If you are a regular follower of mine then you know I am kind of displaced at the moment with no normal sewing space and no access to my stash! In order to avoid having complete withdrawals, I did save out a sack of scraps to give me something to create with if the desire arose. Here they are dumped on the table.
Following is my very first attempt at improv block making. I have no plan in my head, just working with the scraps that I have and see what comes out. The first thing that caught my eye is this bright and colorful 7" x 7"scrap. It came in a gift of scraps from a fellow stash bee participant and she gave me the most beautiful selection of Kaffe Fasset scraps! I'm not sure if this is a KF scrap or not, I just know I love it.
The next thing I pulled out is this piece of fabric that was left over from a scrappy round the world that I started making a long time ago. I never have found the blocks from that phase of my life and hopefully, they will turn up when I get moved in!
I found a long skinny scrap of another bright and chaotic print that I thought was long enough to go around all four sides. So I sewed on two of the sides but the piece remaining wasn't long enough for the other two sides. Boo! Time for plan B.
I guess that's why they call it improv. I measured to see if I'd have enough of the border left if I put some other fabric in the corners. I did! So added on some cute polka dots to the strip making it the same width and just slightly longer than the strip so I could trim it off to be square after it was sewed on. Don't look at those corners that don't match. Do they hafta?
And now I have this! I really, like it! Yes, I know it's got a lot of chaotic color and that's not everybody's thing, but this is so me!
So that's as far as I got that evening. Did you see anything in that pile of scraps up above that would be fun to try in the next round? I'm thinking I need to get some new shapes in there somehow. Or perhaps just start a whole new improv block and have a large variety of them and make some kind of sampler quilt. What would you do next?
I almost forgot about some pictures I took until I read Barb of Mountain Quiltworks post showing some pictures she snapped in Italy and Greece of patterns that caught her eye. I went to a conference in Washington DC last month and kept seeing interesting patterns everywhere. Some of the most interesting patterns seem to be on chairs, carpets and tables!
Carpet #1
Carpet #2
Back of a chair
Fancy tassels
Something found in the Air & Space Museum, an engine of some sort, I think?
A table seen in the White House!
So what new patterns have you seen today? If I had a linky party, I would challenge you to post at least three new patterns you saw today and link up! Maybe that is somewhere down the road one of these days. :)
Linking up to:
WIP's WednesdayMidweek Makers
WIP's with Friends
Needle & Thread Thursday
Jo's Country Junction UFO Progress
A very fun block! It's hard to be in between spaces and have the need to sew. Looking forward to checking out what else comes together out of your scrap bag.
ReplyDeleteA sampler quilt all the way :) Maybe you can use it as a fabric diary to document your time living in the RV? You are right, inspiration is everywhere. I really love carpet #2. That would make an awesome quilt border or even an all over block pattern.
ReplyDeletesometimes you can get great ideas for patterns from carpet, tile floors and old fashioned wallpaper!
ReplyDeleteI'd go for a sampler quilt. You have some great Kaffe fabrics in your scrap pile and I'd use them all. I love chaotic and bright colors in a quilt. Loved your design inspiration pix. I've been known to take snaps of all sorts of rugs, decorative ironwork, tables, etc.
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness! I have never been one for improv, but your choice of color and accent are so amazing! Fantastic! And to think that this is just your scraps!
ReplyDeleteNice block! I think you should start a new block using that cool pink/peach swirl fabric at the bottom right of your first picture. I'd love to see what you come up with using that!
ReplyDeleteImprov can be a great way to use up some scraps and experiment. Maybe a neutral(ish) ladder stripe on the sides? I just love that peachy-pink swirl piece in the bottom right of your scrap pile. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not big on sampler quilts, but this is a great start if you go in that direction. This reminds me of a round robin style, where each person adds the next border. I think this would be perfect for that--except that you are the next person for each round. :)
ReplyDeleteI would go crazy without a space to sew in. I hope I never have to. The blocks you came up with using the scraps are quite beautiful. I keep saying I've got make a bigger dent in my blocks. One of these days...right? Thanks for the inspiration. Have a great day! --Andrea
ReplyDeleteYour block is taking shape. Good luck as your progress. Hopefully you won't be displaced for too long.
ReplyDeleteOh Janice, IMPROV!!! I have your mini hanging on my wall and I know you have hidden talent and a great eye for colour. Just do it, you know you can, after all it's only fabric.
ReplyDeleteSo far so good on your scrappy blocks! I love the first carpet design:)
ReplyDeleteOo, those colors! I love your first little improv block! Before I went any further, I would sort that whole bag by color. That would allow me to look at and think about each piece and get a feel for how much I have of each. Looks like plenty of pinks, yellows and oranges to use as sparkling bright pops.
ReplyDeleteI've been waffling about making a couple of Mariner's Compass blocks, but since you've posted a photo of a carpet with that type of star, I think it's a sign for me to start!!
Looking good Janice! I think I'll take a break on my scrap work for a few weeks. Thanks for sharing your progress on Midweek Makers
ReplyDelete