Scrap-play chaos!

I’ve been wondering for quite awhile now: what to do with the odd pieces of fabrics that are in my stash — mostly quilt backings or else prints a good friend has given me, all colorful and lovely in their own way but not in any way cohabitable with each other to use in a quilt top.  I don’t usually use prints in my quilts, preferring mostly color and texture. But prints are useful at times, and fun to put on the back or use sometimes in borders. And, like I said, I have friends who have given me pieces as well.

But this odd collection was starting to feel overwhelming and a little threatening whenever I peaked inside that particular bin. And it seemed like they were multiplying. Even becoming a little toxic. Yikes! What to do with them all?!

Then a couple weeks ago I came upon a quilt in a magazine (also given to me by this same lovely friend) which made me stop flipping through the pages and take a closer look. It was just a motley crew of disparate prints put together with dark blues, using a single shape, a 60 degree triangle.

Since I’ve recently made two quilts with this specific ruler and since I’ve always loved triangles and found this ruler to be really fun and easy to use, I had my solution!

So last night I dared to dig into that storage bin and get out the stacks of odd prints, some of which I’m embarassed to say I don’t remember collecting/purchasing. It was exciting to rediscover them.

Then I started cutting and I told myself — outloud, making sure someone else heard me! — that I was not going to let myself rescue the scraps that fell to the floor, because I simply do not have the space to keep tiny pieces anymore, either in bins or in my head. Nevermind the time to use them all up! In the past if I could get a one and a half inch strip or square out of something I’d keep it.  But last night I promised myself I’d let the scraps stay on the floor.

Well … that promise didn’t last too long. Ha! This morning I decided to keep a piece if I could get a two and a half inch square out of it!  Since I already have a collection of that size started I felt justified in keeping that pile going at least. Some day I’ll put all my two and a half inch squares into one big quilt.

For now, I am happily sewing 60 degree triangles together, being careful only to pair them together: dark to light. Also putting in a few solids here and there to give the eye a place to rest (because in this quilt the eye is going to need a lot of places to rest!) and to slow down the chaos  — train wreck? — a little. At least I hope so!

And actually there are some colors I am excluding, so it’s not completely ugly. I’m keeping out browns, blacks, purples. (And now I’m already thinking I’ll do an earthy version of this with my collection of blacks, browns, taupes and rusty reds, especially including the rich 1800’s Repros. Ooh, I can’t wait!)  For now, everything else — reds, greens, blues, pinks, yellows, oranges — gets to play a role in this very scrappy quilt. I have fabrics from the 30’s, Southwest prints, Sushi cats, stripes, birds, bugs, polka dots, flowers, boats, you name it. A crazy conglomeration. Almost enough to put me in a panic, in fact.

Oh, one more rule I’m applying in this quilt: no batiks. Just soft quilting cottons.

It’s either going to be wonderfully entertaining to look at, making my heart sing with joyous rebellion (What? You put those two fabrics together???! But they don’t match! How dare you!)  … or an utter disaster.

At least it has gotten me out of a funk. And that is something I am grateful for.

Stay tuned.

Below are a few photos of the madness so far.  Notice the broom in the last pic. Those piles are going into the waste can!

I just had a look at that storage bin again. Ack! It’s still  full! I could probably make two more largish quilts this way. Sigh.