Re-purposing again, and a long overdue quilt finish...

As I promised yesterday, today I am going to share another re-purposing idea - at last!

 

I have so many re-purposing ideas in my head but just not enough hours, days and weeks in my life to make them all. So, I am focusing on simple things this time, ok?

Remember last time when we made the humble toilet roll insert into a pretty fat quarter wrapper?

Well, this time we're using those toilet roll inserts again!
Let's face it, we never run out of them so why not find ways of recycling them?


Yesterday I made some binding for a quilt (more about that further on), and after cutting the right number of strips from my fabric I found I only had a 6" wide length left. I was pretty sure I'd never use the fabric again, so I cut two more 2 1/2" lengths and made the binding extra long.

After attaching the binding to my quilt, I had 120" of binding left over.
That is easily enough binding for a table runner! 

Then, it occurred to me that I have plenty of fabric remnants only 5 or 6 inches wide, fabrics that more than likely won't be used and will sit neglected in my scraps pile. 

So I began going over my stash remnants then and there, making more binding as I went along. I decided I would need at least 80" of binding for it to be worthwhile - this equates to a 5" width of fabric from selvedge to selvedge.

This is so quick and easy! And to have binding on hand for wallhangings, embroideries, quilts, runners...well, I am hooked.

Next, I needed some way to store them. Enter the humble toilet roll insert.

 Just wrap the binding lengths around the inserts, secure with a pin, and write how long your binding is.

~~~~~

Now to that quilt!

This is my version of the "Things We Love" quilt that Joy, Dawn, Vicki, Fee and I designed last year as The Gum Tree Designers.

We each have two embroidery blocks and the rest of the blocks are simple 'square in a square'.

After I finished my "Time to Rise" quilt last week, I still had some bamboo wadding left so I spent yesterday basting the quilt layers, machine quilting, and stitching down the binding on "Things We Love". Now I have another thing I love - this quilt! It's a reminder of some dear, dear friends that I will treasure always.

I cannot machine quilt to save myself, but I can do a really good wavy line between blocks. \o/

For those who are as challenged as me in this department, try some wavy lines. Simple, quick, and almost foolproof.

Here are some of the blocks.

JOY's 'home sweet home'...

VICKI's "Slippers'...

FEE's "Friends"...

DAWN's "Garden Arch"...

...and my "Happy Home"...

I stitched all the blocks last year, assembled the quilt top early this year, and now I have finished it. \o/

So last night I lay on the bed stitching Alicia Paulsen's Sampler, watching "Julie & Julia", under my friendship quilt.

I'm doing well with the sampler. Actually, it's addictive and I'm not being diligent enough to finish writing the magazine!

A and B all finished, and starting on C...

 

Are any of you stitching this??

~~~~~

Lastly, a huge ~thank you~ to everyone for voting in the Quilting Bloggers contest last week. 

My "Circles of Life" quilt won!!

In celebration I'm keeping the pattern at the reduced price of $8.95 for the PDF a bit longer. 

My prize (from Valerie at Pastimes Online in Canada) includes some Weeks Dye Works threads - and to be honest this was the thing that really pushed me into the decision to enter. I LOVE trying new threads, and have never used these. Can't wait till they arrive. :-)

~~~~~

Have a blessed week! 

I'm going to be a good girl now and make lunch for Mr E before I finish writing Elefantz HOME.

Then I can stitch....;-)

Hugs

Jenny

xxx