Ugly Fabric Challenge
 

Ladies, I need your help. Our Quilt Guild is having an Ugly Fabric Challenge. We all need to bring a yard of "ugly" fabric that we cut it into 4 Fat Quarters. Then we will get 4 other fat quarters (they will all be different). Then we need to make something using the majority of the "ugly" fat quarters. We can add other fabrics. I would like to make a throw quilt but am thinking it should be something with small pieces. I would appreciate ideas (and pictures) from you all

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! What is ugly to some is lovely to others. Perhaps the fabrics you end up with will be nicer than you anticipate. Chances of 4 different "ugly" fq's coordinating are slim, though.

Are you committed to a "quilt"? A couple of things that are very forgiving and would use up fq's quickly are chenille potholders; they are relatively quick and easy. There are scads of examples and instructional tutorials on Pinterest.

Another non-quilt option would be a rope/clothesline basket. Again, there lots of info on Pinterest. I know some folks object to them b/c of the raw edges that do ravel a bit. I once saw a demo where the strips were folded in half first, with the raw edge always covered by the folded edge being wound over it. Possibly Alex Anderson showed it?

If you do go with a quilt, it is said that if it's still ugly, you haven't cut it small enough. Combined with a background fabric, ugly scrappy quilts can be beautiful. Bonnie Hunter has lots of free patterns available on her website, quiltville.com. Or strip sew some 4 or 9 patches and combine with a neutral block of same size, or a snowballed block. With scrappy quilts so popular right now, I'm sure you can find lots of examples online that would be fairly easy to make.

Exactly what I was thinking.
Unless the organizers of the events are sorting the turned in FQs to try to coordinate colours some?

I wouldn't fret about the pattern, until I saw the fabrics.
Don't waste the energy until you know what you have!

Who knows, once you see your four, it may strike you right away, what you want to do with it.
Or you may even say, no way I even want a throw out of those!

If not required to make a quilt .... 4 FQs easily make a lined tote!

When I make log cabin quilts I throw everything in the mix. When it's cut into a 1" finished strip, you don't see ugly, just color.

One woman's ugly trash is another woman's treasure! I'd wait to see the fabrics before deciding, and maybe add a couple of fabrics that tie together the "uglies"colors, then choose a pattern from a Fat Quarter Quilts book.

Wait till you get your fabrics before you even start thinking about it. What you plan on may change depending on them.

Share pictures of the fabrics when you get them. I will say, smaller is better when working with so called ugly fabric. Who knows, maybe you will love what you get.

Somebody send me four ugly fabrics! Haha, what fun it will be.

peace

Does it have to be a quilt that is made? I had what I thought was an ugly piece of fabric & I made a rope bowl from it. The bowl didn't look anything like the unfinished piece of fabric. I was very pleased with it. The bowl is made from cotton clothes line rope.

That's so cute, osewme!

​Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips might work.​

this was done from a swap with fabric sent to everyone participating. I won all the blocks. My granddtr now has it.