Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Scrap Busting Improv!

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.
I shared in yesterday's post that one of my Stash Bee's asked for a string block and I was easily able to create that with my scraps.  You can see that creation here.  I was VERY surprised to see that making this block hardly made a dent in my sack full of scraps.  So I wonder how much I can make only using this sack of scraps?  We shall see!

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 thought this 2 1/2" orange and yellow scrap blended pretty good with my starter piece and wanted to make a border around the floral scrap but it wasn't long enough so I cut it in half lengthwise to make it long enough.  Now I have this!

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 Wednesday
Midweek Makers
WIP's with Friends
Needle & Thread Thursday
Jo's Country Junction UFO Progress






14 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. A 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.

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  3. sometimes you can get great ideas for patterns from carpet, tile floors and old fashioned wallpaper!

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  4. I'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.

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  5. Oh, 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!

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  6. Nice 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!

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  7. Improv 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. :)

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  8. I'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. :)

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  9. I 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

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  10. Your block is taking shape. Good luck as your progress. Hopefully you won't be displaced for too long.

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  11. Oh 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.

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  12. So far so good on your scrappy blocks! I love the first carpet design:)

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  13. Oo, 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.

    I'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!!

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  14. 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

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