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Let's give scrap baskets a double meaning! Made from scraps, especially thread scraps, this basket is also a good place to throw them! It's about 4.5" high and 3.5" across. I used silk, so it's extra fancy, but you can use any fabric and threads you like. 

Contents include:

-- An old freemotion quilting practice sandwich, 

--  Long scrap fabric strips, as background,

-- Ravelled threads on top. Most are threads ...

BEFORE: In my last blog post, I showed this potential valentine, which my friend Jane pointed out, looks more like the Valentine's Day Massacre. 

I certainly couldn't give this to anyone I don't wish to maim. But then it occurred to me that my daughter's cat, Cleocatra, routinely combines love with blood. She doesn't allow claw-clipping, so when she plays with us, scratches can ensue. She's also an unrepentant lizard-tormentor and sewing-machine occupier.

AFTER: So I turned my violent background into this! The perfect Valentine for my daughter!

This technique has been around a ...

 I was minding my own business, making a whole lot of improv triangle kaleidoscopes, like this.

I'm only using solids for this quilt. The smallest scraps were filling my "toss" bin.

But then the Create Whimsy newsletter arrived in my email. Lynn Woll, its curator extraordinare, had an article titled "Scrap Happy Confetti Quilts," with  Valentine's Day projects. Oooooo! It looked like so much fun...and I knew I had loads of fresh scraps. 

I plucked the solids from my "discard" bin and sent them into plastic bags, organized by color. 

Then I cut out a 4" square ...

sampling, paper, ribbon and silk

contemporary embroidery posted a photo:

embroidered silk panel, 11x11 inches....a little cuff from a baby dress, vintage lace, hand embroidery, beads, lemon ribbon.
karenannruane.typepad.com/.../03/lemon-and-lace.html

hand embroidery, silk velvet and gimp

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I am happy to have finished another one of my Olympic Quilts even though it is after the closing ceremony.

I love, love, love the way silk takes color.

The background fabric is one I used in a jacket and the other fabrics came from a bag of hand painted silk I got from Joe Sherman ties in Chicago.

I debated on what edge finish to use and I'm very happy with the zigzag over edge finish.

There is nothing like silk to take color beautifully.

I'm on the home stretch for this one.

The grandkids are visiting for the summer, which means I’ve been busy juggling a toddler and a bigger kid, both of whom need things to do outside.

Taking this video as inspiration, I decided to go for something we could do TODAY from start to finish and see results. [YouTube video: “Indigo Dyeing with fresh indigo leaves // 生葉で藍染”]

Our local soil is kind of garbage. It’s sandy, silty, and blows away in the wind, but we find ways to work with it.

I ordered indigo seeds from The Dogwood Dyer several months ago and lo and behold, they ...

 I recently transformed a Wedding Dress into a Memory Bear.

When I was ask to do this I did think long and hard about it for a couple of months.

In the end I decided I quite fancied the Challenge.

I've made plenty of Teddy Bears over the years. BUT never one in Silk.

Here is the rather beautiful and elegant Wedding Dress. Classy and understated I'd say.

The Pattern

It took a while for me to choose a Teddy Pattern. I wanted one that reflected the personality of the Dress. Which in turn I hoped would reflect ...

contemporary embroidery posted a photo:

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contemporary embroidery posted a photo:

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adorning a silk background

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