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Funky Flower Pins from Fabric Scraps

Funky Flower Pins from Fabric Scraps

Comments 12 comments

I have been continuing to think of what I can do with all the scraps of fabric that are crammed into my studio. (Ann has really gotten me going with her 2nd Quarter Challenge.) I have bags of commercial fabric scraps and then tons of fabric that I have dyed, screen printed, stamped, stenciled or thrown color upon in some manner. I need to start using these up before the studio overflows and the fabric starts to take over. (Not that it hasn’t already but…)

Machine Stitched with Center

So I decided to make some flower pins. I used some of my ugliest screen printed fabric for the centers. I rolled up the fabric and twisted it into a spiral. Then I hand stitched the spiral together. I made a pile of fabric scraps for the petals and leaves and then machine stitched the pile of fabric together.

Blues Scrap Flower

Then I hand stitched the center on to the petals.

Blues Scrap Flower Back

I cut a small circle of felted wool blanket that has been dyed, stamped and a variety of other things which has been in my stash for years. I sewed on a pin backing and hand stitched the circle of felt to the back of the flower.

Here’s another one. As you can see I don’t worry about the scraps being nice and even. It’s nice not to have to worry about if the scrap is flat or ironed and whether the edges are neat. I use the pinking shears on the cotton fabrics.

Both Scrap Flowers

And here are the two finished pins. You can trim the petals a bit if you like after you finish. So I got two done.

Studio after Making Scrap Flowers

And here’s the studio after I finished. I still have a gazillion fabric scraps, the studio is a mess and I’d need to make hundreds more to use up all these scraps. Perhaps I need to increase the scale of my projects to get rid of more scraps?

2nd Quarter Challenge Part 2

2nd Quarter Challenge Part 2

Comments 16 comments

It seems as if everyone is anxious to reduce their UFO stash.  While I haven’t put a dent in mine, it does feel good to create something new out of scraps.

Sifting thru my scraps, I was having a hard time coming up with ideas.  But then one evening while watching the local news it hit me.  I grew up in Chicago and now live about 50 miles west of it in the middle of corn country.  I always loved seeing the city scape either driving in or flying over.

I didn’t want to copy a picture, but compile my own city scape made up of buildings I thought were unique.

My first attempt I used a purple for a sky color. And a teal for the water.  It was too dark and didn’t let the buildings pop.

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Not having enough blue scraps for the sky I felted a piece of prefelt.  Then added some fluffy wool clouds for dimension.

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Of course a lot of buildings are gray or black, but as you can see I chose to use more of my wallet material for my centerpiece building — The Willis Tower (formerly known ans will always be The Sears Tower to me.) In reality it is black.

The red building on the right was a left over piece of a business card.  I thought it was just right for a real red CNA (Continental National America) building on the lake shore.

On the left is the Crain Communications building also known as the Diamond  building.

Once the pieces were pinned, I used a combination of hand stitching to keep everything in place, machine stitching for the windows and antennas  on the Willis building and details on the Crain building.

The Willis Tower is not leaning in real life, but we do live in the Windy City and buildings do sway. Actually, the sewing must have shifted it.  I debated pulling it out, but decided against it.

I also used free motion stitching in the foilage area at the lake front.  There was still something missing. What is a lake without boats?  If you look closely, the sails are blowing in the wind, again adding dimension.

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I tried a couple of mats, but decided on the black and white one.  I don’t have a frame yet, but probably basic black.

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Or I could use a 5 x 7″ frame by itself.  Sorry about the black background. It’s a metallic slate gray frame.

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What do you think?

Don’t forget to post your 2nd Quarter Challenge on the forum.

 

 

 

Completing Another UFO

Completing Another UFO

Comments 22 comments

I have been inspired by Ann’s 2nd quarter challenge to start working on the piles of fabric and UFO’s in my studio that haven’t been completed. I dyed this silk fabric in August of last year. You can read about the dyeing experience here and here.  I decided to make some pillows for our living room to liven up the place a little. I had two yards of fabric and made three 18″ square pillows and one 16″ square pillow. The smaller pillow was a request from hubby to use in his chair. I didn’t think this through very well and almost ended up without enough fabric. But I squeaked by and covered the pillow forms I had.

I also didn’t pay enough attention to where my flowers were going to end up and which side should be front and which back but it all worked out OK in the end. I also don’t stitch silk very often. I forgot how slick, slippery, stretchy and generally uncooperative it can be. Fun was had by all including the sewing machine trying to eat the fabric several times and jamming itself up.

Back of Poppy Pillow

On the three larger ones, I made an envelope style back.

Poppy Pillows on Couch

Here are all the pillows on one couch. Didn’t realize my Glacier Park painting was crooked until I looked at this photo. Better go straighten that.

The smaller pillow for hubby is on the left and here is one of the pillows in one of our other chair. I like the bright colors against the deeper green of the couch. They definitely brighten up the room.

Pile of Scraps

But I still have a pile of strips of green and red silk that I can’t throw away. Now I have to think of another project for these. They are too heavy for nuno and I really don’t want to do any more sewing of this slippery fabric but perhaps I can add them to cards or collages??

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