Quilting Arts Boro Bobble How-to

With everything that has been happening at home this last month, I plum forgot to let everyone know that you can find my instructions on how to make your own "Boro Bobbles", in the current issue of Quilting Arts magazine, (Oct./Nov. 2010) :o)


It's a great little project for anyone who likes to use every tiny bit of their favorite fabrics, mine of course being shot cottons. However, I also think these would be lovely made from various toned muslins, wools, or maybe even dupioni silks. What do you think? (If anyone decides to give them ago, please feel free to send me a photo, as I'd love to see what yours look like!)


And for anyone who would like some Bobbles of there own, but isn't so inclined to make them, I still have some in my shop, (here and here) and will be posting more in the weeks to come.

Boro Bobbles and Remnants

These "Boro Bobbles" are yet another fun way to use up every bit of scrap shot cotton, because I just can not bear to let any go to waste!


Their inspiration is a continuation of my ongoing love affair with look of old, patched cloth, and the belief in "waste not want not", (which I first heard uttered as a young girl, from the lips of my Grandmother, as she showed me how to braid long strips of left over wool material and then sew them into small rag rugs).


The Boro Bobbles also found their muse by the look of crocheted 'Granny Circles' with their charming, various colored circles playing against each other. (I've been in a mood to crochet lately, but am resisting the urge as I am trying to stay focused on stitching fabric... I get side tracked too easily... so instead I stayed the course, and challenged myself to be inspired by crochet and try to re-interpret / re-invent, it in cloth. ).


They are double sided, so each side is the right side. The edges were left raw to show off the beautiful colored fray of the shot cottons.


The Boro Bobbles can be stitched onto other items for embellishment, used as beads or buttons, incorporated into jewelry design, strung together, dangled, or simply sit pretty in a vintage glass bowl as shown above! I have some posted in my shop in groups of three and will be posting more as I make them.

I've also been stitching some new Remnants....


Remnants #6 (on the top) and #8 (on the bottom).

And...


Remnants #7 (on the bottom) and #9 (on the top).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One more thing... To my Hubby...
Happy 24th Anniversary!