Scrappy ... strippy ... sewing!
08 May 2010
Sometimes you just have to park yourself behind the machine in order to get something done ... and that's exactly what I've done this week ... churning out fun projects that any motivated quilter could do. It's hard to believe that shoving 2 1/2" strips under the presser foot is going to yield ...
... this ... a fun and scrappy baby quilt called Steamy Windows.
It's in the Strip On book by GE Designs. I'm ashamed to say I didn't look closely at this book before and we've had it in the store for awhile ... but the other day I had the opportunity to examine it again and saw the potential for this oblong checkerboard quilt. So on Friday morning, I cut 18 light colored strips and 18 darker strips and got to work pushing them through the machine. It went fast!
Pretty soon I had them stitched, pressed and cut into segments for the blocks. I cut the leftovers into units as well thinking I'd do something with them someday. Magically ... the crib quilt was done so I turned my thoughts to the extras.
I started pushing them around and realized that I could get a pillow AND a skinny runner out of them! Bonus projects ... how fun is that? Found some leftover strips of batting for the pillow and quilted the top of it in a simple grid formation ... then when I went to put on the backing, I grabbed a hoop and traced around it to round the corners. I layered up the runner with batting and backing to be quilted on Monday.
Three projects almost done! Doesn't that make you want to shout HOORAY? After I stuff the pillow, I'm going to use perle cotton and sew that through from the front to the back to indent it a bit. I have a pretty brown fabric for the binding on the baby quilt ... maybe green binding on the runner? I'm going to hang the crib quilt on that wall way at the back of the store by the hallway ... it'll be perfect there!
As a shop owner, everyday I hear quilters say they've got so much fabric ... they don't know what to do with it. Well I'm here to tell you that if you pull it out and cut it up, it doesn't take half your life to make stuff from it! For a cute project like this, the fabric really doesn't have to match ... plus I know so many have jelly rolls stuffed in their cubbies waiting for the 'perfect' project. In my book the 'perfect' project is the done one that I can look at and enjoy.
I'm looking for some stash busting quilters who want to cut up their fabric and make one of the Steamy Windows quilts in Gudrun's book. If you're that person, give us a shout at the Cottage and we'll come up with a sewing date. Don't need a baby quilt? It would be just as darling as a table quilt! Betchya you want to go and pull out some fabric now, huh?