It's a Wrap

I just had to take advantage of spending a Sunday afternoon at our newest quilt shop in Denver, so my friend and I packed up our stuff, and took an It's a Wrap Basket Class. (I found this photo from class on facebook, thanks Wooden Spools) 

The supplies to do this have been in my studio forever, and I had even made a basket long ago, but symmetrical it wasn't! While the technique really is easy, for me a class with instruction, tips and secrets, makes all the difference in the world. It was an added thrill to find such a wonderful group of gals to spend the afternoon with. Every one's baskets came out beautifully and I think we all inspired each other in the process.

Here is my finished basket from class

And it's first counterpart "the" really symmetrical one!  LOL And why is it, that I would decide to pick out the most difficult thing in the book for a first project????

 Now for the fabric. This was given to me by a friend a few years back. She thought it was the most horrible thing she had ever seen and was thrilled to "dump" it on me. As everyone who reads my blog knows, I love the outdoorsy look and the colors were wonderful to my eye. At least I thought till I got home with the stuff and decided she was right, it was pretty horrid. So it sat on my shelf collecting dust. Until---It's a Wrap called. If I say so myself though, torn up into 3/4" strips and wrapped on clothesline then stitched down, it's not bad at all. So there you go Deb, I used it and it came out great! 

This reminds me of a Quiltville's Bonnie Hunter Quote. If a fabric is really ugly, then you haven't cut it small enough. She swears that every fabric has it's place, but the uglier the piece, the smaller you need to chop it!  :-) Now that's some food for thought!