. And I put my new catch in the to do drawer with the pattern. And then I moved on. Chickens, so many chickens!

Maggie likes it!

Now, jump forward to that new gorgeous machine I bought myself....and poof, I'm making quilt tops. You know it. So out comes the fabric, the pattern, and it's made. And in the new pile in the closet. Because it will take me forever to hand quilt all the quilts I have started. ~end of excuse

 


I pulled it out, I hemmed and hawed over how to quilt it. I tried several designs and either hated the thread choice, or couldn't see the markings because it had both light and dark fabrics. I debated refolding it, and then decided that I could do a nice Stitch-in-the-Ditch on the diagonals. Yeah. My version should really be called "TRY-tostayinthe-Ditch Stitch". But in following with another great hint I read, I used an incredibly busy fabric for the backing, so it isn't easy to spot the mistakes, and the front is so colorful, the pattern is the focus, not my stitching (thank god!).

The last attempt at creativity for this poor quilt was my binding. I had leftover backing so I cut bias strips on the diagonal so I would get a stripy effect. I made
it a 2" instead of my usual 2.5", but it gave it a very nice corded look.

 Not bad for a cloudy day on the couch quilt!!!