Originally Posted by GailG
This is true confession time :: when you great people say scrappy quilts, it scares the heck out of me. I get so befuddled when it comes to using all those different pieces. I can't decide which one to put next to which one. I can't even get all of my scraps together in a semblence of an order -- even a scrappy order. I keep putting all my scraps and little pieces aside in containers. Pretty soon one container is full, so I go to another container. Etc, etc. It's making me soooo nervous. And I'm NOT an organized person. You should see my house right now. With a quilt going, turoring going, baby quilt waiting to happen, another wedding cake coming up, etc. The faster I go, the behinder I get. Sick grandchild coming tomorrow so Mommy can go to work. AND THEN I READ -- JUST MAKE A SCRAPPY QUILT. ????? I'm going bananas! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Gail, first thing - breathe. Your suffering from one of my ailments called,
"The I Have To's"...I have to do this, I should be doing that, I have so much fabric...but I have to get that kitchen cleaned....
This is a suggestion, not something else to make you feel, "I have to live up to that", if it's not good for you,
toss it :D ...that is rule #1.
Don't try to live up to what we make ourselves believe are other ppl's expectations. They are not even paying attention to what we are doing unless we get in their stuff. (Yes, we do big time numbers on OURSELVES).
Now, you decide, what are
my priorities. Friday - babysitting is front and center...this is a list to guide you, not a whip to make you mush. (like a sled dog, lol! :cry: :D )
Write with a marker in big print. If you come to one that just won't work right now...make sure it won't work, not that you are ignoring, and open the fridge, (sometimes my fridge calls to me like my kitty),
if you can get it done later that day, just skip to next one. Cross one off, each time you finish. Visuals like this are great. Teachers ??? use them all the time....oh yeah, lol.
Somewhere on this list, you are going to write in,
one,
1, -
ONE -
30 MINUTE sewing session...
that's it.
I have the same problem as you about how to put color together in a pleasing way. Some ppl seem to have a natural gift for it.
Two things are big helps. A color wheel.
I have a book called, "Color Magic for Quilters", by Ann Seely and Joyce Stewart.
I am not saying you have to buy a book. I'm saying, this book taught me how to take one color and decide which color way, I want to go with, eye pleasing combinations...well, I haven't memorized them...I have to go look in the book, but I'm saying there are ways,...tools...to help us figure these things out.
I saw a beautiful little quilt in a fabric store, that I am going to make for a friend. It's a small wall hanging, with a scrappy border, and an appliqued center. I know her preferences, and I'll use the book to guide me.
Second big help...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery....
print out a picture of a scrappy that you like and copy the order of the color combo with your sraps...HANG IT UP, SO YOU DON'T LOSE IT.
you'll make this yours, with the other things you do to center and borders or binding. 30 minutes...ding, ding, ding...get up, go do anything else you want. Stop saying I have to. When you have several 30 minute exercises under your belt, and that, 'have to' feeling becomes, "I don't have to, but I want to, then when it goes off, reset it. At any time, get up, don't stand over yourself like it's piano lessons. I have embraced the fact that there will be fabric left in my sewing room when I die. I might be buying some, when it happens, who knows? but I've already done a ton of stuff, (sewing projects), in my life already, and I plan on doing more, me and my timer...it's my bestest (inanimate object), friend.
Long, but that's cause I try to be very helpful :wink: