On the British Quilt List - a forum I have found interesting and helpful for ages, I stumbled across a quilting blogger whose post encouraged me to experiment more with using up my enormous scrap collection.
I have been playing with an adapted version for a couple of days, to make small blocks of hearts and flowers for a member of the group who sends them to anyone who is in trouble, or ill, or suffered a loss. My first block simply used up some of the one inch squares that come in sample packs of patchwork fabric from The Cotton Patch.
Then I tried something much simpler: I simply drew hearts on a piece of muslin and covered each heart with tiny scraps by stitching, folding and pressing until the shape was roughly covered.
I cut out the heart shapes and placed them on squares of background fabric with a little squirt of 555 glue to hold them in place. Then I put variegated thread in the machine and satin stitched all round the hearts. Easy peasy.
Three finished blocks
The scene of the crime, and two blocks that I made yesterday, one from one inch sample squares and the other experimenting with the new method. The small scrap bin is still overflowing!
Excellent to see the process, Viv!!
I use scraps of textured upholstery fabrics or corduroy to made ‘bean bags’ filled with rice or lentils, to make door stops… we have self closing doors and the upholstery fabric or corduroy provides enough friction to grip the carpet and stop the door from closing… and this is much easier than the wedges I have to use on the doors in the kitchen where there is a tiled floor.
Very appropriate for the month of February!
I love the hearts the most and am VERY impressed with using a little glue to hold the pieces in place before you sew them.. how brilliantly sensible.. c
They are so pretty. Viv.:)
They are beautiful, Viv.
What a fun idea!! Love your beautiful hearts!
Lovely. If you backed them and stuffed them with wheat germ they’d make lovely microwavable handwarmers for the pockets!
Ooo, what a great idea!
I agree and I suffer from cold hands. I bought some lavender the other day – we could have a go at hand warmers when you come and stay if I can get my sewing machine working by then. Sally
Don’t buy lavender, Sally. Wait a little and you can have bags and bags of the stuff from our garden – I grow it round the roses to keep away the aphids and to encourage the bees. I never harvest it all – always leaving some flowers until the first frosts, and it’s surprising how late you see the bees pottering about on them.
Next year you better dry it and bag some up for me to make wheat bags with. Thanks Sally
I love what you are doing with the hearts. There are lots of possibilities for using your huge
scrap pile with these. I am partial to hearts…but the sky is the limit since they are for a special group. (the flower sounds more difficult…I hope you share more of what you sew with your scraps.
Most of the fabrics have flowers on.
I love the idea!