Crazy, Scrappy Quilting Tips

I garnered a few quilting tips over the past week while surfing through some Scrappy Quilting sites. I've pulled out three and expounded on them below.  Hopefully, they may help your next project achieve a higher finish to perfection. I know these tips will give my Scrappy, Crazy Quilting a new touch.

With many of my Crazy,  Scrappy Quilting potholders, I find it cumbersome at times when sewing on the binding because the pieces of fabric on the edge tend to move around.  Andie Johnson runs a stitch line around the backside of her block to stabilize these edge pieces.  Great tip, Andie...and your Scrappy, Quilting block is lovely, as well!

Jennifer has a Scrappy, Crazy Quilted table runner on Etsy that shows a nice arrangement of interlocking strips.  She arranged her pieces so they gently flow from the typical 5 sided center beginning, into an interlocking directional flow of 2 basic angles aiming toward the ends.  This arrangement gives a sense of motion, direction and added length to the overall look of the finished piece. Nice touch of creativity, Jennifer.

Judie gives a short, precise tutorial on a Crazy, Scrappy Quilted block.  Though I've seen numerous explanations on how to keep the original angles going as you work out from the center piece, this simple tute leaves no mystery to making a perfect Scrappy block. And your embellishments are stunning, Judie!

Added note:  Some videos and tutorials suggest that you sew down (usually 1/8 inch from the edges) all 4 or 5 sides of your center beginning piece onto your foundation block fabric.  I find that using 505 spray adhesive (or your favorite brand) on the back of this piece, saves time and serves the same purpose.  As an added bonus, spraying keeps the entire piece of fabric stable, for whatever quilting you do afterwards.

We'd love to see and learn from your quilting tips and short cuts you use with your Scrappy, Crazy Quilting method.  Feel free to leave a comment.

Potholders are an easy, quick method of quilting - trying out your new-found skills.  Practice brings perfection oh-so-much-closer, and with a minimum of fabric, time and energy.  And you now own a lowly potholder - an indispensable part of the kitchen team.

Here at Le Petit Chat..... ...there's always room for one more!

                                  Not ANOTHER flash in my eyes!

CALLING ALL CATS

In tempo with our kitty corner expansion here on potholdersplus, (Le Petit Chat), you can now indulge yourself with all sorts of cat fabrics to create your latest and greatest scrappy quilted cat projects.  Several web-sites sell lovely fabric filled with kitty pics of all varieties.

www.quiltedcatfabric.com/shop/Just-Cats/NEW.htm has Christmas cats, Vintage cats, bad cats, realistic cats, cats for children and variations therein. There are large prints to center your favorite cat picture inside a random scrappy quilted potholder, as we did for our February giveaway.

   

Or, you can combine all sorts of random cat fabrics and allow your creativity to run amuck..okay, at least run a tad wild?

For $33.15 you can belong to the quilted cat quarters club and receive up to 3 coordinating colors to enhance any project that may be percolating in your quilted imagination. And if you are anywhere near Blandon, Pennsylvania, hop in your little mobile and stop by the store;they would so enjoy helping you discover your heart's delight!

www.meowscape.com...known as Katbeary's Fabric Shoppe, takes their cat-staff very seriously! (too funny!)  I'm particularly attracted to the "head clerk", near the bottom of the page:

 Photo of Kohanna, below, taken from Katbeary's Fabric Shoppe at www.meowscape.com.




Kohanna: Head Clerk, Katbeary's Fabric Shoppe
Though still in training, Kohanna vows
to make Katbeary purroud.
She knows she has big paws to fill!

"Hello Kitty" brand name has an interesting origin, according to Wikipedia;  "Hello Kitty (ハローキティ Harō Kiti^?)^[3] (full name Kitty White (キティ・ホワイト Kiti howaito^?))^[2] is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow.^[1] The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States in 1976."

Many fabrics use this kitty logo and can be found at Sy Fabrics, the find, the fabricworm as well as Hobby Lobby, and many other online stores.   

NOTE:  I favor Hobby Lobby whenever I can, as I respect their willingness to stand up to the government to protect their religious values.

