Little Things

As it often happens when I sit down to do something I should do, like quilt the Hands2Help quilt that's been basted for a month or better, I find something else that seems infinitely more interesting.  Like a pile of scraps.

You know I love me some scraps.  These, in particular, were the corners cut off on the diagonal in making the X blocks for this quilt.  

Now, I didn't set out to be all waste-not-want-not with these trimmings.  I was being rather pragmatic about throwing them away.  In fact, they only came to be on my sewing table after doing time in the garbage can.  I don't know what came over me the day I went to empty the trash and saw them huddled together in a clump, but I took pity and rescued the lot of them in a couple fistfuls.  Thankfully, I hadn't dumped anything too nasty on top of them.

Still thinking I might just warm up for the big, hairy quilting project, I started chain piecing a few dozen half-square triangles through the machine.  And here is where I warn you that chain piecing is a slippery slope, y'all.  

Next thing you know you're finger pressing, then you're trimming dog ears, and then—oh no, she didn't!—you fire up the real iron like you mean some business, and pretty soon you're admiring all those cute widdle things!  And it all just follows like a train wreck from there.  You cannot look away.

Hence, what we have here are some itty-bitty broken dishes blocks, which will finish at five inches square.  Yes, I'm pretty sure I still have most of my marbles, thanks for asking.

The HSTs sew up at more or less 1-3/4 inches, and if you think I'm crazy enough to trim them all up square, well, you would be right.  I did make the first block without trimming and it was wonky.  Not good wonky, but I-don't-know-if-it's-useable wonky, and that just felt like wasted effort.  So a little work on the front end seemed the better plan.

Starting to think of ways these might go together.  Perhaps on point?  I'm digging that peacock feather fabric with them...

But I'm also kind of crushing on the coppery metallic feather print.

Maybe they could work together, as an inner and outer border?

Just exploring the possibilities.  We'll see where it goes.

How about you?  Do you like to work small?

Before I go, I wanted to give a shout-out to Elizabeth at Such a Sew and Sew, who did a FABULOUS job on her Thoroughly Modern Lily quilt from my pattern.  

She made it for her friend, Eloise, and it is really wonderful!  You can read all about it on her blog, HERE and HERE.

Way to go, Elizabeth!  You make beautiful quilts with so much love and attention to detail.  Thanks for sharing the journey with us!