A Wacky Way to Make a Background
I completed a quilt in mid-December and didn’t want to start anything major during the holidays. So, I dug into my UFO (unfinished objects) drawer and my scrap bag for some small projects.
I got the idea of fusing scraps onto muslin in order to create a random background. But then I thought, “Why do it on muslin and risk white fabric peaking through? Maybe I should start with something else.”
So, I pulled this lovely fabric from my stash and cut a piece.
Click any image for a larger view
I fused a sheet of fusible web to the right side of this base fabric and got started. Next, I decided that I would VERY LOOSELY imitate the color placement of the base fabric as I added scraps. (Why, I don’t know.)
Here’s a detail shot of the process. The hazy areas are the background fabric with the fusible making it look that way.
As you can see, I cut a lot of little pieces and used lots of prints to emulate the underlying fabric. Not sure why I created such a task for myself, but it was keeping me entertained.
And this is the finished background. It’s DEFINITELY not a finished quilt design, but I think it has interesting possibilities as the start of something else.
I might try to merge the colors with paint or tulle. Or maybe I’ll cut it up as the start of several small works.
But for now, it will go back in the UFO drawer, because another project has caught my attention. I kinda figured that would happen. No worries. Any time spent creating induces more creativity.
What wacky ideas have you acted upon lately?
Ellen Lindner
