Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Cutting scraps.............

 

I spent a couple hours pressing scraps, mostly Kaffe collective.  There was a group that was a weird triangle shape left from cutting large hexagons for a previous quilt.  The grain line was on the long edge so they were perfect to re-cut into quarter square triangles.



After sewing them into squares this is what I have.  If I sewed them together it would be a 12" square.  Lots of hours, lots of pressing and cutting, not enough for a quilt when done.  Prep work takes a long time.  I love scrap quilts but I'm wondering if this is the best use of my time.  I have a lot of yardage to use.


I went outside to take some photos before the rain was supposed to come.  The Columbine has buds now.  I still haven't seen any sign of my blue or pale pink Columbines.







I have seen several small Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants in the back garden.  This is the all green one.









This is one of the striped Jack-in-the-Pulpits.  I don't see the big plant that has been in the garden for several years.

Speaking of the rain...it rained hard...for almost 5 minutes.  Then there was some light rain and it all added up to a little under a quarter inch.  I am thankful we got any at all but with the size of that storm on the radar I thought we would surely get more than we got.


And because I like pink so much, this was the view from my kitchen window a couple days ago.  A lot of the blooms are now on the ground after the rain.


9 comments:

Libby in TN said...

We had torrential rain and hail last night. I expect the peonies got pummeled even before they could bloom. Our redbuds are all leaves now but the dogwoods are still holding on.

patty a. said...

64 triangles to make one block - it is beautiful, but like you said a lot of time. Maybe you could use the block as an accent block. It would be a shame not to use it. It could be interesting tucked into a 16 patch quilt.

There was quite a bit of rain here yesterday. I don't know how much, but everything is so green right now. I took a quick peek at my cora bell bed and between the rain and putting up the deer fence, they are growing like crazy. The deer eating the leaves really stunted there growth more than I realized.

Marnie Haines said...

Love Patty's idea about using the block as an accent. Did you happen to see the interview with Kaffe Fassett last week? Thought of you and your use of his materials when watching.

Julierose said...

Perhaps it could be the center for a Medallion--lots of work on these and so pretty. I love how the fabric changes when cut into smaller pieces--you just never can tell what will pop out!!
We had almost an inch of rain last night and our trees are leafing out a bit more...still rainy this morning, too
Hugs, Julierose

JustGail said...

I don't have nearly as many scraps as you, but still get a twitch when I think of dealing with them. Cut to size first? Sort? Make blocks as I go? Ungh - so I resort to the toss it all in a box method.

BatikFanatic said...

I was thinking medallion also, and the accent block idea would work nicely too. Then, there's always a mug rug, which would be a delightful start to someone's morning!

Your trees are so beautiful... I do love seeing the pinks in spring!

Linda Swanekamp said...

You have to sew what you love. What do you really want to make? I love scraps and find sewing them calming and satisfying. I love seeing small things grow into big things. I don't mind prep because I know the fun that follows. I know I have limited time in life and somehow scraps help me make chaos into order. If you want to cut yardage and make personal quilts, go for it. There are plenty of quilters who would take/buy the scraps off your hands to free you up. Use up the yardage if that is where your creativity feeds.

Nann said...

It's great that you could salvage those cutaways! Your garden looks wonderful.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I am definitely coming to the same conclusion regarding scraps - hence the cut off on the dumpster diving series. I've also weeded out a few pending projects in order to focus on those with larger pieces and/or yardage use. There are only so many hours in a day and if I work at it, larger bits can be scrappy, too.