Scrappy "Under the Sea"

This little quilt was made from my scrap box and fabric on my shelf.  Everything I used was fabric left over from other projects.  I have found that some of the best creations come from using what you have on hand and thinking "outside the box." 

I was asked to make an "under the sea" themed quilt for a new baby boy.  The parents had this theme for their new baby's room.   Hmm...I often order online, but didn't have time to wait for shipping.  I wasted an afternoon around town looking for a quick "sea" related panel or fabric.  Are you kidding?  JoAnn's had shark fabric with big teeth and that was all.  Good thing I didn't find any because it forced me to think in a different direction.

Here is how it evolved: I went to my scraps and made some humble little ordinary 9 patch blocks in neutrals, green, blue, orange and brown--dots and geometric fabrics.

Pieced with a light neutrals and . . . wow, look how that blue border enriches all the colors!

More dots found in my stash for the outer border and now for some "sea" applique:  a starfish . . .

. . . a turtle . . .

(I know, I know, it's not a sea turtle, but it's cute anyways!)

 . . . and my favorite, a fish with bubbles!

For the binding, I dug out just enough of this zingy little striped fabric that matches all the colors to bring it all under control. Since I wanted it to be really soft I quilted it with a large open freehand swirly design called Dwirling. (by Dawn Ramirez aka The Pajama Quilter.)  

This is my favorite part.  You see, I made the parents Wedding Quilt a couple years ago. This quilt back has a strip of the fabric from that very quilt. The minute I pulled this 6 inch wide strip from the bin, I knew I had to use it!  I love pieced backings!  I was able to use a single width of fabric, split it just off center, sew in the blue and then it was wide enough for the backing.

All boxed up, shipped out and on it's way to Arizona.

I sure am glad I didn't find any fishy fabric at the store!