Creating an Abstract Quiltlet with Buttons, Twill Tape, and Decorative Stitches

Wasn’t that memory quilt from yesterday’s post adorable? And so easy and fast to make!

Today’s project also starts with buttons. I’m working with these Inspire buttons in two sizes. Aren’t they inspiring?! Additionally, I added a 12-weight Gütermann Cotton Thread and two widths of UNIQUE Twill Tape (25 mm and 12 mm).

I LOVE making small abstract art quilts, also called quiltlets. Why? They’re a great way to learn a new technique, get comfortable with “winging it,” and grow as a quilter because you’re playing with color, value, shapes, embellishments, and, overall, it’s a great learning experience. The best news is that there’s no right or wrong with the quiltlets. You make the design up as you go. While I appreciate that this can be a challenge for some quilters, just let the quilt happen. Don’t overthink the process, don’t get caught up in what is right or wrong, just do it!!!!

One of the first things I love to do when I start an abstract quilt is to make the background fabric from scraps.

In this instance, I grabbed scraps from my brown scrap box in various sizes, which is one reason I don’t cut my scraps into predefined shapes. I love creating fabric from “nothing.” I randomly join the pieces until I have a section large enough to sew to another section.

Trim any wonky edges so they join easily. There’s no rhyme or reason, and you certainly won’t  “match” the colors. The more, the merrier, and the better the colors blend.

I’ve used these scrappy backgrounds for lap quilts (I use larger scrap pieces), wall hangings where the scraps create a fantastic background for applique, journal covers, or quiltlets like the one I’m making today.

How did I determine the size? I had a scrap of batting left from yesterday’s quilt project, and that became my reference as I made the scrappy fabric to fit it. It eventually got trimmed to 8½” x 11″, a perfect size to try new techniques; if you don’t like it, you haven’t wasted much, and it doesn’t take much time to finish. The batting was longer than the fabric, so I kept the leftover to use for another small project, like a mug rug or another scrappy piece.

Once you have the scrappy background, it’s time to see how the embellishments work. When choosing embellishments, find one thing that you’re excited about. I always have that special embellishment BEFORE I start the background. A misplaced key to our mailbox was the starting point for one project. In this case, I found those amazing Inspire buttons and built the project around them. Shop at your local fabric shop, or dig into your stash, but there are loads of things that can inspire these projects. I had a tough time choosing these particular buttons because there were so many amazing options!

I LOVE using diagonal lines instead of straight ones; they feel more dynamic, but horizontal and vertical lines work well, too. Or you may not want to be linear at all and just wing the background pieces. The beauty is that there’s no right or wrong, and there are certainly no quilt police to harass you.

The first step to completing the quiltlet was to quilt it, and I decided to quilt it with a 1″ diagonal grid. I marked the first line with the Clover Chaco Liner. I mostly use the white, as this chalk is extremely easy to remove by wiping it gently with a damp cloth or brushing it with your hand. And the fact that it stays until you finish is a bonus. You can never have enough of these Clover Chaco Liners (white), and you can get refills, too.

I used a Gütermann 100% polyester thread in the top and the bobbin. I have many spools of Gütermann thread, and I find it easy to use and very reliable for quilting, whether free-motion or straight-line. It’s my go-to thread. As I mentioned earlier this week, I love it because it’s readily available, comes in many different spool sizes and colors, so there’s always one that meets my needs. And for quilting or most things I do, it really doesn’t matter if I use polyester or cotton.

And in case anyone is wondering about that colorful background, I started using an old beach towel on my ironing surface, and I LOVE it. It gives me a nice grip to hold things in place and a bit of cushion when pressing textured items.

I’ve also mentioned numerous times that I’m a lazy quilter, and if I can get the sewing machine to do the work for me, I let it. I’m working on the PFAFF creative icon 2, and I used the projection system to assist in stitching the subsequent lines. In this photo, the stitch guide is white, and the projection line is red. I can quickly move that projection line to the right or left of the needle by up to 30 mm. That’s way faster than marking and removing lines! You need to mark the first line as I did, but then let the sewing machine do the rest!

Here’s the quiltlet after the quilting is complete. At this point, I trimmed it to 8½” x 11″.

Now it’s time to work on the fun stuff – the embellishments, and this is where you can go crazy! Do what you want, and if you can’t sew or embellish with the sewing machine, there are loads of options for attaching items by hand or with glue. The items you add do not need to be fabric; think buttons, buckles, paper, mementos, and so much more.

Today, I’m modifying the twill tape with decorative stitches to create my own ribbon. I used the Gütermann 12-weight thread. This thread is quite thick, but it went through my needle without a hitch, and I stitched out all the decorative ribbon I needed without a single issue. As I said, Gütermann thread is reliable, and that’s what I want when I’m working. By the way, I used the 100% polyester thread in the bobbin.

The twill tape is not stable due to its weave, so I placed it on a layer of water-soluble stabilizer, and it worked like a charm.

I chose a decorative stitch for creative icon 2 and ensured the width was appropriate for the twill tape. The tape is 12 mm wide, and I used an 8.4 mm wide decorative stitch.

It was super easy: instead of using the foot pedal, I used the Start/Stop function, and when I wanted to end a motif on the twill tape, I selected the Scissors function to have creative icon 2 end the current stitch and cut the threads.

I precut the ribbon to the lengths I needed (plus some extra) and made five separate pieces. You’ll see them in a minute on the finished project. Remember, you can use the Stitch Preview in projection mode on the creative icon 2 to see how the stitch looks on the twill tape BEFORE you start stitching.

I trimmed away the excess stabilizer and rinsed the ribbon in warm water, which quickly dissolved the stabilizer. What is nice about the stabilizer is that it gave the ribbon some body. If I didn’t want that body, I could have rinsed it more.

I used a straight stitch and a matching thread on top to topstitch the ribbons in place.

I used the wider twill tape to create a design in the top left (sorry – no picture, but you’ll see it on the finished project) and stitched it in place as well. Once the twill tape was secure, I trimmed the edges and then bound the quilt, adding two squares to the top corners to serve as hangers.

To attach the Inspire buttons, which I had in two sizes, I used crochet cotton, threaded it through, tied a knot in front, and cut the ends.

And here is the finished quiltlet. I LOVE it. If I were to change anything, I might eliminate the three small buttons, as you know what I always say – less is more! But look how dressed up that twill tape is with the Gütermann 12-weight thread and the decorative stitch. Imagine the possibilities for creating decorative ribbons of any kind.

What gets me excited about this kind of quilt is its small size and the freedom to do anything I want without worrying about making a mistake or whether others will like it. Experimentation and learning – that makes me happy!

The other advantage of small projects like this is that you learn about color and design without even realizing it! And for those that say, why would I make something that I don’t know what to do with. Hmmm — think about how many essays or school projects you did that meant absolutely nothing, but you learned a lot from writing them! Sometimes, we need to remember how fun it was as children to play with no rules!

Those Inspire buttons, in two sizes, started it all, and I found so many other Inspire buttons that just made my heart sing! Check out your local fabric shop or online, or dig into your button stash and see what you can come up with. Try something even smaller if you wish. Don’t forget the excellent Gütermann thread, and think of all the possibilities with that UNIQUE Twill Tape.

Thanks for following my adventures this week, as I explored some new (to me) products and techniques. Now it’s your turn to go, have fun, and see what you can come up with!!!

Have a great day!

Ciao!!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Button-Inspired Art Quilts with Applique and Free Motion Quilting