So pullout your scrap box/drawer/jar or wherever those anxious little leftovers live.  Take stock of your colors and pick out a matching cat fabric from any of these websites and begin your new and exciting scrappy quilted cat creation.

Now don't forget to share your works of art with us here at potholdersplus.  We will gladly show off your lovelies; let us know when you're ready.

 

Potholders...there's always room for one more!

PINK ANYTHING!

Pink is pretty; it's gorgeous; it is the color of angel wings, little butterflies and soft puffies before and after sunrises and sunsets. I love pink! I digress.

The Pink Penguin, Ayumi's website, is all about pinkish colors in her perfect tute on scrappy quilted place mats. At potholdersplus, placemats are a part of the plus.  They go with potholders, oven mitts, etc.  And besides...scrappy quilting...IS scrappy quilting - an unlimited palette of design and colors.

Ayumi takes scrappy quilting to an organized, more classy height than my scrappiness thus far.  And since I quiver at even the thought of bindings (I just know I will die at the hands of a binding creature that will eat me in the night!), Ayumi's easy, clear instruction on her binding, gives me hope. 

Her tutorial is so clearly defined - each step is an organized direct result of the previous step; even a beginner could follow her lead and finish a place mat worth showing off.

The simplicity of her center machine quilting sets off the sidelines; it gives a beautiful linear contrast that actually connects the stark white with the perpendicular direction of the colorful side pieces. And the addition of the potholder...is the perfect finishing touch to an awesome, yet easy project.

Nice job, Ayumi! We'll be watching your site for some more scrappy quilting projects.

If you have a scrappy quilted project you want to show off - here's your chance.  Leave a comment and we'll post your picture(s).  Send them to daniellesimone0@gmail.com.

The lowly potholder...there's always room for one more!

WINNER!

We have a winner for our first DRAWING on PP; congratulations June! The pair of kitty cuties pictured below will wander over to your kitchen.

Since we have some extra potholders this month, we also have a 'runner up'; congratulations Jan!

Thank you both, for taking the time to stop by.

Our next drawing prize will be announced shortly.

With potholders...there's always room for one more!

CRAZY, SCRAPPY QUILTED POTHOLDER

If this crazy/scrappy 'quilt-as-you-go' idea is firing up your creative juices and you want even more information, pictures, ways to use your pretty scraps without needing a quilt guild or expensive books to get you started, check out this site by clicking on the picture below.




Another quality site to gain knowledge and proper quilting techniques for a scrappy process, is available with the following you-tube from Missouri Star Quilt Company - a great tutorial.



If you prefer a more traditional approach to this crazy/scrappy look, Pepper Cory from www.Craftsy.com has a class that leads you through this process. I'm considering this informative course and will let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, if you haven't tried this easy, SO FUN way to make anything from mug-rugs http://letseatgrandpa.com/2013/01/12/seeing-red-a-mug-rug-for-becky/   to potholders to wall hangings to full-size bed quilts - get started right now!  It can be an addictive way to satisfy your creative streak while producing items to fill your space with the you that is figitting to be acknowledged.  Besides, quilting with this scrappy, crazy quilt-as-you-go process is no less than fun and relaxing.

Potholders of course - are the easiest and IMHO the quickest way to practice, practice till you feel secure enough to go on to larger projects. Does that create TOO many potholders? I say...there's always room for one more.

Don't forget to comment below and take a chance to have your name drawn to win the 2 kitty potholders. Drawing - February 1, 2013.  Or e-mail me at daniellesimone0@gmail.com.

SEWING IN A JAR


PHOTO BELOW taken from www.sewisee.blogspot,com






I found this cutie idea On Michael's blog, sewisee and HAD to share.  Michael recommends a plastic jar for traveling; I think the plastic is a durable idea, though the glass gives a more vintage feel and shows clearer.

The reversing cushion idea holds some added creative promise, I think...just haven't found a good idea for it yet???  Your ideas, perchance??  Please leave a comment below...or e-mail me at daniellesimone0@gmail.com.  I'll throw your name in the hat for our February 1 drawing for 2 new potholders for your kitchen.  If you are a 'kitty fan', don't miss this free opportunity.

