Stash Manicuring ~ Holiday Style

Thursday, December 16, 2010

I was all ready to guest post over at Stash Manicure on Monday, but there was a little mix up so I thought I'd share my thoughts with you on more ways to use up your scraps!  Specifically, for making Christmas projects.

Over the last year or two I have been adding a few details to my Christmas decor.  They've been simple projects, but have used up quite a bit of my red and green scraps.  As you can see, my colors are quite traditional.


Above, you can see a simple table runner I made using red, green and white 2-1/2" squares.  Putting the colors in a diagonal pattern adds interest and I love that I was able to make it just the right size to fit my entry table. 


It's patchwork and it's simple, but it adds the perfect amount of color to that table.  If I didn't have something under those decorations, the table would look very boring and unfinished.  This little baby was made solely with scraps and you KNOW that makes me happy :)

Next, I had an idea that I wanted to do using holly berries and leaves.  This little runner sits on my coffee table in my family room.  It was a good way to use up small pieces of greens and reds.  Green rick rack added the right finishing touch.


But still, I had more red and beige scraps that I couldn't stand to have laying around, so I had to make a little something for my kitchen table.  This one will be good because it is neutral enough to work for Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, whatever.


But then I got looking and I found that I had even more red, green and white scraps!  Oh, what to do, what to do!?!


So I got to work making a few dresdens using the EZ Dresden ruler by Darlene Zimmerman.  Dresdens are fun, but only require a teeny tiny bit of fabric for each point so I'm thinking about doing a pieced sashing, as well as using up more scraps for the centers.  Hopefully by then I'll have made a dent in my  red/green stash.


I have much more red (than I do green) so I think most of my dresdens will be red and white.  Kind of peppermint-ish, don't 'cha think?

That's the great thing about quilting.  There are no rules.  So I can do whatever the heck I want!  It's great!

I'm still auditioning fabrics for the backgrounds, but this beige polka dot is what I thought looked best from my stash.  We'll see though.  I only have a yard of the beige/green polka dot so I'll either have to:

*use lots of different backgrounds
*make a small quilt
*break down and buy some more or other fabric

Hmm...I'll have to think about that one.

This was my second favorite option from my stash.  What do you think (it's kind of pink-ish)?  Yay or nay?

 

Well, that's just me ~ playing around.
What are YOU playing with today?

18 comments:

  1. I like it best on the pink/red. good job. loving the leftover use-up plan

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  2. Actually, I was going to say nay to the second background, but as I was about to type it, my brain yelled, "wait, now,........it's growing on me ~!~

    I'm binding a quilt today and should really get back to it. Merry Christmas !

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  3. I love your holiday style stash manicuring! The dresdens are beautiful!

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  4. I think each Dresden should have it's own backing. A different dot for them all.

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  5. Love your stash manicuring. Your pictures of how you have used your pieces in your home are great. How nice of you to share with us. I love the pink/red background best.

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  6. Love, love, love both the backgrounds - What about alternating them, or make 4-6 center blocks on the beige background and the perimeter blocks on the pink?
    Off to copy your holly leaves table runner now :)

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  7. Thanks for posting such great ideas. I like both the holly tablerunner and the dresdens.

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  8. All very pretty, love that you used scraps too make each item!

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  9. You always use rick rack in the cutest ways! I love how you used it in you Holly Berry table runner. The simple patchwork runner is cute too...actually I love them all!

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  10. Oh so cool! LOVE the Dresdens. And that little holly runner -- LOVE LOVE that one with the ric rac peeking out -- very cute!

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  11. such fun things....just loved it all...and your plates are so fun and festive.

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  12. Yes, they are peppermintish, very cute. Why not a scrappy background. Use both of those dots. And more! Lots more!

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  13. This is such a beautiful post! I love all of your ideas here. The Dresden plates look really cute with the peppermintish combos - I never thought of using the colors like that before. And that holly runner...sigh! Awesome!

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  14. Just found your blog. Love the holly and berries. And the dresden plate is just too darn cute.

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  15. Love your blog - and LOVE the holly and berries runner. Have you made that a pattern? I agree with a previous comment: the green ric rac peeking out is so cute! Pattern???? I'll buy it!

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  16. These are beautiful

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