A Scrappy Tool, and an Amazing Resource
It is ScrapHappy Day, the 15th of the month, when we spotlight our scrappy projects.
Scrap Project
This month I finally constructed a proper design wall, of two insulation board panels covered with gray flannel. Our ceilings are low and I had to trim about 6 inches off the tops of the insulation boards.
I am hoping to use this design board not only for quilt block placement, but for basting whole quilts on the wall instead of the floor. To help me mount large pieces on the wall quickly, I created some pin blocks out of the insulation board trimmings. And here they are holding up my current project. Popping a little block of pins into place is much easier than trying to use regular pins, one at a time. (I don’t have luck with anything sticking to the flannel on its own, especially large pieces.)
Homemade pin blocks, holding a quilt top to a design board.
Supplies:
- insulation board scraps (and I bet foam core would work also)
- scoring tool (I used a pattern tracing wheel)
- T pins
- tape
Supplies to make the blocks.
I cut the insulation boards into lengths of about 8 inches, and then scored them to fold them in half the long way. I pushed T pins through about every 2 inches, then folded the board back up and wrapped tape around it, to keep the pins in place.
The folded piece of insulation board, with the T pins pushed through from the middle to the outside.
The tub of pin blocks, ready to go. Because of the sharp pins, I will store these in a covered tub when I am not using them.
Amazing Resource
I recently came across the Hub of the CatalogIt app, where small museums share their collections. You can browse by collection or by classification. I can’t find anything on their terms of use (it probably depends on the age of the item and the individual collection), so I will just link to some of the favorite things I have found there. I have already found some little museums I would love to visit!
Windham Textile and History Museum
Silk dress with story from donor. I particularly liked this one because its story is part of the catalog information. So often those labels are so dry, or minimal.
Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery
Printed and Stitched: an exhibit that explores the overlap between the hand-pulled print and textile artwork through 50+ stunning original works, all by members of the California Society of Printmakers and Studio Art Quilt Associates. This is one of the exhibits seen on Exhibit Envoy, whose mission is to provide institutions with diverse and meaningful traveling exhibitions to strengthen their communities.
I always look forward to ScrapHappy Day, to see what clever projects everyone has come up with. Here is the list of participants, and this month, Maggie is joining us.
Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa,
Lynn, Tierney, Hannah and Maggie
Such a clever idea!
total reverse shoulder replacement so am out of it for a while
While there is tea there is hope! ________________________________
Susan! take care of yourself and rest longer than you think you need to! 🙂
thank you, no choice! 😦
This is such a good idea. Usually, I stuff a large number of flower head pins into my mouth to leave both hands free. So far I’ve avoided puncture and blood loss, but it’s only a matter of time. I’ll probably Velcro mine onto the design wall, as mine is a camel-coloured flannel sheet hung on a rod, and the push pins wouldn’t work.
Well Kate, now I have something else to add to my worry list! “I would like to fall asleep now, but I believe it is daytime in Australia, and somewhere Kate might be walking around with a mouthful of pins, and I also believe she may be subject to falling from time to time…” I hope you can come up with something safer that will work for you!
Just telling you about it made it clear this was a cautionary tale! I shall be taking steps to emulate you and have my pins handy in a less potentially lethal way 😂
Good, I now feel that my blog and comments have served humanity in a good way, and I will have just my usual number of worries at night. 🙂
You will enjoy your design wall – it’s my favorite thing in my quilt room! Clever idea, using pin blocks!
I certainly was thinking about yours and how it is a work of art in itself, when I made mine. Mine is, shall we say, informal. 🙂
But the good thing is, it is in my bedroom, and when I wake up in the morning without my contacts in, I see the colors and shapes in different ways (sort of Renoir-like) and get new ideas.
Your pin boards are genius!!!
Thank you, I do feel very clever. I can imagine an upscale version of them, in nice wood with laser-cut decorations. Coming soon to a quilt show near you. 🙂
I love your pin board idea, and enjoyed “visiting” some of the museums as well!
Oh good, I think those museums need all the attention they can get! 🙂
Congrats on your new design board/wall 🙂
It took me a moment to grasp what you have created. I love a good solution, and it’s all the better when made from scraps. You’ll have fewer “pin fingers” as well. Congrats.
PS I enjoyed the links.
Great idea!