I’ve realized my writing lately has been more serious. I’s time for some fun projects! I try to balance somber with light. But nothing has been light about this blog lately. It has been full of serious topics. I have to add some fun and sparkle. For me that includes crafting projects. I’m hoping it will energize me to do more of the work I need to do… because I’m totally sapped! They are a wonderful distraction and keep my hands busy…in a fun way. They also offer an opportunity for creativity. It is great for the soul!
Finishing fun and creative projects that have been started is one thing I love doing… and it lessens clutter!
I’ve done some series before on finishing projects and I think I’ll do that again. I’ll start some new, simple projects as well, designed to be done in only one or two sittings. Those are the kind that can finished!
So, I’m going to finish some fun projects for my blog and enjoy them with you. I plan to insert them along the way during the year as well!
Today’s project: finishing a batik table topper
Today, I’m going to finish a quilted table topper that is half done. I pieced the top of it last year. It is all pieced and done. The cotton batting is underneath it. All I need to do is put the backing on. I could have simply added a solid piece of fabric, but wanted a batik that matched the top and I didn’t have a piece that size. Another option would be to do something totally different for another time of year for example. Quilting it the way I did will allow it to be washed often with out a lot of to do over it.
In case you are interested, the way the top was pieced is quite simple. I took long strips of the colors I wanted and sewed them together. Then I cut them in widths the size of the table topper (12″-13″-personal preference) with my ruler and cutter and sewed them together to make it the length I wanted. The binding will add a little more to that all around.
Basically, I chose the more boring choice for the pieced backing. It took less thought for me. I have cut out the pieces for the back. Doing this on a table topper makes it an easy project for someone who isn’t experienced in a lot of quilting.
I chose the more boring choice for the pieced backing. I have cut out the pieces for the back. Doing this on a table topper makes it an easy project for someone who isn't experienced in a lot of quilting. Share on XChoosing colors for the quilted piece
The way to make the colors pop is to have a variety of shades of color and to add something different (often a color that is across the color wheel from your primary color choices) that offers a pop of color. One thing that sets apart a quilt project from something tacky is the choice of color. I love a variety of shades of a color with pops of something that sets it off!
The colors in this project are sort of fallish. So I added the orange and gold, but in very tiny slices! (If I wanted to make it more beachy, I could add more of the greens and aquas with some sand colors to make it look more beachy.) Orange and especially yellow are colors that are very intense and go a long way in small doses. There you have my thinking on this project. If you like it. If you don’t, I guess you won’t care what my process is *smile*. I’m not an artist, but have read up a lot on color and its effect on quilts in particular.
This use of color can translate to a room
Next time you are in a room you like and feel comfortable in, take a look at a color wheel. See where the colors are that you love from that room. Are they next to each other on the wheel, across from each other? Are they katty-cornered? (3 colors) That might indicate the colors you enjoy, the kind of room and colors you prefer. Some colors are stimulating, others are relaxing. Some stimulated the appetite, others calm it down. You want to think about which rooms and where you want to place them.
Whether it is a room in your home, or a project you are working on, you want to make room for neutrals. They set off the colors. Too many different colors can be chaotic. A few shades of one color tends to give texture to a piece and is much more interesting.
Don’t forget to use neutrals-they set off colors well.
In your home, you will want a neutral on the wall in most rooms that pulls the house together so you don’t have to repaint the house when you get a whim. The expensive furniture like sofas, etc. should also be somewhat neutral. The pops of color can be found in pillows, art, scatter rugs, and other pops of color around the room that are easier and less expensive to change. For interest, one wall can have a darker shade of the color or even a pop of another color.
So watch your colors when working on your projects. Look in magazines. Learning to use color in quilts has taught me so much about using neutrals (my least favorite thing!). It has also taught me much about using color in places other than my quilts. Go to quilt shows and look at the quilts. Why do you love some and feel bored by others? Most often, it is because of the colors. Some pop with the right color combinations that compliment each other well. Others miss the boat. The colors fight each other or are overwhelming with chaos and not enough of the right colors or the need for some neutrals.
So find a way to enjoy the creativity of color…whether in fabric, paint, chalk or whatever media. Enjoy the wonderful creativity found in this creation of GOD…the infinite variety of color all around us that was part of what He created when He created light!