Finishing other people's projects? Sure, why not...

I love it when I am given someone else's unfinished project. I can use their original idea and continue down the same road, or go off on a tangent. If there is a way to complete it, I'm all in!

Most recently I was given a quilt top that was made with a Halloween "scaredy cat" style design, in shades of black, brown and beige. The cats were all hand stitched, so clearly there was a load of time invested in it, although I don't think that they followed a pattern. If there was a pattern used, I wonder if the creator was a beginner and was unable to understand the instructions? Or maybe they were more experienced and decided to go out on their own once the cats were completed? It will forever be a mystery, since I don't know who started this project.....

The cat blocks seemed to have some markings on the back for seam allowances and were a consistent size (maybe from a kit?), however the half rectangle triangles (HRT's) were ALL wonky. Not one was the same size as the next and the cutting was not straight on ANY of the sides:

With the blocks already stitched together, the seam allowances were a shambles. The larger blocks (with the cats) were stitched at different width to the HRT's. Just look at the side seams! The corners!! The wavy edges!!! Nope, this will not be salvageable, unless I unpick the blocks and start again........

Spent about 4 hours with the unpicker - yes, 4 hours! Whoever made this used a stitch that was super tiny and I had to ensure that I preserved as much fabric as I could, so had to take extra care. They backstitched every seam (which is a big no-no in quilting) and some seams were stitched twice due to fabric not being caught enough in the original seams and they tried to correct the issue by just taking a larger seam. This explains why none of the seams match....

Finally, they are all apart. YAY! Time to get them pressed and starched.

Ah, that's better ;)

Now, to check what is going on with these blocks and find out why they are not going together nicely.

Looking at the smallest block, the finished size was closest to 8" x 10":

The cat blocks were all larger than this size, so easiest solution is to trim them down to match the smallest block. 

To make it easier, I made a template with a window that was large enough to see the the entire cat design, so its easy to confirm that it is centred correctly, then trimmed to this size. 

I used some painters tape to hold in place while trimming:

Now, this is progress!!

Once all the blocks have been trimmed, its time to work out a new layout. The original layout was setup so that the light colour was always to the top right, but I was not feeling it: 

After playing around with the layout, it seemed to work better if the darks created a central diagonal stripe. Since each block is unique, the perfect layout took quite a bit of tweaking to get the balance right. I think I have it? Not sure, but gonna go with it anyway.....

All stitched together and its looking heaps better but is missing something..... 

A border would help to square up the edges that still had some minor issues. I tested several different colours and styles, but found a black with muted white dots was the best fit from the fabric I had on hand:

And that's a wrap for the top.

The person that donated this top had also planned the backing - a cute Kauffman print with kitty's all over it. I will use this since it was part of the original plan - I just hope there is enough, now that the top is larger than the original. I need to check this, but first, I need to sort out my filling - wadding or flannelette? Gonna need a trip to Spotty's, methinks.....

Decided to go with flannelette for the filler to make it more of a knee rug weight than a bed quilt. Made sure that it was pre-washed, to reduce the chances of it shrinking too much after it is washed.

Adding the borders to the top made it much larger for the kitty fabric to use on its own, but I don't want to discount it entirely. Stash hunting again, I found a nice tartan style check that I could use to make up the difference. Cut a couple of strips to use on the side and bottom to bring the kitty fabric up to size. Now to setup all my layers and  to decide on how to quilt it.

Decided to echo quilt around each cat, then each side of the diagonal and inside the perimeter of all blocks. Simple and not too dense.

Now, checking the size of the backing, I wondered if I could just do a self binding? This would remove the need to trim and cut new binding strips - I just need to do some math to make sure I don't trim too much 'cause there is no going back once it is trimmed off (other than going back to a normal binding, that is...)

Testing for a nice double fold, I trimmed the top and batting only, making sure that the backing was left intact. Trimmed backing to 3cm, so folded to the raw edge, then folded over and top stitched by machine for a finished 1.5cm binding effect on the front.

