I did spend a little stitching time this week working with some of the many, many bright green scraps that I have. I love this color and I have lots of bits of it. Here is what I made, but there's a story along with it:
A nice happy green scrap basket! I decided a little while ago that I should make some of these and stop using the plastic bins. I need the room for all my larger chunks, and then I can find some use for the other bins. Lots of people have made these fun scrap baskets, and I used the tutorial from Fiona found HERE, except that I didn't do it quilt-as-you-go. I just made a slab and quilted it and then trimmed it up.
Except. . .
Stress has weird effects on your brain! Once I got it all trimmed up and ready, I could not for the life of me figure out how to stitch it so that it would be square and basket-like. I read and read that tutorial and couldn't figure it out. I stitched it a few different ways and just blew it. It was not basket-like at all. I finally gave up and ended up with this:
I was okay with that, and it was going to work okay in the kitchen, but then literally yesterday I figured out what I did wrong. So I ripped off the binding, pulled out the stitches again, folded it and stitched it the way it should be. I almost cried when it turned out square. I didn't even mind having to redo the binding.
And that's the story! It took me days to get there, but I'm happy to have this little basket. It holds all the pieces just great and there's even room for more. Every bit of this little basket is scrap, including the batting and the binding. I save the ends of binding in a jar, and these came from the jar. I won't have every color, but I'm hoping the jar will be mostly empty by the time we get to the end of this year.
For those of you who are keeping count, this is my 500th post! To celebrate, here is my new favorite winter picture, which I took outside our house on a cold, clear day last week:
Enjoy the weekend, and happy stitching!
Sharing at soscrappy for RSC20.
17 comments:
pretty green basket - I have seen some have them in every color and use for the scraps
I love your scrappy green basket! I’m doing away with the plastic and making scrappy bins too. I hope your coming week is more normal and relaxing, my friend!
Your scrappy green basket is wonderful, Mari! So glad you figured out how to get the shape you wanted. You've made me curious about how that basket is made, so I'm going over to check out the tutorial. Congratulations on your 500th post!
500 posts!! That is crazy! Lots of writing and so many projects. I enjoy your blog Mari so here is to another 500!
My brain goes crazy with things like the basket tutorial now and then. sometimes I just cannot get the spatial configuration - I just don't see it. I admire your tenacity though. I am unsure I would take apart the existing project and totally redo it. Well done!
Congrats on your 500th post...what a happy one with great results! I know just how you feel when a pattern or tutorial just doesn't make sense. For me, it's usually operator error and either I make it work, or give up completely. So glad you figured it out! I love bright green fabrics too and have quite a few!
I have a friend who made that same exact mistake with her first large quilted scrap basket. Didn't you have enough scraps to just make a whole 'nother basket, Mari? That is SEW what I would have done!
congrats on both the victory over the basket and the 500th post.
Love your basket and glad you were able to figure out how to make it square. It is really cute! I also really like your idea of using scrap binding for them!
Yay! So glad you worked it out. Such a cute wee basket. I have several of them here, they get used to catch all sorts of bits n pieces.
500 posts is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations! Love your blog.
Congrats on the 500th post! So glad you are here and posting, since I enjoy reading the little snippets of your life. Sorry about the stressful week, but glad you can put that behind you. I wonder if you read the instructions now, post-stress, would they make sense? I can't tell you how many times I've done something like that. So glad your fabric bins turned out. Love that bright, happy green! Blue skies - how lovely! We haven't seen any in days and days.
Happy 500! Great winter photo - love that blue sky (ours has been gray for days now and I NEED some blue!). And bright/light green is such a great color - your basket looks wonderful (even after all that stitching and unstitching).
Happy 500Th!!! that is a great basket - I am glad you figured out what needed to be done to make it square - I get very frustrated with moments like that!!
Happy 500, and here's to 500 more!
I know how it is to suddenly be unable to figure out what I'm doing wrong. (My mom used to call those 'brain farts')
Hi Mari! WOWEE to 500 posts. That rocks. I wonder how many were written while you were in Wisconsin, and each state thereafter. I'm a numbers kind of gal - things like that I find interesting. HAHA! I just adore how your basket turned out. Both versions, and how cool that it uses up scraps. Happy Monday my friend. ~smile~ Roseanne
Congrats on figuring out where you went wrong on your scrappy green basket. Looks fabulous! Your winter-scape is gorgeous! Seeing beauty like this is exactly why I walk my dog every morning.
A lot of work but you got where you wanted to go. I am hoping to someday give making baskets a try.
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