Fabric Scraps Obsession, Quarantine Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

Update on “All the Trimmings”

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Hello everyone, I wanted to share an update on the quilt I last discussed in this post What’s on the Design Wall: “All the Trimmings”.

I completed all five sections of the quilt top made from fabric scrap triangles and scrap squares to create nearly 600 half square triangles (HSTs) in the following sizes:

  • 2 inch x 2 inch
  • 2.5 inch x 2.5 inch
  • 3.5 inch x 3.5 inch
  • 4.5 inch x 4.5 inch
  • 5.5 inch x 5.5 inch

2020-05-23_20-04-48_040It was inspired by the pattern  All Sizes by Amanda Jean Nyberg from her book, No Scrap Left Behind.

Here it is on the ironing board after I pinned it for quilting:

2020-06-02_11-22-07_211And here is it currently being machine quilted on my sewing machine:

2020-06-03_17-22-24_962I decided to machine quilt it myself rather than send it out to be professional long-arm machine quilted. Slowly I am making progress, I try to work on a section each day.

(You might notice some curious brightly colored half-circle blocks on my design wall behind my sewing area. I’ll talk about those in a future post. They are blocks a quilting friend gave me when she decided not to finish a piece. More to come.)

And of course when I finish machine quilting All the Trimmings I will share another update.

I am going to do an Artist Statement for this piece since there is a story behind it. Here is a very rough draft of that statement:

It’s more than just a half square triangle quilt. I miss going to Quilting Retreats and hanging out with Quilting friends so I made this quilt, based on Amanda Jean Nyberg’s pattern “All Sizes”, from scraps collected from my quilting friends during 15 years of quilting retreats and “Sew Dates”. Most of the scraps are triangle trimmings from their block piecing. Hundreds of scrap triangles went into this quilt top!

Postscript

A friend of mine recently said that she was looking forward to hearing my thoughts on the tragic events and strife currently going on in the United States in a blog post.

For me it is just too deeply personal and sad issue to discuss in this forum, so I am going to just focus my blog posts on my creative projects and other lighter topics.

I will however share with you that I am currently taking a break from watching or reading the news as this was wearing down my soul.

Recently came across this quote by Fred (Mister) Rogers that made me feel some peace and I will close out this post with this quote:

helpers

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

42 thoughts on “Update on “All the Trimmings””

  3. I am like you. I would rather keep the blog on my project and not the news. I started this WordPress blog in2009 and in 2011 I decided to drop the current events and politic blogs. I even deleted them. Another political blogger talked me into doing recipes because he was struggling with learning how to cook in his twilight years. I did that for a while and didn’t post again on WordPress until a year later when I saw all the traffic through the recipes. I did more of them. I have been playing around with it ever since.

    Thanks for sharing your half square scrap quilt and why you are making it.

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  4. I am in love with half square triangles and absolutely love your interpretation of the pattern. When our library is back up to full function I will see if Amanda’s book is available. We don’t have a lot of quilting books listed for my county, but I will check! Have to stop purchasing books as I am out of room and currently living on a retirement budget.

    News time has been limited here too. The daily, unrelenting sorrow of current events is bone crushing when considering the progress I thought had been made (silly rabbit that I am) and the backslide that has happened over the past three years. I will continue to strive to be a helper and look for others who already are.

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    1. Thanks so much for your comments and it was a tedious pattern to work on but I’m pretty glad of the outcome :-). All the helpers are appreciated 🙂

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  7. absolutely adore the quilt, with it’s story and the extra hard effort you have made to “save the scraps”

    even though I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, the BLM news has reached us here. I’m trying to make sure I spend my blog post time with “what I’ve been doing” – particularly that all the news of late has got me confused – be it BLM or C/19 or regular life. I find that losing myself in caring for me – both food and art, is much better.

