I have been spending some quality time picking things up in my sewing room. It started with a desire to see my countertop again, and to maybe clear a path to the TV (I could barely get there without stepping on…something(s)), and has now morphed into a desire to just clean the whole durned thing up properly. Ha. I get these urges every so often, they usually pass within a few days, but I’m still in the throes of this one.
In the process I have uncovered some interesting stuff. Like the fact that my scraps are multiplying. If you don’t hear from me again tomorrow, it might be because I’ve drowned in the scraps.
I’ve also found things like this:
I mean, honestly. What on Earth was I thinking when I started making this? The fabric all has a teeny bit of sparkle, but yes, it pretty much reads as solid. And this is as far as I ever got apparently, as I’m pretty sure there isn’t a matching back or left side to this poor vest.
The question is this: what the heck do I do with it? Throw it back in the box so it can continue to breed more scraps with the other UFOs? Throw it away? What?
In addition to fabric folding and scrap sorting (OK, throwing them in a bin isn’t really sorting, but I’m sorting the scraps out of the other crap, right?), I’ve allowed myself to do some sewing: as I’ve uncovered things I’ve sewn some backs together, made some binding, and even attached a little bit of binding.
And, I finally put borders on this Lone Star I made several months ago. The center star has been done for ages, just waiting for me to be brave enough to do the mitered borders. Yesterday I sewed the borders on, today I sewed the miters down (by hand). I also made a back for this one, and I uncovered the fabric for the binding, but haven’t made the binding yet. I made the star with the preprinted QuiltSmart interfacing. It went together quite well.
Well, the scraps are calling to me again, so I’d better answer.
Please send a search party if you don’t hear from me tomorrow.
TTFN-
Oooh, now that’s a fashion statement! It’s OK, you can toss it or out it in a Goodwill bag. You know, Goodwill takes scraps too. I know someone here that actually buys scraps from Goodwill! Like she doesn’t have enough!
This is an interesting start on a vest. Actually, the “matching” parts wouldn’t have to match as far as fabric or piecing pattern. As long as the colors used were in the same general family, one could straight-facedly claim it was a “crazy vest”.
With that in mind:
One person’s aggravation is another person’s treasure. Start a UFO round-robin with your friends or quilt guild. Everybody brings a UFO and everybody takes a different one home to work on.
Toss it in a bag with some fabrics of similar temperament and the pattern, if you can find it. Call it a “vest grab bag” and donate it to a quilt or sewing guild fundraiser.
If you really hate it, cut an identical piece out of muslin and use the two pieces to make a pillow that looks like the right side of a vest. Sleep with the pillow for a few weeks so that it smells like you, then give it to your dogs. They’ll love it.
If you really hate it part 2: use a rotary cutter to cut strips from it, thereby salvaging as much fabric as possible, and use the strips in a crazy quilt.
Quick!! Burn it before it multiplies!! My eyes…my eyes!!
LOL! Thanks for the good laugh!
ROTFL… I was on the same page as Carla…. after all we are heading into bonfire season 😀
I think that vest might make an elf at the north pole very happy! 🙂
About the vest………….never mind. There’s no words. But that Lone Star!!! NICE!!
You’re so industrious-I’ll just grab my iced tea and look at my sewing table.
Love the colors in your Lone Star. As for the vest, it has promise. When I run across something in my stash that was never finished, I take it to a quilt guild. Someone there may think it is a real treasure. Both of you will feel good about it.
Suzanne, you know I adore you. I admire your work immensely. So please, don’t get sad when I say: that vest has got some serious fugly going on.
In other words: My! Look what you did!
It might make a nice postcard. Just cut out a 4″x6″ section and fuse it to some stiff backing. I’ve found getting involved with a postcard exchange can use a lot of the little bits and pieces.