Saturday Stitches

  This is today's progress, not really a lot but I am "sketching" out my stitch layout for this next small quilt that I am working on.  Not sure if you can make it out very well.  Here is what you are looking at a large piece of clear vinyl overlay with the pattern drawn on with erasable marker over the quilt top.  This gives me an idea of how the stitching can be done on the machine.  It helps a great deal, when the quilt is rolled up on the bars, I don't always remember exactly what I wanted to stitch in a particular area.  This way it's all there for me as a reference once the final decision is made as to pattern.
  You can buy the vinyl in most fabric stores or hardware stores.  There are different thicknesses as well, choose what works best for you.  Any erasable marker will work, just make sure that when you are finished with the design that it is well wiped off so that the next quilt isn't soiled.  
  Take a look.

The black lines are drawn onto the clear vinyl.  This gives you the idea of  what the stitch pattern may be, of course at this point you have the option of change and experimentation without ripping out stitches.

Here are some of the experimental ideas that I am playing with.  These are from my sketch journal.  Click on the pictures to have a closer look.

 

What do you do with selvage edges?

Selvage edges sewn together in long rows.

Even tiny pieces can become the start of something big!  The pieces in the middle were just large enough and colorful enough the use - I just couldn't send them to the rubbish bin.

Of course sometimes you need to cut the selvage wide enough to be able to sew it together - I was a little bit more generous with these edges because of the original project that they came from.

Here again are some tiny central pieces that were the beginning of this block.  As you can see I sewed these all together just going in circles, so to speak, until I was satisfied with the size of the block.

  So you have a bunch of selvage edges just laying around, just what do you do with them?  Why you sew them together to make a great piece of fabric.  Then you make the fabric into something useful or fun or perhaps something to hang as a piece of interesting wall art.  Sometimes you can even use it as a sew in non-stretch stabilizer on clothing items in seams that you don't want to stretch.  What ever you do with your stash of selvages they can be interesting challenges to find ways to use.  I myself am making runners for my table and maybe some hot-pads.  The pictures above show everything in progress.  This is a project that you can do a little bit here and there.  Before you know it you have a big piece of fabric that you might have otherwise tossed into the waste bin.  It will add color and visual texture to what ever you apply it to.  Check back to see what the finished product will look like, hopefully this weekend!