Batik Race Pillow Covers

One of my goals for June was to make placemats for FMQ practice. That concept has evolved; we really prefer a tablecloth instead of placemats, and DH requested pillows for the chaise lounges on the patio, so I'll make pillow covers to use for FMQ practice. 

Earth tone colors will work for our outdoor space, and I have a lot of batiks in earth tones and related colors. I decided to cut strips and make a race style chunk of fabric and use it for the pillow covers. 

I pulled three batches of batik fabrics: Warm Brights (orange, red, pink, gold, etc); Mediums; and Deep Darks. Using my 2" strip die, I cut a lot of strips. 

I added black and light yellow spacers between the strips. When pieced, the spacers will look like confetti sprinkled throughout. Each strip is about half WOF or shorter plus the spacer. 

I assorted the strips into 5 piles, alternating a bright with a medium or dark, and started sewing each pile end-to-end jelly roll race style. This is two of the piles, 2/5 of my strips. I figured it would be easier to press the seams and keep the long strips untwisted if I did it in segments rather than all one. I'll join up the five segments into one, and then start the long seams. In this jumble, the brights aren't visible, but trust me, they're there. 

By my estimates I'll have enough strips for a pieced chunk about 96" long by 82" wide or 192" long by 41" wide. I need 56" x 36" per pillow cover so I'll have plenty with some left over. When I see what it looks like I can decide which direction to cut the pillow covers so the strips look best. 

This could really turn out cool, or it could be a horrible mess. No way to tell until the race is won. Either way, I'll have plenty to practice FMQ on. 

Link Ups: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts,  Love Laugh Quilt