Thursday, February 16, 2012

Saving Triangles

Over the years I've made many, many quilts and during that process I've thrown away countless triangles.  You know the ones...we clip them off of half-square triangles and flying geese units, hold them in our hands uncertainly for a brief second and then let them flutter into the trash can.  We think about retrieving them and making something from them, but bigger, more exciting projects are beckoning so we sigh a bit guiltily and turn away, leaving the little leftover triangles in the trash.

Well...I finally decided to save these "waste" triangles from a project I'm working on and see if I can make something that will inspire me enough to save them in the future.  Here's what I have thus far:
A pile of tiny half-square triangles in red/gold and blue/gold.  Freshly sewn.  One Hundred and Forty-Three
1 1/4" squares.
Oh my.  What have I done?

Be brave,
Gramma Sheri

5 comments:

  1. That made me laugh out loud!! I am working with 2 1/2" squares made with triangles and all the pressing and squaring off is challenging!!! I will have to do some sums to see how many I have... but I think it is so worth it... I love them when they are all put together...
    Hugz

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    Replies
    1. Aha! So you're going through the pressing/square-up process, too! I have made 3 little pinwheel blocks out of these so far. Only 33 more blocks to make, for a total of 36 two-inch (unfinished) pinwheel blocks. Two inches! They say as we age we can become a bit unhinged. I'm seeing the signs in myself...:D

      I'm anxious to see what you're making with your little triangles.

      Fondly,
      Gramma Sheri

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  2. I have to laugh at this! I was working on something and I put together the litte 'scraps' from the flying geese. You know from one quilt it made enough itsy bitsy pinwheels (I did not get creative with my hst's) to make TWO twelve inch blocks! That means for every ten quilts we make we throw away enough to make a whole other quilt! Or lap quilt! One of my guild members said she would have just thrown them out!
    My Mother always said she was a seamstress not a quilter, because a seamstress will use every last inch of a piece of material and a quilter thinks nothing of fussy cutting and discarding the extra! Well let me tell you... I keep anything over one inch!! LOL!!

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  3. Yikes ... I don't even want to *think* about it!! I saw your pretty piece on QG this morning and voted for you!! :)

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  4. I think that saving them and doing projects with them is intrinsic in how quilting came to be---the thriftiness of women creating beauty from the discarded pieces of clothing. Taking the useless and making it useful again. It's the best part of being a woman. I'm proud of you for the hard work. It's not crazy. It's inspiring and wonderful and thrifty. Such an important thing in these days.
    I save little bits and ends of my yarns from my projects. I knew that one day something would come to help me learn how to use them. I can make them into embellishments for my recycled plastic purses. I recently discovered freeform crocheting and knitting. I can make small motifs with them and fit them all together to make something beautiful and useful--from the discards.
    Woo hoo! We're Heroes!
    Love you, Mom.
    Sis

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