Selvage Along: Midway Check-in Linky + Tutorial at Made By ChrissieD

We're about halfway through the Selvage Along already! I realized this on Thursday when Renee posted her selvage sewing on Instagram. At that point, I hadn't actually started my own selvage project (not including the selvage strip pillow, which my CJMQG friend Janet now owns).

I was encourage by your comments to actually start my epic selvage rainbow bookcase quilt (thank you!), and I am absolutely IN LOVE with everything about it. I've always wanted to make one to hang next to my bookcase and/or in my future children's play area one day.

I think what was stumping me was the background; I didn't want it to be all solid white (and brown and I just don't go well together, so it was definitely going to be white, like my own bookcase). Then, I saw this photo on Pinterest, and I thought, ooh, maybe it can be more of a staggered/nontraditional bookcase. So I pulled out my low volume fabrics and started improvising (that's how I work best - no pattern to follow and a vague sense of the finished product). The Doe fabric (the strip on the bottom of the top two "shelves"), for now, is going to help me separate shelf to shelf. I want it to be subtle instead of each shelf outlined in a solid color or something.

All the saturated selvages I plan to include - obviously, more purple than anything else!

I'm laying out the selvages on the background before I make each block, and then I applique them. Sometimes I sew a bunch together and then stitch and flip the whole piece onto the background, or I sew one at a time if I want them to be a bit wonky (I usually stitch the cotton side right sides together to the background and then flip; selvages are great because the white part with the words doesn't really fray, unless it's a ruffly selvage). Then, I just press and stitch down the white part on top. I am having a blast placing the books and I can't wait to share more as it develops. If I'm really motivated and I keep working on it in between commissions, I might have the top done for the end of the selvage-along.

Make sure you check out the Selvage Zippy Pouch Tutorial over at Made by ChrissieD today!

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Link up!

Share the selvage projects you've been working on the last couple of weeks! There will be a final linky party in September, too, just in case you haven't started yet. :) Remember, you can tag #selvagealong on Instagram, and you can link up IG pictures in the link up, too.

An InLinkz Link-up

Selvage Along Schedule

July 20 - Intro post
July 24 - Selvage storage/collection linkup
July 27 - Selvage Strip Pillow Tutorial by Jess @ Quilty Habit
August 3 - Anna Maria Horner Selvage Feathers Tutorial by Renee @ Quilts of a Feather
August 10 -  Selvage Zippy Pouch Tutorial by Chris @ Made by ChrissieD + mid-way/check-in linky on both blogs <<<You are here!

 August 17 - Selvage Binding Tutorial by Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl
August 24 - Project by Vera @ Negligent Style
August 31 - Project by Jess @ Elven Garden Quilts
Sept. 7 - Selvage Churn Dash Project Share by Helga @ Cluckin' Pineapple 
Sept. 14 - Tutorial round up on both blogs
Sept. 21 - Last linky party- link up all your selvage projects!