This Little Light of Mine
Welcome to my work in progress Wednesday! I’ve been silently working on a new project the past few weeks in my skinny, spare time. You see, I’ve had an influx of Liberty prints in recent months. You only have to look at the Sunday Stashes of recent memory to get my drift. (Sorry for the non-Liberty lovers out there, but this phase of my quilty-life is. what. it. is!) What to do with all this slinky minx?! All I ever hear about Liberty is people being too scared to cut into it. It’s just fabric, people. Yes, expensive fabric, but fabric just the same–no reason to be scared.
So my challenge with all the F16ths I had collected was to find an original way to use them so they didn’t stagnate in the stash. Because of this “fear” I turned to paper piecing with these scaremongers. Paper piecing, wha?! But doesn’t paper piecing create a lot of fabric wastage? Exaaaaactly! I thought I’d try to make the illogical, logical. Here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to waste all your fabric to bits! If you pre-cut your pieces smartly, you can eliminate virtually all wastage. On my search for the perfect idea, I found this amazing paper pieced pattern on Quilters Cache called A Japanese Garden. I used the Liberty prints–just enough from an F16th, eek!–for the focal fabric of each lantern.
I then found these donated fabrics in my stash that I had just about thrown away. (Note to self: never de-stash. Period.) So once I got my stitching plan in order, I’ve been making lanterns out my wazoo! Trust you me, as these finish at only 8″, there are many more to show, and many more to come. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Plus, I’ve got a few more surprise ideas with this project that I’ll be sure to share next time I give you a little oooh-pdate. Wink wink, nudge nudge!
I really love that pattern. You have made the Liberty shine 🙂 Your so good with colour.
these are wonderful! what a great block to showcase the busy prints and make them work for you. can't wait to see the rest of them!
It will be beautiful!
Those are pretty cool! l think it's a great opportunity to use bright fabrics so they 'light up' the quilt.
I really enjoyed that you mentionned Quilter's Cache, I was just using the site yesterday for inspiration for a quilt sampler design. I love the inpiration you can find on that site! Just be warned that when you go on the site, if you are somewhere or a situation where you need to be quiet (i.e. kids bedtime), turn your volume off before you go, as it's got music on the home page.
love these blocks! fabulous
What a lovely idea these lanterns are. I have been using some of my Liberty – it is definitely too nice too keep packed away in a box. I have to admit I am choosy about who I make things for out of it though.
Love it, Molli! Thank you for the link to the pattern!!
Thanks Molli, you've now triggered a horrific flashback to primary school assemblys – "let it shine, let it shine, let is shiiiine!". I'm off to huddle under a duvet somewhere…PS love the blocks.
I admire your cutting bravery!
How did I miss this? I'm loving what you are doing with your Liberty fabrics. The pattern really showcases them beautifully and makes great use of the fat 16ths with very little waste. It never ceases to amaze how much you can do with a fat 16th – mine end up being used for EPP and many seem to be never ending. Creative and clever cutting really does help make the best of even the smallest cuts of fabric.