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Tempus fugit... |
One suggestion that I have is to dive deep into your box or bag of scraps
and see if any of them "speak" to you.
You may find that the effort leads to the completion of unexpected
treasures. Not to mention jumpstarting the mojo.
Today's post is about two different projects that I cobbled together (one very recently and one from over a year ago) using discards that I found in my scraps box.
Do you ever chuck entire unfinished projects into your scrap pile?
I did that with a pin cushion idea that I had, made out of two leftover
pieces of my
Winter in the City
fabric. (It was my favourite design out of the ones that I came up with
during my
first attempt with Spoonflower.)
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| One side of the rejuvenated project... |
I had just completed some throw pillows
and
sunny glasses cases
with the fabric and had a couple of pieces left over that looked like
they could be turned into a miniature pillow/pin cushion. My enthusiasm
died, however, after I decided to bind the edge with piping and
subsequently had issues doing it.
That was 2017.
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| Reverse side... |
In March last year, I found it while digging to the very bottom of my
scrap bin. I didn't take a before picture, but it was the two
pieces of fabric stuffed with polyfil and finished off with some ragged
red piping. It was truly rather sorry looking.
I unpicked the binding and tossed it aside, removed the polyfil, and put a
piece of fusible fleece between the two pieces of fabric. Then I quilted
it as you see here.
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| This coaster has been well used over the past year and some... |
Using regular binding that wouldn't call as much attention to itself (and also narrower than the previous version), I finished it off properly and it's been sitting on my desk ever since.
It's home for my cup of coffee or water whenever I'm at the computer. From
something that was ignored and virtually forgotten at the bottom of my scrap
heap for years, it is now something functional that I see and use every day.
Part of this next item was also an entire project that was abandoned before it could be finished. (It was supposed to be a customized peanut shaped zippered pouch.) I cut the number 10 out of the leftover floral linen piece. The oval fabric is from a dress; I had used part of it to make a couple of no sew masks for Mom last year.
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| Finding fabrics that complement each other well... |
Two weeks ago, I decided to go scrap diving to find something that would
inspire me to make a memorial piece for a hero from my teen years. I had no
idea of what that would be, however, until I saw this sitting in front of
our fireplace...
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| House number sign... |
We kept this when we sold our vacation home. (It used to be propped up on
the ledge inside the front window. That is, it wasn't permanently installed
outside; we wouldn't have taken it if that had been the case.) Hubby and I
decided that it would be the perfect memento of our old home, even though
the sign itself was purchased in faraway Mexico.
Once I took notice of the first two digits, I decided that my tribute
project would be modelled after a door plate or a house number sign.
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| Determined to add hand finished touches... |
The dress fabric was a knit, so I interfaced it with some Decor Bond to make it easier to handle. It was eventually fused onto Peltex to provide structure for hanging.
The floral linen had already been interfaced previously with some
SF101. As a result, it wasn't fraying so I didn't bother finishing the
edges in any way. (The numbers are fused onto the background with pieces of
Stitch Witchery.)
Apart from the white stitching around the numbers, I used a couple of different red threads to add some other decorative bits to the background. (It helps that the fabric's print looks like stitching.)
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There is a closeup of the brad that I attached to the number 1 at the top of this post. It's a clock with hands held at about twelve minutes after ten.
'Til next...
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| One of two flowers I stitched onto the background... |
Apart from the white stitching around the numbers, I used a couple of different red threads to add some other decorative bits to the background. (It helps that the fabric's print looks like stitching.)
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| Closeup of other hand stitching... |
No, I do not normally like hand sewing, but in this case, it was truly
therapeutic... and an intentional and genuine labour of love.
There is a closeup of the brad that I attached to the number 1 at the top of this post. It's a clock with hands held at about twelve minutes after ten.
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| My finished tribute to Flower... |
I don't look for meaning in everything, but in this case, I couldn't help
but notice. First of all, it's ten, then it's ten plus twelve which is
twenty-two. April 22nd marked the passing of a hockey hero who lifted people out of their seats in anticipation like no other before or after.
It totally sucks to lose the unique individuals who made huge, indelible
marks on your childhood. Judging by the emotional rollercoaster that I've
been riding these past couple of weeks — while watching old footage, new
tributes, and finally, an absolutely surreal funeral —
le numero dix certainly did that for me.
Good night, sweet prince.
'Til next...
I am sorry you lost someone you knew in your life, that is always hard to deal with. Hugs to you Rochelle!!! I think your project was a good therapeutic one to help you work through and carry on. I like the little clock on the number and at first thought it was an old watch. I had no idea they even made brads like that. I have some in shapes like stars, hearts, but love the clock. Now I may need to search for some other brads to see what else is out there that I can use as embellishments when I want to.
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