Monday, June 7, 2010

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!

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful bobbles!

connie said...

What fun little bobbles! I love the texture of them. You inspire me!

Happy Anniversary! Have a lovely day.

Jane Moxey said...

Simply smashing! Happy Anniversary!

Molly said...

BooDilly makes Boro Bobbles!! Now that's just too much fun to say. They are so cool! I'd like to wear one as a pin.

Sujata Shah said...

Fabulous! Congratulations! You two look so happy!

Emma said...

Okay, I wouldn't normally ask something like this, but since you started it with the "use everything" bit...I save my little threads after sewing a seam. I save those little slivers of fabric after you cut off the dog ears or correct a cut when your ruler slipped. I had plans once upon a time to use them to stuff pincushions, but I'm about to move and am desperately trying to finish two quilts in two weeks (they're baby quilts, but still).

Would you like to have those to stuff things like the Boro Bobbles? After all, that's what used to be used as stuffing, and it's pretty much (with the exception of a few slivers of denim) easy to use as a stuffing for a pin cushion.

Anyways, that was long and rambling, but the offer stands. Let me know if you'd like a sandwich baggie full of strings and slivers. It's yours if you do!

emmafreester [at] gmail [dot] com

Anonymous said...

You two look contented. Happy Anniversary. Bobbles are sweet, I want them to have names!!!! Great remnants, as always. xox Corrine

artymess said...

that is sweet happy Anniversary
I love the bobbles they look very touchable and squishy....x

Jude said...

Happy Anniversary, wonderful work...as usual!

Munaiba said...

Happy Anniversary! And your Boro Bobbles are really fun. COuld you use them as pin cushions?

Diana Trout {Nan.DT@verizon.net} said...

Delightful bobblies! I found your blog via your article in QA. Wonderful work and thank you for the Boro tip. It led me on quite a ramble yesterday which I blogged about. Great to find you and you are not far away from me (in Montgomery County).

Victoria said...

Thanks to each of you!

Emma, so sweet of you to offer, and I admire your thriftiness! No need to send me your scraps though... I have more then I could possibly use in a lifetime!

Munaiba, actually I was thinking of making bigger, more stuffed ones to use as pincushions!

Diana, so nice to meet you! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed exploring boro... it never ceases to amaze and inspire me. I will be checking out your blog!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

happy anniversary!

love the bobbles.

you make me happy!

glen

kelly said...

Happy Anniversary! You two are a couple of absolute cuties!

Love the bobbles -- thank you, as always, for sharing.

dutchcomfort said...

Happy Anniversary Victoria!

Love the boro bobbles and the way you put everything to use!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Happy Anniversary! Your bobbles and remmants are so unique. I'm sure there is great satisfaction in using the last little scraps of what you have and making something beautiful.

Wendy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wendy said...

Victoria, i lovelovelove your remnant pieces! (You probably already knew that...)
I would love to feature EVERY ONE of them on my site! ;-)

Happy, Happy Anniversary!!!

=-)

Kirsten said...

Love the bobbles! and the name

High Desert Diva said...

I like your bobbles and can envision them (unstuffed) in a yo-yo quilt, but I do like the pretty bowl display....

Happy anniversary!

stephie @ Narrative Self said...

I love the waste not want not ethos, it makes so much sense in today's world. Love the bobbles too, you could sew them together like a Suffolk puff quilt!

Best wishes on your anniversary :)

Kristy said...

Happy 24th Anniversary...each year is a blessing. I so admire your work as well as your work ethic. Kristy in Ohio

Amanda Jean said...

the bobbles are adorable and a great idea for using up precious fabric.

happy anniversary to you and your hubby!

Deborah said...

Happy Anniversary! Your bobbles and remnants are fantastic!

Fer said...

As always, your work continues to inspire!

Happy Anniversary too!

Unknown said...

Happy Anniversary to you and you hubby! Wishing you many more! Your Boro Bobbles are just wonderful! Love the fact that you used shot cottons. And your remnant pieces are just gorgeous!!

yahaira said...

happy anniversary V!!

those bobbles look so great, I can definitely see the influence in them. now, where are you going to be teaching a patchwork class?! :P

picciolo said...

Happy anniversary! And I love those bobbles, they look very tactile
: )

Unknown said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Your work is amazing. I love the way you combine color and texture.
ArtL8dy in Houston

Hey Harriet said...

Happy anniversay to you and your hubby Vic!

Those Boro Bobbles are the cutest little things! I'm amazed by your ability to continually come up with awesome ideas and transform them into such gorgeous creations!

Selvage Quilter said...

Happy Anniversary!
I love your bobbles and remnants.
Maybe Emma could exhibit her threads in a nice glass jar. Just a thought.

RosaMaría said...

happy anniversary!! you guys looks so great together!
love your bobbles and remnants.. love all your colorful work!

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary to you both!

Love the bobble/bubble/buttons - and of course, the remnants.

Where did I see a couple of them recently...? Oh yes, on quiltporn! They looked lovely on the black background.

prashant said...

What fun little bobbles
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Michelle Engel Bencsko said...

Happy Anniversary, dear! Sorry I'm late. The sentiment will last the year and more.

I love this picture of the two of you.

Minka said...

I like the bobbles. They would make nice pincushions

jhenzel said...

Hello again -
I love your Boro Bubbles. How do you keep them from fraying too much? I like the frayed look but I'm always concerned about longevity of the stitching.

I love your blog and your quilts.
Jennie