Everywhere I look on social media quilting pundits are touting the glories of reuse and recycling. Just this week I found TrashN2Tees on Instagram. So, it would seem I’m accidentally in the vanguard with my scrap projects. Of course, quilters have always used scraps as a money saving practice, even before Earth Day.
My latest scrap project used leftovers from my faux torn paper quilt, “The Smokies.” Why bother storing them? “Lattices” developed from weaving the craggy edged remnants together and adding very large hand stitching to the exposed background cloth. It was sloppy but fun to make.
Here you can see the perle cotton stitching scattered over the surface. I did the blue stitching before quilting, and the orange after, working between the top and backing. I also fused non woven interfacing to the back of the top before doing any hand stitching so the stitches wouldn’t draw up.
The Snarky Quilter 
What does fuse non woven interface mean?
Interfacing comes in 2 types – woven and non woven. Non woven is similar to dryer sheets rather than cloth. It is used to stiffen or strengthen fabric by attaching it with fusible materials such as Wonder Under. The fusible comes as yardage, and the glue on it is activated by the heat of an iron.
I’m still catching up with several days with of posts — and I’m glad I caught this one. I love the tangled weaving. It reminds me of the Cuban electrical lines, and how they go just about every direction. The accent stitching adds that much more texture and movement. Good work!
Your quilt reminds me of standing in a woods looking up. It is very happy. What size is it? I always like to know the size of a quilt in a picture, as that is an important aspect of the design. Love your work.
I’m glad my feelings while making it came through and I love your interpretation. As to size, I usually remember to note that but not always. It’s on the small side, about 17 by 21 inches
Oops, just checked – it’s 14.5 by 17.5 inches.
Oh my! I love everything about this quilt…the colors, the spontaneity, the playfulness. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for your kind words. It was a bit of a lark to make.
Oh, I really like this piece and good idea to use fuse interfacing to help avoid thread draw up. A piece I have been hand stitching recently is only a top fabric and thin batting. I thought it would perhap add to the dimension. BIG mistake; the batting is totally pulling through with the embroidery floss and needle! Fusible – a much better way to go!
oops… make that “perhaps”
I learned to back cotton fabric I plan to embroidery from Carol Ann Waugh’s Craftsy class. Just light weight garment fusible interfacing will do. I also use fusible fleece when I want to pad the hand stitching more. Again, it prevents draw up. Perhaps batting with a scrim would work better so you wouldn’t get bearding.
What fun!! And since trends continue to cycle, when we stay true to ourselves we have times when are not passé, we are simply ahead of the curve, foretelling the next trend, as it were. Works for me! As a bonus, the background for this type of expression would be another great use for some of my hand-dyed endeavors that seem to make better supporters than stars.
Jane, it’s much easier to use the less than successful dyeing experiments, because you just don’t worry about “ruining” them. As to trends, make what you like. It’s always good to look at new trends, but I find I chase a moving target if I try to hop aboard each new one.
So, in using scraps, you are paying homage to traditional quilters AND totally on trend!
It’s quite an accidental intersection for me.