I {Heart} South Carolina

A few days ago I left this crafty little hint as to my next big project. Nobody who saw the picture guessed what I might be making. Now that it's done I'm so happy to show it to you!

Here is my Patchwork South Carolina Map

 Each county is made from a different scrap from my stash, so every county is totally unique. I may have strategically placed some fabric pieces (Tiger stripes in Pickens??? Yay Clemson!)

What started as a pile of cut out counties has turned into a great piece of art that I can't wait to get up on my

wall at home.

After cutting out each county, I sat in my living room amidst my scrap pile and picked a scrap for each county. I wanted to make sure i didn't have like-colors touching.

A little Heat-and-Bond applied to each piece held it to my large piece of fabric so sewing wouldn't be quite so insane...and I wouldn't have to put pinholes in my tiny little counties.

Once the counties were ironed in place, It was time to topstitch Every. Single. One. If you've never had a migraine headache...this is a good way to get one. In the end though it was totally worth it because the topstitching really sets off each county. (This topstitching made Anderson and Aiken my new favorite counties...rectangles! And I no longer like Charleston...too many inlets.)

I found the oldest, most beat up looking frame I could find and proudly placed my state inside. It's fun to try to remember which county is which. I remember most of them!

This was a very tedious project, but very worth the time and finger cramps it took to put it together. I love my state and everyone who comes in my house can see it!