Making Something out of Leftovers

Okay, so when I said a few days ago that I would share the finished handkerchief quilt top with you (here), borders attached, before I left town for a week, I didn't expect to get distracted and find something else to work on. I have the squares made for the corners and the fabrics picked out for the borders and I found something new to try.

My stash of schnibbles.

I started hand sewing/hand piecing 4 1/2 inch blocks from my "schnibbles" stash. "Schnibbles" are those little pieces you cut off from whatever you are working on that are too small to use for a regular sized quilt square, but you're sure are big enough to make into something. I've also seen them called "crumbs," but I really like the word schnibbles. (I discovered even more schnibbles stashed in random places this morning, I knew I had to have more somewhere. Turns out for a while I just threw all the leftovers into whatever container I had been using to organize my current project. So I have more colors to play with now. Yay!)

My first ever hand pieced block.

So I have been wanting to try hand piecing for a while now. One of my many dreams and ideas is to take my fabric stash, or part of it, with me when I go on a year-long tour of the continental 48 states and make quilt squares as I go and since I would be camping, I'd have no where to plug in a sewing machine.

My second block, I got really ambitious after the four patch.

Anyways, I thought I should practice hand piecing in the event that I ever make this epic trip. Also I just like trying new things. So I'm picking pieces out at (not complete) random and making 4 1/2 inch blocks. Completely by hand. I haven't even pulled out my iron to press anything as you can probably tell by the creases in some of my fabric.

Abstract, yet simple third block.

I started with the four patch block because it required 3 seams and all right angles. Easy peasy. Except then I felt the need to challenge myself and I did the blue crazy square with a streak of green where only two seams out of many joined at right angles. I had to then scale back and do another square with only three seams.

Took a while to find long enough strips in the colors I was using without going into my regular stash.

I wanted to then try something a little more traditional. So I tried a log cabin variation, which I am quite pleased with. At least I think it would be considered a variation since I used different widths of strips for the concentric squares and a larger center square. And I've just finished my fifth block. Sort of reminiscent of the stained glass blocks that I really love with the solid black surrounding all the jewel toned fabrics.

My fifth block, starting to see maybe planning specific blocks is going to be tough.

So now that I've tried several variations, I want to try grabbing fabric at random and seeing if I can be spontaneous. Something I'm not very good at. I always need a plan and to know where I am going next. Maybe I should have someone else pick out the fabric schnibbles and I have to make something from their choices. 

I feel I always need to be trying something new, learning a new technique or craft (like my broom making experience) and if I'm not, then I seem more anxious. I don't know if anyone else notices my anxiety when my learning has been stagnant for a while, but I feel it. That is usually when I jump head first into a new project without any regard as to how I could make it work business-wise. I just need something different, something to play with, and that's okay!