Yep, I think this is going to work :)

Test fold to raw edge:

Fold again to create binding:

Pin, then stitch it down:

And she is done, baby! Yeah!!

Love the eyes that appeared occasionally on the binding ;)

How do I make Assemblage Art?

You need to start by collecting stuff! All kinds of stuff - bottles, cups, cutlery, electronics, keyboards - anything and everything can be used! Bigger items can also be broken down into smaller parts, such as pump bottles and white out strip machines. Consider EVERYTHING as having potential. 

Consider the shape of the item, its size, composition. Is it solid or hollow? Can it be painted, glued, drilled, screwed? Is it plastic, wood, rubber or something else??

How are these items going to be connected together? What additional pieces do I need to completed my project? Do I have the right tools to be able to make this happen at all?? What do I need to purchase - screws, specialty glue, wire, twine, the list goes on.

All these questions become relevant during the construction phase.

As the project moves forward, these factors can make or break your piece. Even the construction method may need to be modified to help make your project come together - literally. Does it need to move? Is it fixed? Does the item require reinforcing to help it stay upright?

Take the below nutcrackers. The bodies started as coffee containers and a juice bottle. The one in the centre is a shaped coffee container, primed and painted, with some felt accents, ribbons and button details. The legs are dowel that has been screwed into the container from the inside and from the base, which is an MDF coaster. His arms are also dowel, attached through the body with a bamboo skewer. The head is a plastic cup,  primed and painted. The crown centre is a styrofoam shape and the outer part is cut from craft foam. Hair is scraps of fur.

To the left and first right of centre - these are made from a cylindrical coffee cans, upside down (lid on the bottom). The same parts for the legs and arms as the centre guy. Hats are aerosol spray lids and cardboard pieces cut to size.

Far right is a square juice bottle, with a polystyrene ball for the head. Upside down plastic shot glass for the hat with a bottle cap in the top. Thinner dowel arms and legs give a more delicate look. Feet are biscuit joiners that are shaped like a pointy elipse or squashed circle. More close-up detail below:

Hands are wooden plugs from the hardware store.

Ribbon, sequins, cardboard, googly eyes, embroidery thread, craft foam - all stashed items used as finishing touches.

Below is my version of an Australia Day Nutcracker, complete with beer and Aussie flag. This one was great fun to make! I hunted everywhere for a beer the right scale and found it in a keyring from a discount shop. His flag is a novelty toothpick and his tshirt logo was from a temporary tattoo:

Many items that I use on a regular basis are listed below:

• bottles, bottle tops, lids
• plastic cups, yoghurt containers, sample cups
• coffee containers
• wood pieces - biscuit joiners, plugs, balls, beads, dowel, bamboo skewers
• container lids
• coasters (for bases)
• ribbon, fur, felt, fabric, sequins, braid
• paint, primer
• glue, screws

Essentially, anything can be used - it just depends on the look you are going for.

Contrast the above in both size and materials. Left started as a moisturiser bottle, while the right was a body wash bottle. The scale difference meant a variety of different materials were required. The soldier on the left has been primed and painted. Lots of shiny bits and a feather to finish off his hat.

The chef on the right started with the cap from a can of whipped cream - the rest was chosen to fit the theme and scale. Spoons for hands, razor blade handles for arms, bottle caps for top of sleeve. Gingham fabric glued to dowel for the legs that look like chef pants.

This one was a prize winner in 2021 in the Christmas decoration category. This has since SOLD.

Other options have involved Ferrero Rocher containers, paint and assorted embellishments added. This one painted to look like leather, finished in a Steampunk style.

This one was a napkin with assorted instruments and some printed images, layered decopage style. Feet are toothpaste lids and beads. 

The hardest part of working with found objects is finding the right "thing" to do the job, which is why a large amount of stash is required, but the joy when finding just the right thing is amazing!