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Quilting For Creative Stress Relief
Have You Captured
YOUR Undiscovered Creativity?
KALEIDASCOPES -- MORE FUN THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE!
AND WITH THE RIGHT RULER
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT WITH 'Y' SEAMS!
The first Kaleidascope Quilt I saw took my breath away. It hung near the end of a row at a small local quilt showing, and of course it claimed the 1st place ribbon.
A year or so later I watched a demonstrationby Bethany Reynolds of a Stack-n-Whack pattern. It was fascinating, looked easy enough, and fun to watch. But when contemplating doing one myself, it was just too easy to back down and go for something I didn't have to think about.
Early last summer (2011) a new lady joined our local quilt group, and at her first 'Show and Tell' she brought in a collection of kaleidascope quilts she told us were done in the "One Block Wonder" pattern.
(Gotta break for family holiday fun ---- I'll finish this next month, and add photos. Have a wonderful holiday season with YOUR family, and come back to see me in 2012!)
WASTE NOT WANT NOT?
HOW TO STAY ORGANIZED AND STILL
RECYCLE EVERYTHING 'LEFT OVER' WHEN YOU QUILT!
I was amazed to find how much waste was accumulated from everything that went into my first quilt.
There were a few blocks of various sizes (no two alike, of course) that I knew to put in the 'scrap' box. These will eventually wind up as patches in some project -- no great stretch of the imagination there.
But what about the rest? There were strings of fabric, narrow strips of batting, tiny wads from clipped corners and tails, and a surprisingly measurable pile of thread clippings. I'm ashamed to say for my first two quilts most of it went into the trash -- and I really, REALLY, hate to put anything related to fabric and quilting into the trash.
So here's a list of alternatives every quilter can consider:
First the obvious -- batting scraps get their own bag -- I have a 13-gallon trash bag to hold batting scraps that are less than 36-inches square. I pull from this bag for extra tufting (quasi trapunto quilting), placemat-coaster-tablerunner projects, and for decorative pillows and soft toy stuffing. Often the bag is too full and needs to be reduced -- I cull the smaller pieces and drop them into a charity 'Doggie Bag'. |
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Fabric scraps sort into 3 container types:
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Whatever you use, strive for visability (see-through containers), easy storage (where will it fit between projects when not in use?), and easy access (can you retrieve it easily when you need it?).
And if you don't want to be bothered with any of that, just make 'Doggie Bags' and drop everything into the next one to be filled. Even our smallest scraps can be put to good use with nothing wasted.
Waste not, want not!
PERSONAL GIFTS ARE ALWAYS A HIT
BUT REMEMBERING YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY IS THE BEST GIFT OF ALL!
SOME EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING AN EXTREMELY COLD WINTER ahead of us this year. Maybe even one for the record books! We're definitely going to feel it in our homes and on our utility bills.
But the people who will feel it the most are those who have no home. I'm talking about the many homeless families caught jobless in the Foreclosure mess, and those showing up on the ever increasing list of abuse victims. They are going to feel the cold winter like most of us couldn't imagine.
Maybe this is the year some of us should 'rotate' some of that stash we keep juggling. I know I have a 16-gallon tub stuffed full of left-over scraps that don't have another home yet. There's no reason I couldn't use that fabric to create something warm for children and families in need.
How about you? You'll be giving YOURSELF a wonderful gift, too, if you dig out your scraps and let your creativity run wild. Let yourself go! Bring the orphaned pieces together in any crazy pattern of colors and prints that appeals to you. Believe me, there will be someone exceedingly grateful for your artful kindness of providing warmth against the cold.
When you have a finished pieces to donate, contact your local shelter to reach someone who can put them in the hands of abuse victims, or contact your local Salvation Army office to get them into the hands of homeless victims. In Las Vegas, we donate regularly to.Safenest, the organization specifically helping abuse victims. It is a sad fact that the closer we get to the holidays, the more abuse will be taking place.
Whether caused by foreclosures or abuse, I doubt going all the way back to the Great Depression, there have ever been so many families who were trapped in this cycle. Yes, the percentages were worse during the Depression years -- 25% unemployment is a record we hope to never reach again. But the actual NUMBER OF FAMILIES in need is even greater now than it was back then.
In those early devastating years most of our great-grandmothers made clothes and bedding as much as their resources would allow. They took care of their own families, and when they could they helped others in need who came to their door. They considered themselves helping their country survive. I wasn't born until after that period but I still remember the stories told by my elders who lived it. I'm so proud of them! I will definitely make time to honor their work by participating in their crafty citizenship and donating where it will help.
I hope you will all join me to the extent your resources will allow. We can use our creativity to make a difference where it is so needed.
THE QUESTION HAS BEEN ASKED . . .
WHY DO I LIST SO MANY RESOURCES FOR THE SAME THING? . . . and the answer is --- to provide you with a variety of styles and more choices.
In my search I find some constants at all the shops -- if they carry a particular brand, almost all of them will stock the newest line. But not always for the same price!
Some shops have end-of-line sales to clear out inventory. Some are bargain priced all the time. All of them have ways of grouping colors and prints for display that are unique to that website, and the wealth of ideas is sometimes the best gift for time spent looking.
We all have a few favorites that we visit often. I've received several suggestions from regular visitors for new sites to add, and now there's been a second request to include what state the shipment will come from if an order is placed.
That one surprised me. Most orders are shipped for the same fee regardless. Now I understand it's not the fee that is questioned, but the length of time to wait.
If you're in California, you'll get it faster if you order from a shop closer to the west coast. My friends in Georgia would like to know if they're web-browsing can be guided to east-coast suppliers.
Makes perfect sense to me. I'll try to have that information added, at least for some of the sites, by the end of the month.
