Scrappy vs The Safe Zone
Well, hello there! :-) Have you missed me? I haven't been ignoring you, I've been spending lots of quality time with my BFF. She's ready for a little respite and I need to get caught up with YOU. :-)
Scrappy
Back when my quilting mojo went missing a fabulous designer asked if I'd be interested in doing a quilt or two for her. screeeeeech................of course! Well, I made one almost immediately because I used a coordinated Jelly Roll (the safe zone). The second quilt needed to be super scrappy. screeeeeech...............what????? I can't do scrappy..............I can do planned scrappy! But true scrappy; oh I don't know!!!!! Sigh! Well, I've been agonizing but didn't want to let her down so I finally came up with a plan and jumped in with both feet (well, three feet - mine and my machine's foot - teehee). On Friday I made a handful of blocks and sent a picture to her for her approval - she liked them. Onward! WooHoo!!! The quilt required 30 blocks, an inner border and an outer border. Guess what???? I did it - it's super scrappy - I mean SCRAPPY! The designer seems to be happy with the results but last night I dreamed that she really doesn't like it and doesn't know how to tell me. LOL - she's assured me that she really does like it. I think I'll know more after she actually gets the quilt in her hands. Sorry, I can't show you the blocks or the quilt - it's a secret. teehee!!!!
The Safe ZoneAfter I finished the scrappy quilt and breathed a HUGE sigh of relief I headed to my closet to find a new project and work in the comfort of the SAFE ZONE. You know a coordinated Jelly Roll, Layer Cake, Charm Squares, etc. I found 3/4 yard of a background and 2 Peace on Earth charm packs - what to do, what to do???? A Schnibble, of course, LOL. Miss Rosie's Sunday Best required exactly what I had - perfect!!! I played in my Safe Zone last night and today; Sunday Best is officially a flimsy.
Have you ever thought about Scrappy vs The Safe Zone???? What's your comfort level? Please share your thoughts with me and others.*
I hope you've been spending tons of time with your BFF (the sewing machine).
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Thanks so much for visiting - come again soon.
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In Friendship!
47 comments:
I definitely like planned scrappy. I just become paralized if the fabrics are too "way out". I have "zero" creativity when it comes to picking out fabrics, and do much better and feel much safer with coordinated fabrics. I do love your Schnibbles :-)
I LOVE random, crazy scrappy. I just cannot make myself work on a jelly roll, layer cake or even a 5 inch charm quilt.
I love your quilt!
I'm definitely with you in the "Safe Zone" I love planned scrappy. FQ Bundles, Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and charm packs are my best friend (I have a huge drawer full to prove it). I have done full on scrappy with no rhyme or reason but I much prefer coordinating fabrics.
I'm laughing so hard at your silly self! I love all your safe zone quilts, but I think you can throw together a killer scrap quilt. And at lightning speed!
I do love your Sunday Best quilt. All of you are really making me want to get on the Schnibbles bandwagon. I LOVE those cute little quilts!
So now that you're happy with your scrappy quilt, are you going to do something about all those bags? :) I'm just dying to see what you come up with.
I like both controlled and scrappy-but more of a controlled scrappy-haha. I get real uncomfortable having to substitute because I ran out of a fabric part way through a pattern. I'm working on getting past that tho.
After I work on something that is more of a challenge-whether it's piecing, quilting a new technique, I like to make something super easy and fun-and usually fast. All difficult work can bring you down and get tedious but never pushing yourself to grow gets boring.
I too can go for hours in my sewing room until I'm so tired I can't sew straight and occasionally because I feel like I've abandoned the family (I don't feel that kind of guilt very often tho'*wink*)
I love making scrappy quilts. Those are the quilts I was raised with - ones made using leftovers from clothing, curtains, etc. I seldom buy patterns and almost never, packs of coordinated fabrics. I see a design I like and go to my stash and see what I can use in there and if I need more of a color I will buy a variety of the color instead of one fabric - it makes it so much easier to add in something if you run out.
I'm not comfortable with totally scrappy. It just isn't me. Controlled is ok though. I do prefer the "safe zone", and since it's about me enjoying myself that's what I do, though I do stretch that zone with different patterns, or maybe colours, it is controlled and planned.
