A few weeks ago, I shared a bin of fabric I received from a friend and wondered how many quilts I could make from all the fabric.
Well, I am ready to share finish number one!
One hundred percent of the fabrics came out of the bin.
All of the fabrics appear to be from Australia. For this first quilt, I simply cut a bunch of 4.5" squares and went with a simple patchwork. I focused on cutting all of the smaller pieces of scraps and leaving any large cuts for future quilts.
There are so many fun designs in these prints.
I even had enough fabric in the bin to piece together a backing and a binding.
The yellow piece is a wonderful kangaroo print which looked great with some larger purple prints from the bin.
It is a simple patchwork quilt but there is so much to look at and enjoy. Now I will see if my friend wants this finished quilt. (Otherwise, it will probably be the quilt I send off to Bernie for a Hands2Help donation quilt.) My Friend may want to wait and see what I do next!
Quilt number two is already started!
Linking Up:
Need any background fabrics for your stash? Connecting Threads is having a Flash Sale on their basics. Might be a good time to load up!
20 comments:
So many wonderful fabrics and a really great quilt. That must be one huge bin!
great idea - I have two bins I haven't even opened in years to see what is in them - I really need to come up with a plan for them
Those prints are so fun to look at, and sometimes simple patchwork is just what the fabric calls for. Can't wait to see what else you have cooking :-)
You are inspiring me, Cynthia, to keep plugging away at the scraps I have. You have made such a wonderful quilt from this great gift.
I'm definitely curious to see how many quilts you can make and what you are working on next. Great lesson that keeping it simple can let the prints shine.
Sometimes simple quilts are the best. This one marries all those prints together beautifully.
cute quilt!
Those Australian prints are so neat! The simple patchwork is perfect for them. I love the kangaroo fabric for the backing - so fun!
Such a great quilt!
What a great finish! Those are some beautiful fabrics. Looking forward to #2 from the bin.
Oh, nice! I love the colors, the prints, the simplicity, the quilt. Wonderful finish!
What a great fun finish. Sometimes easy is all that's needed.
Those colors and prints together are wonderful.
ooohh i love it and those gorgeous aussie prints too!
Just goes to show how wonderful simple patchwork can be! Lots of fun motifs in these fabrics, and I love the roos on the back :)
Wow! What fun fabrics! I'm looking forward to seeing the next project out of that bin. Hope you'll show some closeups of the fabrics!
I am rather enamored with Australian prints. The colors are rich and the designs are intriguing. I only have a few, there is only one shop in a 300 mile radius that carries them. I made a purse last year from 2 fabrics. Love the look, hate the actual purse. I am considering de constructing the bag to get the fabric back! Crazy? Maybe!
Your quilt is stunning!
It makes my heart feel so wonderful to see scraps used instead of thrown out. And look what a gorgeous, warm, vibrant and fun quilt you made. I just think that I'm made out of the old cloth of my ancestors where they used everything. I am always surprised how often i have to dig back into my "old and seldom" used fabrics from long ago to pull off a current quilt I'm working on. Yes, there is certainly room in the quilting community for the concept that if one hasn't used their scraps for _____ years, to "declutter" and either re-home them, donate to a guild, or throw out. But there is also another choice. That is quilters who develop a storage system for old fabric that is no longer considered "fresh and new" but nevertheless dear to their hearts. (The connection may be emotional, practical or their financial investment.). Yes, I am one one of them. But then I grew up in a time of watching my grandparents carefully save everything. And to clarify, this was done to use it, not just to add clutter to their homes. But as i press forward. Then with a specific storage system for these fabrics, one can keep their eyes open for ideas to use these fabrics. Pinterest is a wonderful source for inspiration of what may be considered fabrics that don't fit into today's modern, fresh quilts. But wait, yes there are quite a few out there that can span between the old and the new fabric eras. And just like you have shown today, some amazing quilts spring forth from these fabrics that are no longer main stream. One of my favorite choices is for our personal quilts and community quilts is to dig and find fabrics that have fallen from grace. I use these first for my backs as long as they work well on the back. Oh, yes, on some family quilts too. I have collected ideas for lots of pieced backings over the years. Many, many years ago I took a quilt class in Newmarket, New Hampshire from an Australian quilter who was visiting the states. I loved that class as it was there that i was introduced to "rag backs". That is using old scraps to piece the backing for quilts. I have done so ever since when appropriate for the quilt. My last approach is the one you used here. I occasionally purposely go into the older fabric storage system. I approach it just like going to my favorite shop (for me Keepsake Quilting in Meredith N.H.) which is an hour and half drive. Since it is so far, I have a general plan for an upcoming quilt and look for as many fabrics as I can for that plan. So, I may have a specific quilt I may want to make or go "shopping" for fabrics that play well and are interesting until i have pulled enough to be very interesting. I usually tend to have these quilts be easier to piece that lets say making the Swoon pattern...a favorite of mine. Sure enough, i love the outcome of each quilt and it feels so good to use these fabrics that otherwise may have become outcasts amongst their roommates. And in each cast, their recipients have been most delighted to receive the finished quilt. So, thanks for sharing this post and again, it really touched my heart.
This looks great!!
Kathleen at kakingsbury at verizon dot net
Beautiful quilt, Cynthia! Thanks for being a part of H2H again this year!
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