Playing With a Pieced Background

Do you ever end up with up with something that doesn't seem to work for anything creative at all? I had pieced these leftover 5" tumblers together ages ago, thinking they'd be a wonderful applique background. But it just never came together no matter how much I played with the idea. I had almost pitched the entire concept about a million times.

A background piece bites the dust

But I'm kinda stubborn and there was a tiny glimmer of something good in that piece. And you know how it {so rarely} happens, an idea just appeared out of practically nowhere. Finally. Next thing I knew, I was laying the larger tumbler piece out on the floor and wallah! cutting out a large basket. The tumbler background had quite suddenly become the {to-be appliqued} basket fabric! There was certainly no sleeping on it or carefully planning out of the details. It could have been terrifying, but frankly, I was having a ball. So very good of the tumbler piece to have enough left for the handle too. That's a good touch.

Liking it so much better as part of the applique

And once that was up on the wall, then of course I had to play with some applique. What is a basket centerpiece without a bit of applique? A dig through my applique leftovers and I was looking at the first flower. Too simple? Nahh....

There's always a flower

It just needs another one for balance. Maybe one that isn't even fully in bloom.

Or two....

And yes, it's that classic, red, white and blue look that I always go back to. It's a good, solid look that tides me over in times of low-intensity thinking sessions. I'm still playing around with the handle, stretching it out to make a taller basket, wondering and contemplating, trying to find the right red fabrics in my stash. These flowers will be too small once the seam allowance is turned under. Plus, I'm looking around my quilt room for the perfect background fabric. Why don't I figure out how to piece the tumbler basket into a background fabric you ask? Trust me, it's just easier to hand stitch. My brain hurts and I'm exhausted from last week. Hand stitching often goes a very long way toward easing out my very frazzled edges. And I'm addicted to it. Nuff said.*wink