October 12, 2019

UFOs and Fruits and Veggies

I'm a collector. I have a collection of fruit and veggies dishes that I bring out for the spring/summer season each year to add a punch of color to my decor.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

And I have a huge collection of fruit and veggie fabrics. Here are just a few.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

My fruit and veggie stash started years ago when the fabrics first came out. They went so well with my dishes I couldn't resist. Originally I thought I'd make a single quilt from all the different fabrics but I just couldn't see how to combine all the various colors and prints. It finally occurred to me that I could make several themed quilts instead of trying to combine all the prints.

I made a citrus one called Fresh Squeezed. It gets used at the beginning of the summer.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

There's a berry one called Fresh Baked. It usually gets used around July 4th. It's the closest thing I have to a red/white/blue quilt.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

And there's a salad one called Fresh Tossed. I use this one later in the summer as the veggies ripen.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

Along with collecting dishes and fabrics, I also seem to collect UFOs at an unhealthy rate. Over the years there have been other fruit and veggie projects started but never completed. Four table runners plus a tomato quilt have lived in UFO limbo for years. The BoulderMQG UFO challenge for 2019 finally motivated me to finish many of those projects. The first ones finished were the table runners.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

Besides the above two short runners, I finally finished this monster runner that uses most of the fruit and veggie fabrics in a sort of rainbow effect. It finished at 106" long. When not in use, I hang it in the shallow shelf unit where even more dishes live. Yes. I know. I have a lot of fruit and veggie dishes.  : )

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

My tomato quilt, Vine Ripe, was the most recent UFO project to be completed. Cara of Sew Colorado Quilting did the quilting using my favorite quilting pattern Trillium. This one is currently hanging in the hallway.

www.springleafstudios.com

www.springleafstudios.com

As part of the guild UFO challenge, I also made an effort to seriously deplete the fruit and veggie stash. I made 8 placemats using the stitch and flip QAYG method. You can read more about various QAYG methods here. Next came a bunch of cloth napkins. My initial plan was to hem the edges but without a serger it was too time consuming to press the edges under so I made double sided napkins instead. It used twice as much fabric (in this case that was a good thing) but they were much quicker to make. Just two pieces approximately 17" x 17" sewn right sides together, turned inside out, and then pressed and top-stitched around the edge. The double thickness feels nice and sturdy. I keep them in this basket near the table so we can just grab a clean one as needed. The placemats stacked below the basket are in use every day too.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

The napkins and placemats put a good dent in my stash but there was still quite a bit of fabric left so I made a quilt tablecloth for the deck from some of the smaller scraps. I made 16-patch blocks using three different fabric combinations. Color + color for the inner blocks. Color + green veggie for the middle ring and finally green veggie + a green leafy print for the outer border. It was layered with a large leaf print and quilted without batting. Even without the batting it's a very durable feeling quilt due to all the seams involved in the piecing. The seams do make small things like beer bottles wobble just a little without the batting there for added padding. I'm happy to report that no beers have been spilled to date. Or maybe we haven't had enough to drink yet. I love how it adds color to the deck and sets a festive mood for eating outside.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

Even with all these projects, there are still bits and chunks of fabric left. Enough to fill two boxes. You can begin to see just how big my stash was. I still have plans for some potholders, a few more napkins, and an apron.

www.SpringLeafStudios.com

Do you ever notice how sewing from your stash doesn't seem to make the piles any smaller. I think they replicate overnight when I'm not looking. I think fabric bunnies are involved. How does your stash grow?

Linking up to Cynthia's Oh Scrap linky party.

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16 comments:

  1. I love Fresh Squeezed. I might be tempted to get it out in the dead of winter to remind me that sunny days will return. You've made some beautiful items from some unique fabric.

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  2. Cool use of your fabrics. I have a big collection of those or similar not yet started.( food for thought! literally! )

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  3. Best. Post. Ever. The designs, colors, quilting, staging, photography. It just doesn't get any better. Thank you for sharing your talents.

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  4. Oh my goodness! It's wonderful to get a glimpse of your decorating style, and see how you enjoy and use the color you find in fruits and vegetables. All those pitchers and bowls! Honestly, it looks like a show home! The color riot is fantastic, and I especially love the themed quilts you've made for your kitchen table. And napkins! They're just so" right." What a treat to get to eat at your house! I'm happy for you to have reduced your stash in such a wonderful, useful way. The few bits you have left in those two bins are not too much. They're perfect too.

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  5. I love all of these projects! I think they would make a great pattern booklet. I have some of the same fabrics (though not nearly as much as you had) and have put off using them, trying to figure out what to make - you've given me some good ideas. And I have the same bottomless stash issue. I have a large stash of Fig Tree Design fabrics that I keep in a large basket but no matter what I make, the stash never appears to dwindle.

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  6. I love the variety of designs you have used to make practical household linens, in the colourful fabrics. I am a sucker for pear and apple deigns, so your collection really appealed to me!

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  7. Wow! I’ve always loved all the bright fresh colors of fruit and vegetable fabrics, but never knew what to do with them! Your imagination sparks mine!

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  8. What fun collections to have - the dishes and the fabrics! I love that you've been finishing all those fruit and veggie UFOs- I think the apple one is m favorite!

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  9. It's always delightful to see your collection of dishes! So bright and fun against the white shelves. And wow, do you have a lot of fruit and veggie fabrics!! A few of those same ones live in my stash, too. I'm always tempted to buy more because they are just so...juicy. Good for you for getting this big batch of UFOs and stash fabrics put into use :)

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  10. Your projects are all so beautiful and look amazing with your dishes. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

    (I thought I bought a lot of that fabric when it came out but you definitely have me beat!)

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  11. Oh my goodness! What a delightfully delicious post! I am so glad I clicked to see all this bounty!

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  12. Beautiful, both your projects and all your special dishes. I like how you have kept each quilt to a theme, rather than trying to use up all sorts of different fabrics. Your patio table cloth is so nice and inviting too.

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  13. Oh I love them all, as usual of all your creations and now I am hungry too!
    Summer_Song_Cottage on IG :-)

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  14. Such a juicy stash, I am drooling as I type :-) With so many fresh fruits and vegetables around you, you must be the healthiest quilter ever :-) I sure love the bright fabrics and you have made so many beautiful things with them. But your organization is the bomb!!!

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  15. I have been in love with all your fruit/vegetable creations since they started appearing on IG and around--what a post!! I rewound and read it twice, enjoying the brilliant use of these fabrics. After I finished my basket quilt, I donated a lot of my similar fabrics and of course, now I'm sorry about letting them go, after seeing your wonderful designs. So many wonderful creations to use--love them all!!

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  16. I love all the fruit/veggie projects!

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