outside the box - box

I honestly try to follow directions. At least that is my story.

This stocking stuffer swap has the theme of purple/lavender, so I decided to make another fabric box. The one I made my Cousin turned out so lovely, and it has been hard to top with others I tried. My confidence was high with this project, so I didn't pull out the pattern and went by memory.

This fabric box turned out kinda cool, yet because I didn't follow the pattern, seams had to be ripped, not just once but twice before it looked decent. The original pattern calls for fabric to be cut at an 8-10" square, and this one was cut at 15". So its got an odd box shape to it that may not be as functional as if I had followed the pattern. I left the seams raw and facing outward. The inner corners are bigger than the opening corners. 

When my Sons were younger, it seemed that I never made most of the same meals twice even if they were so good you wanted to sell your clothes and go to heaven. Looking back, I suppose this denied them the sort of traditional comfort foods, yet did expand their ability to try new things.

Maybe this box is part of my journey into the more artistic expression of quilting. It is nice, and yet, I know that when I try this concept again, I will go back to the more functional look. The box ended up larger just because of the scraps I found that were about 16" wide. It was a matter of using the pieces rather than cutting them smaller and then having smaller scraps. I thought I knew what I was doing and did not think there would be such a different outcome to it.

I have so much to learn.