Saturday, December 12, 2015

No Fabric left behind...

At least I finished the scrappy table runner made from the waste left over from the kaleidoscope STILL on the design wall.

Once again proving:
1. No detail is too small to dither over
2. Even if a quilt is not headed for a National competition, I still expect it to be a showstopper.
3. Things always take longer than you think they will
4. You can have a room FULL to the rafters of fabric and not ~one~ of them is the right tone/pattern/shade of green for a border.

As Michaelangelo said, "I am Still learning..."

I thought the kaleidoscope would be quilted and hanging on the family room wall by now, after all Ricky Tims said it was fast and easy to make!

Let's move on to happier subjects shall we?? I love love love the way the table runner came out and it was made of total scraps. I want to make a bed sized one next. Now it was fast and easy and so much fun.


I quilted it with straight lines in gold metallic thread, and really shiny halogram mylar thread. The border came out kind of looking like plaid because I crossed the stripes.
( note to self, you can make something look plaid)
(note to you, I didn't want it to look plaid) (whatever, I am not ripping out the quilting now)
Then I kept going on improv piecing the rest of the little cut off pieces into a variety of hexie sizes...
Fun fun fun
then there are these
finished coasters. I tried envelop turn on two of them, and folding a large backing over the front for two of them. The folding over thing didn't look as good as I thought it would... or as easy...
Look at that little reindeer girl in a circle skirt! Hee hee! That's my girl!


various sizes just made them according to scraps left over. The white one is pretty but appears to be a bit wonky??









These are bigger than the others....


then the biggest one of all...







Looks like a road sign for a hazard ahead. But look at them together...
What is it in me that will sit and mindlessly piece for an hour? It is so comforting. And there is something about making something from nothing. There is the mix of textures and angles to love as well. I don't know. I have lots of weird components hanging around here, that I hope will turn into something.
I am headed back into the studio to seek the right border fabric for that stupid kaleidoscope quilt-in-a-day.



25 comments:

Turid said...

Ooooh, I love your hexies. You're just like me, won't throw away any piece, no matter how small it is. Thanks for this great inspiration. Have a nice weekend.

Joanne said...

Hi LeeAnna,
Looks great! Gorgeous colour!
I signed up for a foundation paper piecing one day course for Jan. 30 2016! New years resolution for 2016....to do one block/item a month!
Thanks LeeAnna for all your inspiration this year with those cool coloured cows, flamingos and dishes! Maybe by attending a workshop I'll get my head around it and get to it!
I will also try and get my Hobby room in order! Now it's more of a grab and go!
Take care,
Joanne

Joanne said...

Hi LeeAnna,
Looks great! Gorgeous colour!
I signed up for a foundation paper piecing one day course for Jan. 30 2016! New years resolution for 2016....to do one block/item a month!
Thanks LeeAnna for all your inspiration this year with those cool coloured cows, flamingos and dishes! Maybe by attending a workshop I'll get my head around it and get to it!
I will also try and get my Hobby room in order! Now it's more of a grab and go!
Take care,
Joanne

gayle said...

You are my kinda quilter!
I love all your scrappy goodness. Carry on, please!

Unknown said...

That's what makes you an artist, rather than someone that is able to quilt. You see a scrap not as a piece of fabric a designer created that will look fabulous in another designers quilt pattern. You see color, use and change around techniques you've learned, to be a designer, an artist. I'm not there yet with quilting, but with art glass mosaics, polymer clay, metal and carving printing blocks the sky is the limit. As Picasso said, "I begin with an idea, it becomes what it is."

Val's Quilting Studio said...

well you know me, I like wonky. Love all your scrappy Christmas blocks.

Deb said...

Love them all, the table runner came out lovely, and the coaster are great, the use of scraps worked up some nice crazy hexies to I can envision lots of emboridery stitches, beads and bits of lace.

Kaja said...

I'm sorry the kaleidoscope quilt is proving to be such a frustration but look where it led you! The table runner is lovely (and I kind of like the plaid-effect border) and the hexies are an idea that can run and run.

easyweimaraner said...

it's great! and I wish I had such good ideas too. do you plan it in advance or do you see what could fit while working?

Zenia Rene said...

Gorgeous as usual Leeanna! Thanks for letting me know Ricky Timm's Kaleidoscope is NOT fast and easy. I bought the book 2 years ago. I shall move that project to my 2017 list! ;)

LA Paylor said...

don't let me stop you just because I had trouble!
It's worth doing for sure... and now that the center is done I am less twisted about it. LeeAnna

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Love all your scrappy hexis! Look forward to seeing what becomes of those last few on the cutting mat!

PaintedThread said...

I see your hexies! :-) I love mindless piecing. And scrap quilts always seem to go together so much faster and easier than anything else, even when I have a firm idea of what I'm doing.

sonja said...

...it really isn't so much mindless, really, more of a mediation, to this gal anyway, which does not have to happen sitting, art is like that!

AlidaP said...

beautiful! they all look so different but they all go well together! such a fun project!! thanks for sharing!!

Mary in Boulder said...

Finally got to see the photos on the big screen; wow! Great colors and patterns. So clever to mske coasters from the extras. They are really cute.

Rebecca Grace said...

I LOVE your table runner! The hexagons look like ornaments nestled in a box, or crowded on a tree. And I know what you mean -- it is so frustrating to ransack through your stash and find that you have tons of certain things, but not a single scrap of fabric in the color that you need. Your coasters are darling, too -- and who doesn't need more coasters for holiday entertaining?

Mary Huey said...

Fun to see your "distractions" pulling together!! And #3 hit the nail on the head!! Even a great deal of experience doesn't change that one!?!

Jennifer said...

Such pretty hexies. Love your table runner and know you'll enjoy it for a long time.

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

I am the queen of #3 - things always take longer than I expect! LOL Your table runner looks great and it must have been great fun to play with different threads. Thanks for linking to MCM, and have a great week!

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

LMAO at #4! Happens to me all the time, LOL!! Great post and lovely table runner.

Marsha Cooper said...

I love how you are using up all of your scraps into the hexagons.
I love scrappy quilts, but then again, I have several people who have 'cleaned out' their sewing rooms and given me their 'scraps'.
Have a Merry Christmas!

QuilterinMotion said...

Love your use of 'waste' fabrics. What a extra special thing to have to show for your hard work. Beautiful table runner.

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Thanks for sharing under our tuesday archives christmas theme :)

Bonnie said...

Table runner is very cool. I like it. How I know about trying to match colors. I used old fabrics (a long time ago...) for a pineapple quilt. When all the pineapples were done it was even older by a many years. Then it took me two or so years to find fabric to border it. What a long time it took to finish that little project! Ha there never is the exact right color of fabric in my stash and sometimes not in the stores either!