Monday, March 31, 2008

Spring Scraps



Well, another gray, snowy day here. To brighten things up a bit (at least in my sewing area!) - Scrappy Bargello - all in spring-y colors. Pattern from Bonnie at http://www.quiltville.com/ -
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Here is a photo of how it looked once my strips were sewn together... DH thought it looked like a huge kitchen rag rug! I just smiled and didn't explain... but, now I am done with 3 stratas and he can see the design emerging! To me - that is always a fun part - seeing the design come together.
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I was surprised at how much sewing it took to get to this point! Sew, sew, sew, but I am making progress! I am not as fast as you Bargello Bowl sewers, but ah - yes, you do see that certain Little Boy on my top... with an assortment of toys on the floor! And don't you know - he just LOVES this particular top. Has decided that it is the perfect size for him in case he grows as big as a certain uncle - he will still fit under it. How can I argue with that logic? So - it will be his.
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I've had people ask me before how I pick my colors... for this one -I picked anything that looked bright and springy. I used lots of odd-ball fat quarters that I bought last year and alternated them with some older fabrics especially those medium values that are so hard for me to use when I am looking for contrast. For this one I didn't try to "match" or keep track of what I was using. But I know I do a little, subconciously. So, I sewed the strips together in segments of 10 and then once all those units were together - made the 6 stratas of 40 from there - just to be sure there was a good mix.
Other quilts - I will pick all fall colors. Or I will use just blues, or just greens, etc. For my log cabins I've used only lights & darks but in every color you can imagine and most of my lights were pastel calicos. By doing a little bit of color planning before cutting out a scrap quilt I am usually pretty happy with the end result... without having to go to the fabric store and buy a ton of fabric. Once I decide on a pattern/color scheme - if I am near a fabric store I like to pick up a few newer fabrics to add in to the mix to keep it interesting for me. And I almost always have to buy border, backing and background fabric. But the main part of my quilt - almost always comes from what I have on hand. At least until I use up my fabrics!!!
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Oh - and here is a photo of the pile of strips it took to make this top when I first started sewing them together - a tiny little bit really when you think about it - to make a good sized quilt. Actually I have plenty of strips left over in this color combination so I just might have to make another Bargello or spring-scrappy top with another pattern. I keep picking away at my stash, you know? I think I am down to about 2 biggish sized Rubbermaid totes of fabric now, plus several small containers of pre-cut strips and 1 bag of strings (at least on this continent). I have a couple of totes in Austria too, but not that much because everything over there - I had to mail! And I swear - the totes are smaller over there too so they should only count 1/2 as much! On the otherhand - as my stash slowly shrinks - my pile of finished quilts is getting very large!!!
Anyway - I have 3 stratas all done now so hopefully it won't be much longer before I have the main part of this top finished. My schedule is pretty busy right now so I am not sure when I will get it done. I am anxious to see it all come together though because I am liking it so far!

8 comments:

Hedgehog said...

Love the way this quilt is looking!

Saska said...

I made one of these too...LOTS of sewing, but they're fun when done.

You have more important things to do than to be a fast sewer!

I like your DH observation. Sounds like something mine would say.

Lori in South Dakota said...

Little Boy has great logic. And only one sock?? He looks like so much FUN!

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

That is going to be a beauty Evelyn! Thanks for sharing your progress. :-) Love Little Boy's logic too.

Laurie said...

another gorgeous quilt in the works...and little boy looks soooo TINY on that top! ;o)
Hugs
Laurie

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

It's gonna be great, Evelyn!I just love Little Boy sporting one sock only there in the photo, too! So cute.

Shelina said...

This quilt looks beautiful as it is - just sew it together, but I'm sure it will look even more beautiful once you have everything in its proper place. This is one quilt that is definitely on my to-do list as well. You might want to add some more blocks to your quilt though - you know how much it shrinks once you get those seam allowances inside.

Saska said...

I want to see how far you've come with this!