Friday 20 September 2013

Scrappy makes me happy {very}

There is something about scrap quilts that makes me find them so visually exciting. All those bits of fabric left over from previous projects that come together and effortlessly seem to make a whole new quilt.

My scrap bin was getting out of hand again so I revisited my version of a Spider's Web quilt that I first made nearly two years ago.

Slow and steady wins the race.

It is not something you can knock up in a week. Each web is constructed of eight triangles. In this quilt alone there are 128 triangles which I've slowly been adding to as the weeks have gone by. I've stopped at this point because I've run out of background scraps. I still have the inclination to go bigger though, so will wait for some more scraps to be produced and then continue.




The original construction of a Spider's Web quilt is to mark equal sides down from the tip of the triangle.

I don't do that.

On one side I mark down from the tip and the other side I mark up from the bottom.
The original instructions I wrote for this method are here.

What that achieves is two different shaped Spider's Webs and for me that is more visually appealing. I also find the original version can be quite 'heavy' with the same large Spider's Web row after row. This way I think it gives a 'lighter' look and breaks up some of that rigid heaviness.




The shape possibilities are endless, only dependent on what measurements you choose to use for each web.


And I just love it. I really love it for the fact it turns any old scraps into a mesmerising mix of colours that (in my head anyway) just seem to work.


It allows you to use up even the tiniest of scraps. It's like looking at a huge memory book of my life in quilts for the past few years.


And that makes me happy.

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday

{very}

41 comments:

  1. It would make me very happy as well - just gorgeous!

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  2. You really are the queen of all things scrappy - this is just stunning.

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  3. {your} scrappy makes me happy! Gorgeous :-)

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  4. I just wanted to say what Annabella said, you atre the queen of all scrappy quilts!!

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  5. I'm not surprised it makes you happy. It's lovely.

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  6. It's a lovely setting. Very different from the usual. I like the fact that it's different from other 'so called' scrap quilts that use only a few colours. In your quilt, one can use anything thing at all - even those ugly fabrics that one has accumulated.

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  7. This is beautiful! I need to start some kind of scrap project, you are inspiring me.

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  8. Really lovely! The colors are so wonderful and I really like the background fabrics.

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  9. You are the undisputed queen of scrappy!

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  10. Wow, you have a beautiful project

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  11. Oh wow, another gorgeous scrappy project. I really like how your scrappy projects aren't completely random - there's always a bit of method to the madness! I reckon I could pick one of your quilts even if I didn't know it was yours. Is this another hand pieced quilt top? After your post about your hand piecing methods I'm curious - in this quilt top it looks like there are long seams where you joined the rows of blocks. Do you hand stitch those too or machine stitch those?

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  12. I love your scrappy quilt.. It reminds me of the story I like to read to my grand kids over and over again.
    http://www.amazon.com/Papa-Pioneer-Quilt-Jean-Leeuwen/dp/0803730284
    In this story , the pioneers traveled to the West and along the way they would find trunks of old clothes or table cloths , and they would collect people's lost things to make a quilt with found pieces..

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  13. All your work makes me happy! It is fantastic.

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  14. Your spider web is fantastic. I really like scrap quilts too and that one is among my favorites.

    Annie
    : )

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  15. stunning! I love how they become catalogs of all the fabric you had/used at a specific time. You've inspired me to work on mine today, thank you!

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  16. It makes me happy too to look at this wonderful quilt so full of color. I love scraps too.

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  17. It makes me happy too to look at this wonderful quilt so full of color. I love scraps too.

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  18. Wow,, its so lovely!!Hugs Bambi

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  19. I'm not really scrappy kind of pal. I'm having such a hard time to place fabrics randomly but I must say I really like your quilt. It looks lovely!

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  20. I don't like spiderweb blocks as a rule, but your twisted webs make this look really lovely x

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  21. You are the queen of scraps! I love it!
    I just cut out my templates for a Kaleidoscope block. I will let you know how it goes.

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  22. can see why this makes you happy, it has made me happy too so much to see and enjoy in your scraps and I expect when you look at it it reminds you of what you used all the fabrics for, well maybe you cannot remember them all but some at least

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  23. Wonderfully lovely! A beauty for sure. Scrappy quilts can be a catalog of our lives, marking points in time, I understand why this makes you happy. Me too.

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  24. Mesmerizing is a great word for this quilt. I can't stop staring at it!

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  26. Love your huge memory book! The two webs together make up a very striking quilt. As always, I enjoy looking at your scrappy combinations. I'm beginning to think I need to start with more visually exciting fabrics in order to end up with joyful scrap quilts like yours.:)

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  27. I've been trying to study your background piecing. Did you use more than one fabric piece to fill the negative space sort of like a crazy quilt? Looks fabulous

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  28. I love LOVE this quilt!! Same question as Carla....

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  29. This is just a fantastic quilt Alison! I am a big scrappy fan.....there is nothing nicer that mixing up the colours to see how it all goes together. Love it! Thanks for sharing Marie (mlismore@optusnet.com.au)

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  30. Wow! This is fantastic! I love the two "web" shapes and your variegated background.

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  31. Amazing! Scraps can be still be beautiful.

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  32. Love the quilt. Try a Chenille #24 needle for Perle thread. Sharp point but a thicker needle so less drag on the thread.

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  33. Love it. What a fantastic job. I wrote a series of scrap quilting books straight from the scrap bins and have a line of templates to go with them. I am working on a spider's web template, because it's so very popular, for my next book. I get asked all the time. Your quilt is beautiful... and I am dying to know what little island you are on.

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  35. Saw this on Flickr and had to come take a closer look. Stunning! I've made several string quilts, but not yet a spider's web. I LOVE your idea of making it asymmetrical and therefore creating more interest. Brilliant ... a version like this is now firmly on my 'to make' list! Thanks for sharing your methods :)

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  36. this is so fantastic.amazing job. congrats on a beautiful quilt!

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