First of all, your BFF is the same as my BFF :-). In fact, I like my BFF so much that I bought a second one a couple of weeks ago and broke it in today.
My safe zone is unplanned scrappy...only worrying about value and if the two fabrics next to each other look good. The more fabrics in the quilt, the better. I am completely uncomfortable being handed a set of coordinated fabrics and being asked to create something with them, or trying to make a quilt with just a few fabrics. Totally not me.
Why yes I've missed you! But oh my you've done wonders! I can't wait to see your scrappy quilt - I love them so much, but I live in the safe zone. I get paralyzed with too many choices! Your Schnibble is wonderful, Darlene!
I wonder if I'll be able to find one more charm pack of Peace on Earth...I have one and now thanks to you and my Schnibble addiction want this quilt!!
Your scrappy quilt....perfect!! Ask me how I know! Hee!!
I hope one day we get to see this super scrappy quilt! You are amazingly talented and I laughed at your comment about jumping in with all 3 feet!
Hope to see the scrappy quilt, Your bff is the same as my bff which now is at the machine doctor, hope it get better soon. I just like all kind of patterns and appliques are my favorite. HAPPY SEWING!
I love your Schnibble- adorable!!
Paulette
I love this post! I am planned scrappy in that I tend to just use one quilt line in a quilt. I keep saying that I am going to branch out and try to use a little piece of most of the fabrics that i have in one quilt. Then, i stop and think that it may be too scrappy and I would have wasted a lot of time and fabric! LOL
Cathy
Your Schnibble is adorable. I'm pretty happy in a bag of scraps. :-) Maybe I played with the boxes too much when I was a kid. ;-) LOL
I love scrappy, however, I have only made one - Bonnie Hunter's Christmas mystery quilt. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a true scrappy quilt though. So, if it doesn't qualify because some of the fabrics were new, I guess I better get busy and make one! I do intend to, but then I get started on something else that isn't. Oh dear, how can I get everything done that I want to do?!?!?
I like planned scrappy but it doesn't have to be a jelly roll. I like to start with one and add others to make the quilt more interesting. You tease...I want to see more of that quilt.
I work scrappy all the time. I find it freeing, less stressful. No worries aobut running out of the "focus fabric" or making a mistake and not having enough of that piece to re-make it,not needing to figure yardage exactly to the inch for each color, etc. Now and then, I may need to do a "red, white and blue" quilt or an earth tones quilt; however each of those colors consists of umpteen different fabrics. I love seeing the pattern "come alive" with the various scraps. I've done this for so many years, I find it hard to stick to a set color scheme. But, I like the look of both scrappy and coordinated.
Darlene
I love scrappy.. why use ten fabrics when you can use 400??? now I must admit I did have trouble with this at first.. but now I use the whatever comes out next I'll use (unless its the same as the one next to it).. so far so good.. have had a disaster ONCE but hey, the quilt was for the lounge it looks OK.. people say how lovely it is, but the values are all over!
Just hold your breath in jump in.. I love your bowties by the way, just lovely!
My machine isn't my BFF at the moment we are talking - just.. me say bad words! LOL
Sorry, about removing the last post because I messed it up typing it.
I love your schnibbles quilt. I bought a couple of schnibble patterns but I haven't had a chance to use them yet.
Lovely Schnibble! Safe zone...well for me it used to be only colors in my comfort zone. My artistic daughter helped me step out side and since then I haven't looked back. My string challenge has helped me put scraps together (although I do admit to liking my string blocks color coordinated). :o)
Super scrappy for me every time.
Your "safe zone" Schnibbles is wonderful, Darlene.
The moral of the story...whatever works best for you.
Totally scrappy is my favorite. I agree with Freddy Moran who says ten colors may look wrong but 100 always looks right. I'd probably add that 1000 are even better.
I love scrappy quilts - I love the look you get with randomness. Now is that easy for me - NO, lol. When I do something scrappy I work very very hard at not coordinating - is that a quirk, lol.
Hugs - Karen
I'm a scrappy girl all the way. I've never bought a jelly roll, layer cake or other matching bundle.
