Stitched in Color

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what became of my Scrap Triangles

It’s happened to you too, I’m sure. You’re happily sewing, your mind relaxed, contented and open. Suddenly it strikes you that the scraps of your current work-in-progress are positively perfect fodder for a new idea, and you feel instinctively that it must be.

That’s how these triangles came to me - quite the lucky patchwork accident! I love that about our hobby, how leftovers can surprise you and transform themselves into beautiful things.

I saw it when I cut my first big, showy hexagons. They produce triangle-shaped scraps too big to ignore. With my Tri-Recs ruler set, I’m trimming them to uniformity.

I love this part just as much as the piecing, maybe more! Everything looks so crisp, clean and brimming with possibility when freshly cut.

To create my scrappy patchwork, first I sewed all triangles as pairs. This results in diamond-shaped units that are easy to manipulate. Pairing triangles is not at random for me. Instead I chose pairs that seemed to compliment each other, hoping to create little movements of rhythm within the chaos.


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Along the way I honestly wasn’t so sure that I would like the results. Maybe too chaotic, too splashy? To curb things just a bit, I added more of the lower volumes triangles and the pale blue Social Climber print. These bits of softness brought the touch of visual space that I craved.

Now, I’m totally smitten! I love the finished patchwork, with all its pointy points and frolicking florals. The color, color, color is exactly right for me.

Next week I’ll show you where this patchwork is headed. Not a quilt - but something just as nice.

Happy weekend, all!

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