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june 12, 2008
ugly picnic So, here's what happens when you go to a quilt shop. No matter what you're shopping for, you end up throwing a couple of fat quarters (18" x 22" cuts of fabric) into your basket. It's a standard size that every quilt shop sells (usually of end of bolt or sale fabrics). They only cost like $2 each and with 10 or 20 different ones you can make a really cool scrappy quilt. Plus, sometimes you don't want a full yard of a fabric. It might be cute or funny or pretty, but would never work in one large continuous piece. What this all means is that you're less critical when you choose your fat quarters. You don't have to loooove 'em. They just have to catch your eye in some way. Because I have been to a few quilt shops, I have quite a few fat quarters. And I have been given many more by others (oh, everyone will help you collect fat quarters - easiest gift for a quilter ever!). I've got plans for a lot of them that work together real well or are from the same designer. And then I've got a bunch of uglies. Some of them are genuinely ugly and some are simply too bright or kitschy to fit into a standard matchy-matchy quilt design. I sorted out all my so-called uglies the other day and am planning to put them all together into a picnic blanket for me and the kids to bring to the park this summer. I'm hoping that all that ugly will come together to make something pretty cool.
The large piece of fabric on the bottom is some Ikea fabric that was on sale for $2.50 a yard that I'll use for the back of the quilt. Doesn't it just scream "ugly picnic"?! Again, it's not heinously ugly, just weird, hard to coordinate with other things, not something that's gonna match anything else you have anywhere. In other words, it's perfect. School ends in a week and a half, which means I've got to get sewing! posted by alison at 10:40 am | in
sewn
Comments
I love your so-called uglies!!! All I make are the "scrappy" variety of quilts. I love them! But I have an issue w/the fat quarters as I have problems cutting. Yeah, I can't cut the stupid strips/squares and make them even...but eBay is my best friend because I can get all the fun prints already cut for me! :D Have fun with your quilt! :D Posted by: Tammy at June 12, 2008 11:03 AMI'm picturing black borders to make those bright colors really pop. Posted by: heather t at June 12, 2008 11:24 AMLove, love it! Over thirty years ago, on a snow day in Michigan, my sons and I wound together large quantities of left over skeins of yarn in bunches of three strands. I then knit them on super large needles and made what we always called the ugly blanket. Again, over thirty years ago. My youngest son still has the blanket. It is the blanket everyone wanted when they were home sick or there was a blizzard brewing. It's been repaired a few times but he won't give it up. It was made on one of those special days in his childhood. Enjoy and I hope you make some memories for the kids! Posted by: joyce at June 12, 2008 11:49 AMWhat a great idea, I'm sure all these "uglies" wiil look great together and make a pretty picnic quilt. Posted by: Valerie at June 12, 2008 12:07 PMI have a feeling that your "uglies" are going to turn into an amazing heirloom picnic blanket. Posted by: Sherry at June 12, 2008 12:11 PMFat Quarters add up fairly quickly... IIRC, there are a couple of books on quilts using just fat quarters, and using them to their best advantage -- cutting pieces that tile exactly (or within a 1" strip of exactly) 18x22. Your quilt looks like it will be cute, and hide stains easily (which is great for a picnic cloth!) :) Posted by: Christy at June 12, 2008 12:20 PMAll I can think of is that scene from "How to Make an American Quilt" where Winona Ryder is trying to define (at length) Maya Angelou's quilt-making color theory and Maya Angelou replies, "I'm saying I don't want to end up with a damned ugly quilt." Makes me laugh every time. Posted by: Suzanne V. (Yarnhog) at June 12, 2008 12:26 PMi can see why you picked (most of) these quarters - pretty cute on their own! sounds like you have come up with a good way to use them. yay! Posted by: ruth at June 12, 2008 2:31 PMHmmm.... If they're *that* ugly, maybe the ants will stay away at your picnic. Sounds like a win/win situation to me - a good blanket and no ants! Posted by: Susan B at June 12, 2008 4:36 PMI didn't realize the ugly picnic quilt was such a widespread tradition. In the early 70's my new husband and I were departing after a visit with his grandfather. He told us he had a quilt for us, made by a local lady. Knowing he had given my SIL a lovely quilt, my heart soared. We unwrapped a beautifully hand-stitched quilt made from--are you sitting down--polyester double knits. He was clearly delighted to be giving us the latest and greatest. We placed it in the trunk of the car, where it lives on as the indestructible picnic quilt. Posted by: Wanda at June 12, 2008 4:37 PMI love some of those "ugly" squares! They look truly unique. I think some of the old handed down quilts that I got from my great grandmother might be considered ugly as well but they have been much loved through the years. Posted by: Melissa at June 12, 2008 6:17 PMLooks like something made by what my mother referred to as the other side of the family.I inherited some really ugly quilts from them. Posted by: BarbM at June 12, 2008 8:46 PMSome of your "uglies" are quite cute. I am sure it will all come together. :) Posted by: silverarrowknits at June 12, 2008 10:31 PMHi, check out Bonnie Hunter's web page for scrappy stuff and you might be hooked: Have fun looking at the free patterns and the picutres of what others did with them. Posted by: karin at June 13, 2008 3:48 AMHi, check out Bonnie Hunter's web page for scrappy stuff and you might be hooked: Have fun looking at the free patterns and the picutres of what others did with them. Posted by: karin at June 13, 2008 3:48 AMHey I have one of those uglies!! The light blue cupcake looking one. I agree not a good one for big blocks, or being a main fabric - but is darn cute for baby bibs. Love the idea of a ugly picnic blanket. Posted by: Deana at June 13, 2008 8:10 AMNot really ugly, but fun and bright and perfect for a picnic blanket -- hope you have a ball! Your work (both knitting and quilting) is inspiring! Posted by: Pam at June 13, 2008 10:26 AMI saw a quilt demonstrated at our quilt workshop that would work well for this. It was a ragged edge quilt and the bottom squares were of recycled jeans . Posted by: pat at June 13, 2008 3:39 PMMaybe after sockapalooza5 is done, you could organize a fat uglies swap :P~ |