    Oh, I’m at your friends blog page with the recipes…I’ve had to revive my culinary skill base and I see there is a cooking for one/two…this is going to be another helpmate in this new journey, that I’m mastering…

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    1. It’s a whole lot of colors and a whole lot of scraps (from other people) – don’t stare at it too long or you will get dizzy! Thanks for your comments 🙂

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  10. I love how all the trimmings is coming along. I also love t hat you are machine quilting it yourself. That is awesome.
    And I myself cannot listen to social media or TV right now as it hurts my heart and soul. Until then I seek out things that bring me joy.
    Peace and hugs my friend.:)

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  11. I was inspired by your HST pillow. I made a quilt based on that design, but larger HSTs. I love this design also and want to make a quilt like this.

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  13. As a self-proclaimed sucker for triangles I love how this turned out! I think I actually prefer your interpretation with darker colours to the inspiration picture that you showed previously.

    If the current events are too painful to follow it sounds like a wise decision to ignore them for a bit (just keep those beautiful quilts coming! Can’t wait to read about the circles!). In the Netherlands the situation is not as bad as in the US I think but it could still certainly do with some improvement. The events in the US have made me pause to consider how I can do more to make the world a better place for everyone and I think that is true for many people right now. I hope we’ll be able to keep the momentum going so we can look back (ideally in a not too distant future) on this period as a turning point for civil rights. *hugs*

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    1. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments! I spent some time on holiday in Amsterdam (my only experience visiting the Netherlands) about 10 years ago and I had such a lovely time and felt right at home. A shopkeeper even spoke Dutch to me (I guess they thought I was a local) and I got away with a smile and a nod and the tiny bit of Dutch I learned for the trip. Thank you on your compliment of my quilt pieces and they are definitely bringing some happiness into my life. 🙂

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      1. Now that is certainly a rare experience! Nowadays I suppose it’s more common for Dutch people to be addressed in English in Amsterdam, especially in the city centre.

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  14. I love your quilt, it is beautiful. I’m happy you are making space for your own thoughts, you do not need to educate us on your experience. We should be educating ourselves.

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  15. Love, love, love this quilt. The fact that the majority are blocks left from other peoples block trimming is classic quilter mindset. Had I started doing that, I’m sure at some point they would have been eaten by all the other scraps I have been saving from my own projects. I am getting better and so far this year I have made 2 small quilts from only scraps on hand. The mountain of scraps is still ever present.
    I agree that now is a good time for many of us to take a step back from the never ending news reports. I and many of my friends have also done the same. Sending you virtual and endless hugs.

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    1. Thanks for your comments Kathy! Yes it is like “scrap wrangling” and I made myself recently let go of a bunch of scraps from other quilters as my collection was way out of control (but only the scraps I really did not love!) Thanks for the virtual hugs (those are really social distant, ha!) – back at you 🙂

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  16. I knew when I saw your Instagram quilting photo that I must have missed a post about the top! I really like how it turned out. It gives me hope that I’ll be able to do something coherent with the HSTs that don’t match that I have been saving.
    I wish you well during these tense times. One of my City Council members sent that she had received 10 000 communications. More people are invested in change this time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow 10,000 communications that is a lot! Yes it does seem like more people on the change bandwagon which is good! Thanks for your comments on the quilt and although I had to do “matchy-matchy” seams in each section, between sections I did not have to worry as the HSTs were different sizes 🙂

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  17. We just watched a documentary on Mr. Rogers! It’s a wonder to me that his show survived with all his “liberal” social commentary. I thought his most inspired idea was sharing a foot bath in the kiddie pool (on a hot day) with the (Black) mail carrier who came to his house. So much symbolism there, and very gutsy at a time when whites were pitching a fit about Blacks swimming in community pools! He kind of got in the face of the status quo and we could use him along about now.

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  18. Oh what a wonderful, rich HST quilt in both its colour and pattern, its provenance, and your thoughts and longings stitched into it.
    You have been much on my mind this past week, Tierney

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  19. Fractals!! ❤

    Okay I know it's not, but it is stunning! The way the squares keep getting smaller makes me think of the beautiful mathematical infinity; I can mentally see the top squares continuing on forever and ever. Love it!

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