During the Pandemic, a group of art quilters started meeting and giving ourselves a monthly “challenge.” The first one was to take something old and do anything to it to make it new.  Before I moved to California (pre-2003) I did batik (waxing & dyeing fabric).  I have a bin of “rejects that I just can’t make myself throw away.” In it I found my octopus (left image).  It was rejected because it just felt kind of lonely, with no personality.  Then I found the green swirly designs, which I had intended to look like rivers as seen from the sky.  But the finished piece wasn’t very interesting. While looking for something old to transform, I happened to pull these two out of the reject bin and lay them side by side.  I realized that together they could work. I cut out the green swirly pieces and appliqued them around the octopus.  I stitched around the octopus and stuffed batting behind its legs and head to make it 3-dimensional.  I added eyes (a big oversight in the original piece) and a few small fish.  Finally, I quilted it.  It is now a very happy octopus in its garden with friends. 

Now I look for potential in my discards.  Some of them are still in the reject bucket.  But maybe one day I will find just the right partners to make them beautiful.