AKA: the pie carrier almost broke me.
In the middle of writing Zero Waste Quilting we had a family vacation to Tuscany. We were celebrating a myriad of family milestones and were fortune enough to enjoy Italy for ten days. It was glorious.
Before leaving I was trying to knock out as many projects as possible. Between time on the plane and quiet time in the villa, I knew I’d be able to write but it’s easier to write directions to projects when they are made.
I had a few green squares left over/sashing pieces I could cut down from making the Sawing Logs quilt. I also had some strips of fabric hanging around from Metaphor so I decided to make a small, wonky Log Cabin quilt.
I got all the blocks made and played around with some scrappy sashings and….
I HATED IT!
So I tried to make it better by playing around adding sashing.
I HATED THIS EVEN MORE.
Then we went to Italy where I stressed about HOW to make this mess look better.
WHY am I sharing this part?
If you’ve read previous posts I’ve shared that people always ask if projects and ideas come easily to me while I work in a zero waste fashion. Some do. Some do not. I thought this would be an easy project. I thought I’d knock out a little wonky quilt and move along but the universe had other plans.
I’m sharing this because I think it’s important that you know this process isn’t linear. Some ideas come to fruition without any hiccups. Some take time and sometimes, like with this pie carrier, it takes a lot of time and causes a lot of anxiety. BUT with time and space, usually the issues reconcile themselves.
It’s good to step away
I was really stressed to take such a long vacation in the middle of writing this book but it turns out that was the best thing I could do for myself. A step away gives you fresh eyes, new perspective and brings clarity and focus. If you are too wrapped up in the problem you can’t always see your way out.
Towards the end of our vacation I had the lightbulb moment: It’s not done until it’s overdone. I needed to come home, cut those blocks into quarter-squares, reassemble and poof! So I did just that.
The pieces look cuter already, right?
I shuffled the pieces, creating movement and dimension to make the top.
Sometimes the answer is that more is more. Don’t be afraid to cut up blocks to see what happens. Is it scary to do that? Oh my gosh, yes! But, in this case, absolutely worth the risk.
Finishing Touches
Once I had the top pieced I decided that I need to make something other than another small quil top. I spent some time contemplating options and landed on a pie carrier.
This pie carrier has a top, an insulated middle and a bottom layer. Cotton webbing is used to create the handles.
Was it worth it?
Was the stress worth it? In the end, it was. I think this pie carrier is the cutest thing ever and it gave me a reason to ask one of my kids to help me.
Other options
Other options to make this pie carrier include:
1.Use a plain piece of fabric for the top, too. You don’t have to make a quilt top.
2. Sew straps using fabric. Be sure to include an interfacing for extra stability.
3. If you don’t want your pie carrier insulated you can use a layer of batting instead.
Possibilities are endless.
You can also change the shape to a rectangle and make this a casserole carrier! Adjust strap sizes as needed and enjoy!