Merrily We Roll Along…

Similar to potato chips, one is not enough when making Snippet Rolls. I fished around in the lace and trim bins and assembled two more of these little bundles of pretty. See that cat image in the upper right? It’s an iron-on that’s been waiting in the sewing room for several years for just the right project. It’s a bit of a surprise it wasn't lost in the shuffle before finding a home in this Snippet Roll! The ruched flower is the one I learned to make in a mini-class. These sweet little rolls are the perfect home for those one-of-a-kind items that wind up in the sewing room because I can’t bear to throw them away. You can see the previous one here, and find a tutorial for making them on Carole Brungar's Madness and Mess blog here.




Here are the two unrolled so you can see what other snippets grace each one. They’re a challenge to photograph given their long, skinny perspective.




Because I love text on fabrics and vintage images, both of those elements needed to be a part of the Snippet Roll I plan to keep, above. The bead is one received an a handmade bead swap. Such detail and shine! It needed to be showcased.

A doily, velvet flower spray, resin heart, metal tag, scissors charm and a hang-tag pin all combine to add a bit of weight to the end of this roll. It's a gift for a friend. I think a lot of the appeal of these small projects is that they give me a chance to look through all the odd bits I’ve accumulated over the years, and to combine them in such a pleasing way. They play well together. And the rolls are relatively quick to make unless you’re a person who can’t stop adding just a little more. I’m that way, and have to finally call a halt. Otherwise I could be stitching away for another week.




The inspiring Thoreau quote printed on muslin certainly added to this one. And another handmade paper bead anchors the top, right next to the tea-dyed fabric flower. One thing that I notice as I’m working on a Snippet Roll is that one or two more begin to emerge as I group things that seem to go together while sifting through the items. I actually started out to make one roll this time, and just look what happened. I tend to do that same thing when making greeting cards and prayer flags, too. But that’s the joy of playing in the sewing room.




I also recently participated in a class taught at our guild by Pat Sloan. I have always loved her whimsical folk-art style, and guild members waited a long time for Pat to come visit Ocala as her schedule is booked up far in advance. She was worth the wait! The above photo shows our class sample for "Wild and Free." Our task for the day was to learn to combine fabrics for the lively background.

Pat brought several samples of backgrounds for us to study, and she walked us through the method she uses for combining fabrics. We each brought bins and tubs full of fabric possibilities, and Pat provided the coaching we needed to pull together the fabrics for our backgrounds.

Mine took a tropical turn when I pulled out a piece of palm print and then found some interesting go-with fabrics that have lots of texture. It’s laid out but not pieced yet. And who knows what I’ll use for the fusible applique elements, which Pat covered in day two of the workshop. That’s a challenge for another day. But I’ll be sure to post it here when it’s finished. I get lots of projects going at once, and the sewing room is often in turmoil. However, a good percentage of my projects do make it to the finish line ultimately!