Martha Stewart has her own 'kitty collection'; don't miss seeing her myriad of cat photos through this link.

Happy potholdering...or any other 'plus' you are deep into at the moment.  Stop by; rest a spell; chat for a few; give us a glimpse into your special little sewing corner.

Remember - with potholders...there's always room for one more!

ITALIAN CATS

When you think you’ve read it all, another wrinkle presents itself: an Italian cat political drama! This well written article in the L.A. Times is too funny and predictable in its political playground, yet profound in its cultural and feline connection.  Since we are threading some cat-sewing into our quilting here, let's look at yet another reality that is cat.

Largo di Torre Argentina square currently houses the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary and has recently become the center of a heated debate between local politicians and Silvia  Viviani, a 73 year old former opera performer.  This cat-fight over her sanctuary and her charges may have broad ramifications both historically and culturally.

Politicians want her and her many feline friends evicted from this site where history says "Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back, on the Ides of March, in a sunken piazza here in the heart of Rome"...about 2000 years ago. These local politicians - newly self-appointed caretakers of history, want Viviani and her 'friends'...gone. But Viviani...is sticking by her Sanctuary and its protected charges.

What may appear as a reasonable request from a western scientific perspective, runs in different colors within Italian culture.  "Cat colonies are a common sight on Rome's tourist trail, enough so that guidebooks mention them and shutterbugs go in search of them. Souvenir stands hawk calendars with photos of fluffy felines clambering over pillars and statues..."



Viviani stands firmly behind her right to be there and brings humorous and yet profound logic to bear, according to the article's writer.  "Viviani suspects that her organization is caught in the middle of a cat fight between national and local officials, and pours scorn on the idea that her four-legged wards could cause any more damage to Italy's heritage than the two-legged invaders who toppled the Roman Empire."

The dialogue continues as the furry four-legged tenants remain oblivious to their possible eviction.  A memoir to old Julius...or a continuing haven for a cultural part of Italian tourism...

"She and the co-founder of the refuge, Lia Dequel, have enlisted some high-profile allies in their fight to save it. One of them is the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno." says Henry Chu in his entertaining article.

Viviani has at least - a little political backing; "I'm on the cats' side," the mayor declared in a message on Twitter, then acknowledged the power behind the throne: "So is my own cat, Certosino."  HMMM...




This cat sanctuary is no backyard endeavor, nor is it a recent Italian concern.  "In the 1990s, the city government declared cats to be part of Rome's "bio-heritage," recognition that at some sites, the animals have been around for decades, if not centuries. In the Largo di Torre Argentina, cats have roamed the square and claimed it as their own for at least 80 years, their colony swelling in size from births and from the abandonment of pets. When Viviani and Dequel started their shelter, there were about 90 cats; now they care for double that figure."


It seems that not only is this cat colony almost indigenous, but also a cure for the city's feral cat condition. As the argument goes,  "...is not just about keeping their charges happy with full stomachs and sleek coats; more important, the shelter has helped Rome control its population of feral cats by spaying and neutering about 27,000 of them over the years, and vaccinating others."

Only time will be the judge of this tug of war over a historic - yet modern facility.  Viviani fights a strong fight, for the cause of not only her beautiful charges but also for the ultimate Roman/Italian archeological meaning of the ruins of the Largo di Torre Argentina square;  "All around, there are people who look at the columns, capitals and so on. And they are there — cold, indifferent," she says. "As soon as a cat jumps on a stump of a column, on a capital, on a sarcophagus … the ruins are living.

They're no more dead things. They have a new life because of the cats." (my bold)

Maybe you can give new life to some of your new creations; add a cat motif of some sort to your potholder (as we've done with the giveaways for February 1st here on Potholdersplus), or to any of your quilted creations.

And don't forget to leave a comment or drop off your name to my e-mail, daniellesimone0@gmail.com, to be automatically entered into our February 1 giveaway.

So continues the mystery that is..cat.