If you have read previous posts on this blog, you will know that I hate throwing things away. I also like to make other projects with the leftovers of previous pieces. This little wallhanging is a good example of this. It is made with leftovers from a much bigger piece which I showed at the last Bristol Quilters exhibition:
I started the piece with this tiny leftover square:
Those half triangles in the centre are about 1 cm-1/3″ square and are the trimmings from a block where you sew a small square to a big square and then press it back to give you another shape:
I also included more leftover strips using Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jackson fabric which I had stitched together to form one long random strip which you can see on the outer rows of the small piece. I was really pleased to be able to use this gold fabric:
I got this in an Anna Scholz sale. Whenever people compliment on a frock or coat, it is always by Anna Scholz. Occasionally she sells off really luxurious fabric off the roll at ridiculously cheap prices for fashion students. Somehow I got an invite and then to meet Anna, who was lovely. I had to stagger back to the tube with all this stuff, but the bargains were stupendous. The gold would not have cost more than a fiver a metre, but it takes hand stitching really beautifully. Pulled the stitches quite tightly to give that rippled effect. I had intended to do more stitching on the piece, but the fabrics were too ‘shouty’ and didn’t need more detail. You can just see some fly stitch in the top left hand corner of the above picture. I more or less left it at that.
I now have to decide what to do with it. It is cushion-sized, but I think I would prefer it as a small wallhanging. For that I will need to do the binding.
The thing I thought was interesting, though, is what a happy piece it is. I can’t help but wonder if this is because it was the first piece of patchwork I did after I got my retirement options sorted out. The piece came together in an afternoon, and I think expresses my delight at being able to get on with the next phase of my life.
