Friday, May 22, 2009

Scrappy Quilts for Finn and Michelle

My blogging friend Finn's been posting about Frugal Friday, then she got an e-mail from Michelle who also blogs about making 'Kitchen Sink' quilts from what we have at hand, and using the odd bits and perhaps recycled fabric. A quote from Finn's blog on the left:



"... to encourage all of us all to think frugally and show the long standing tradition of using what you have in any ways that you can, whenever you can.

I'd love to see a wonderful showcase of quilts across America showing our scrappy nature and ability to combine unusual fabrics to encourage fun and frugal creativity."

So these little thumbnails are all pix of my scrappy quilts - many of them made from donated fabric, some of them from block of the month and swaps. The four above, from around 2005, when I first got a good digital camera. These below, from 2006.




I use this one with floral fabrics the most, it lives on my couch and collects kitty-fur, then gets very frequently washed. It doesn't match the living room, doesn't match anything in the house, but used up lots of 2½ inch strips!

These next four are from 2007. Can you tell I got into paper-piecing half-square triangles in a big way? None of these were bought specifically for a quilt, all entirely from stash. I just have a STABLE. (Stash Totally Above and Beyond Life Expectancy.)



I'm finally getting the two above quilted. My ability to get tops pieced far outstrips my ability to send them off, then pay for the longarmer to quilt them.

The two below are already quilted, and given away for a Christmas present. On the left, king sized quilt that used up almost all my scraps and FQ's of blues and beiges - on the right, a pillow to match (and there were also two pillow shams) that used up even the tiny remnants.





And *sighs* not posting the not-scrappy quilts, limiting myself to 4 things per year, I'm only up to 2007. Finn, you'll have to wait for another post for more scrappy Memorial Day weekend showcase! This has been fun, thanks for the idea, Finn and Michelle. :)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the 'Stars and Stones' quilt in the top four - it's such a lovely optical illusion the way the white squares around the cornerstones seem to stand up and sing - lovely colour combinations too - all in all a lovely quilt

Michele Bilyeu said...

Absolutely, beautiful! Now, I am beginning to understand why in our heart of hearts we love scrappy quilts. It's our common spirit and love of fabric combined with our 'don't waste anything' philosophies. These are the kinds of quilts that make my heart sing! Finn's going to love them, too and we are BOTH so happy you took the time to showcase them and let us peek into your own Fibber Magee's quilt closet!

Nellie's Needles said...

Your scrappy quilts do NOT look as though they're made from "leftovers". Part of their beauty comes from all the many different fabrics with varying colors and visual textures. The rest of their beauty comes from how you put them together. It would be a joy to cuddle under anyone of them ... kitty hair and all.

Finn said...

Each one is just lovely Jane, and if you're only up to 2007 that means I have more to look forward to seeing in the future *VBS*! Thank you so much for jumping in and playing along. You've done a wonderful job with scraps and leftovers. I love that they are "kitty tested". Hugs, Finn

Dr.John said...

What a wonderful use of scraps.

Hanne said...

I love your scrappy quilts :-)

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