First Steps

I think all the books are now out of boxes and in my bookshelf. That done, getting on with these leftovers became most compelling. My thought was to use the stripsets as the basis for fabric postcards upon which the leftover blue triangles "mountains" would sit. I could layer up the long one and quilt it, then subdivide into individual cards. The second colorway stripset was only enough for a single card. Perhaps you're wondering what the bandage rolls are for. Those are actually strips of batting left after squaring up quilts. Often they are wide enough for a postcard but if not, I just butt several together as I've had to do here. I worked upside down on the long strip, the final layer being Decor Bond.

The first time I tried fabric postcards, I could see what a useful format this could be for using up odds and ends, so set aside a small bin to keep these in: leftover batting, muslin for the backs, Decor Bond, some cut to size, fabric and scraps for the cards. When I opened the bin, it had much more in it - things from my work table I didn't know what to do with when I packed up and moved, and there was room in the bin. Out of sight, out of mind, and I'm still wondering what to do with some of it. However, there are my small easels I've been looking for, certainly would not have thought to look here.

I originally thought to have the bands running horizontally but there would have been too much waste - the bands are 7" wide. Also, those triangles are 6" long at the base, so a bit large for the typical 4 x 6 inch postcard. So I've opted to make my cards 5 x 7 and make peace with the stripes running vertically. I hoped to knock back the high contrast with the quilting, but it didn't do as much as I'd hoped.

I could get 4 cards out of that strip. Before proceeding, I applied Fray Check to the edges, both to control raveling and to secure the quilting ends. Next step is to experiment with text on the blue triangles. I've been playing in Paint Shop Pro and hope I can print the text directly onto the triangles. If not, then I will be using a printout of the text as a guide for applying the words with pen or paint. Wish me luck.