It sounds like you did good on both projects! It's nice to do "safe" and "scrappy".
Hi Darlene, Scrappy vs The Safe Zone...too funny. Everytime I pop on over to read your blog, I leave smiling and sometimes in "wonder". But - that's a good thing.
I guess I consider myself "The Safe Zone". I don't often go "out of my box". LOL
However, saying that - this past Christmas I went out of that box and I didn't even fall....LOL
I just had a conversation on this topic with Hubby this morning. I am definitely planted firmly in the scrappy camp. I've made coordinated quilts and loved the results - but they are always the quilts I give away. I just don't seem to value them as much as the scrappy ones, which to me tell a story beyond the design of the quilt.
Good luck with your up coming scrappy adventure! Love the schnibbles.
I like planned scrappy. Part of the reason is that it is cheaper, the other reason is that we do not have the same fabric selection here in Canada. I am working on a true scrappy quilt right now but because it is in colours I normally don't use, it has taken me a long time to collect fabrics for it. I would rather pick a jelly roll, layer cake or charm pack and get started. Your sneak peek looks great.
Safe all the way for me! If it is scrappy it has to be planned which doesn't work that well!!! I really admire those people that can do scrappy.
Definitely safe. I have to be colour coordinated to within an inch of my quilt. On the very rare occasion that I've done scrappy then it has been very planned.
Love and hugs Gina xxx
Doing scrappy quilts is much easier for me now because now I am not afraid of the fabrics and colors.
But do like "controlled" scrap quilts a lot.
Love that bow-tie Darlene -- the colors are really pretty! I'm a scrappy quilter - I just don't get the attraction with all the jellies and rolls and stuff. Guess it's good for business that all quilters aren't like me LOL!
I like scrappy! Nothing wrong with the safe zone but a planned scrappy quilt makes me happiest.
Love your Sunday Best Schnibbles. We have the same sewing machine, how funny is that. I think you may have helped me out with my sewing problem, saw the setting on your machine, ran in saw mine, it was different, changed mine and I'm hoping that solves my problem. Thanks.
I love it. My mojo is in hiding. Life is too busy. And I hate that. It is fun seeing what you've been up to.
OOHH -- I can't wait to see your design Darlene! I am UBER excited for you! And, I am SO like you -- I like for a quilt to "look" scrappy, but I can't just wing it. I have to coordinate, and lay out the pieces and blocks, and move them around -- almost to a fault! So proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone!!! When do we get to see???
Your Sunday Best is adorable. And to answer your question....both! I know what I like and make it, but also work to use up my scraps.
Can't wait to see what your secret assignment was Darlene!
I've done some true scrappies, but I'm more in the safe-zone camp. What I now call scrappies are planned. I'll pull all the blues and tan scraps out and use them, or the reds/whites. But the most fun I have is working in the truly safe zone with fabric lines. I figure those designers are way smarter than me putting together those fabrics, so I'm going to take advantage of their expertise! :) Besides, I don't have to make any decisions at all. I can just start sewing away and know that it will look great when done!
I love your result...I have a hard time planning. I love scrappy the best, everything with everything strikes a chord with me.
Scrappy is my safety zone! I love putting lots of fabrics together. I can do matchy, and I like the look of the finished quilts, but find I get bored quickly when I'm piecing, and the quilt is in danger of becoming a UFO!
Can't wait to see what your scrappy project was!
I love scrappy quilts...they make me so happy. It's so fun to see the pieces that have gone into other quilts before. I seem to be making more planned scrappy though, they are always going to someone as a gift and need a specific colorway. Love your Sunday Best!
I tend to go scrappy and if I have some safe zone fabrics, well they get mixed up with scrappy fabrics just to give it a total different look.
i LOVE LOVE to do scrappy quilts you will have to hop on over to my blog and check out my quilt i made last month, i have named it my crappy scrappy. lol! have a good weekend!
Not sure I think much when I put a quilt together. Lately, I've been making a point to work with what I have, so I guess you can call that scrappy! I have a customer/friend who does planned randomness! lol She makes me laugh! But, what ever works! ;o) Cheers!
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