Category Archives: Scrappy Quilting

Kitties and Linen

I have a couple of small projects to share today. Both happen to involve kitty fabric which is totally coincidental. Which one do you want to see first? Oh, the linen project? Ok – sure.

I have been selling a line of cotton linen blends made by Andover for as long as I have had my fabric shop (which is just over three years now – can you believe it??) I love these fabrics and try to always keep a few choices in the shop. I have also used them to make a lot of custom Chemex covers and French Press cozies to sell in my shop. This leaves me with quite the collection of oddly shaped scraps. Obviously, I cannot throw them away. (I know you understand).

So I have been cutting them into squares to make it easier to play with them. I did a simple patchwork and quilted it up. I love the size of it and plan to make one or two more so I can use them as placemats on the table.

I quilted each of the fabrics with a different motif. Hard to see, but the kitty fabric has tiny pebbling. The black on black quilting was not fun. It is so hard to see as you are going! For the grid fabric, I did little squares that spiral this way and that. The solid fabric has loops. For the dogs I did a micro stipple. With the abstract shapes, I just outlined shapes which was easy and fun.

So pretty with some camellias from the garden.

Want to see another kitty project? This one is totally different. My grand daughter has her 3rd birthday coming up on March 7th. I was wrapping her gifts so I could get them in the mail when I realized I had not made anything for her. Kind of silly, why do I have to ‘make’ something for her. She is equally impressed with a store bought or hand made gift. But for her first birthday, I made her a doll quilt and her second birthday I made a dolly bed.

What was I to do?? I went downstairs and looked through my patterns and fabric. Wanting a quick project (since I had to mail it the next day) I chose to make her a little apron. They have two kitties at their house whom she dearly loves (though I am not at all sure her intense affection is reciprocal). I chose a sweet fabric designed by Dana Willard – you’ll find it in my shop if you click here.

Because of the length, I had to cut 3/4 yard of fabric but it was just one piece and the ties. There was plenty of fabric left over to cut another length and line the apron. This actually made it a much quicker project. Rather than hemming under the edges of the perimeter of the apron, I just sewed the two panels right sides together (after basting the neck tie and waist ties in place). The additional layer of fabric gives the apron a much nicer weight. (Which is clearly the concern of any three year old. I didn’t want her to complain to her Gram-gram that ‘this apron is just too flimsy and light weight”. Haha)

I lined the pockets with a pop of red which makes me happy and most likely matters not one bit to my sweet little girl. Again, lining the pockets seems quicker than turning under the edges and stitching them on. This way, once they are turned right side out and pressed, those edges stay right where they should be as they are stitched.

I do think she will enjoy the D-rings though. For some reason, I suspect she might want to see if she can loop the next strap through on her own. Most three year olds have this idea they can do everything on their own and she is no different.

It was a fun and really quick make – hoping she will enjoy wearing it. Her mama and daddy cook a lot and she is their helper. Now she can sport this little apron in the kitchen.

I even labeled it – The hearts look cute but I must have put too much pressure on the fabric because the bottoms of the hearts are too open. Sigh.

These projects were definitely a couple of squirrels that happened by so I’ll be sharing over at Sandra’s monthly DrEAMi link up! Also linking to From Bolt to Beauty.

Who is celebrating Leap Year today? Me, I am!! If you’d like to join me, head over to the shop because all yardage is 15% off. Clearance and remnants are 50% off. Crazy right? Great deals on lots of awesome fabric. Happy shopping!!

February Scrappy Projects

12 Replies

I started the month off by working on two scrappy projects. Kind of nice to play a bit and use up a few pieces from my scrap bins. Besides what else was I to do while the Super Bowl was on??

The first block I made is for the 2020 Monthly Color Challenge. The color is blue and the block was a quick make. Coincidentally, I used polka dots again this month (I used them last month too, but in yellow).

These look so happy and it is making me wonder if I should try to go for a polka dotted theme with this quilt. I need to check the bins and see if I have enough dots though. I am NOT going to buy dotted fabric to make this happen. Sort of defeats the purpose of scrappy quilting, doesn’t it?? Jen does have the colors she will be focusing on listed on her blog. I will take a look and see how many dotted fabrics I have to decide if this might work.

After this block, I decided to pull my orange bin as that is the color for February over at Angela’s RSC2020 challenge. I had absolutely no idea what I was wanting to do with them but thought I should make something just to use some of the scraps up. Plus, I was in the mood to play around.

Somehow it popped into my head to make a Dresden block. I have seen lots of minis or wall quilts with a series of Dresdens of various sizes and colors, made to look like flowers. I think I will do something like this. I like the Dresden’s with the curved tips and might alter a few to look like that as well. It will be a fun thing to work on here and there.

This week was our monthly guild meeting. My friend Sophia encouraged the guild members to make tree blocks for Australia’s fire victims. The result was fantastic. There was a sew day with one local church group of quilters and quite a large stack of blocks was created.

The variety of blocks showed a great deal of creativity. It was fun to look through them since I didn’t attend the sew day. I did make two blocks though and you can see those here if you like.

There were lots of appliqué, many strip pieced trees and an assortment of traditional tree blocks.

This tree was drawn on the fabric which I thought was quite clever. If our little guild came through with all of these, I cannot imagine how many the Wollongong MQG is going to receive. Wow!

Now that my scrappy projects are wrapped up for the moment, I am finishing up the assembly of my Mosaic Quilt top. The main portion of the top is put together. I keep looking at it to see if some portion is flipped the wrong way before I put on the borders. It is much harder to take apart once the borders are on. It looks good to me but I am going to stare at it a bit more before I take that last step!

Linking to Oh Scrap! and Jen’s 2020 Monthly Color Challenge link (which I totally forgot to do with my yellow blocks!) Enjoy the week everyone!

Scrappy Fall Table Runner

15 Replies

I have a fun finish to share with you all today. I have been doing a little collaborating with Carole of From My Carolina Home for the past couple of weeks. She is hosting her fabulous Autumn Jubilee which happens each fall season. One of her projects is a set of placemats which I supplied the fabric for. You can check those out here – they are really pretty. Carole does an amazing job creating tablescapes – whenever I see one, I wish I was sharing a meal with her! I love what she did for this festive autumn table. Below you can take a look at the fabric she used. The kit is available in the shop but in very limited supply. I suspect it will sell out quickly. It is a great bundle and she is supplying the tutorial for you!

I wanted to make a scrappy project for my table as well. In return, I decided to try out one of her Scrap Dance patterns.

I chose the Scrap Dance Two Step pattern for my project. As you know, I like simplicity and this pattern has some great blocks that are really easy to piece. Just my style. Though it is intended for a larger quilt (which is really necessary for the secondary patterns to show up), I decided to use it for a table runner containing only three blocks. This is the perfect size for my table because the blocks finish at 12″ square.

I chose pieces from a few of my scrap bins as well as a few fabrics in my shop. It is hard to resist using them, they are just downstairs! Can you blame me?? I cut a bit of Sweet Harvest for the centers of each block as I really love that plum color. Then I used scraps of other Art Gallery pieces for the remaining. The background is Natural Elements. Be it from the scrap bin, or the shop, I did use all Art Gallery Fabric for the top. A little Maureen Cracknell, Pat Bravo, Bonnie Christine and some Sharon Holland, are all put together for an autumnal scrappy look. I do think you could go scrappy on the background but only if they were the same values and the colors were super close. Otherwise the pattern might be lost.

Because there is so much going on with the colors and patterns of the fabrics, I went very simple with the quilting. I did some ditch stitching first to hold everything together. Following that I only outlined some of the background pieces.

The rectangles on either end as well as the triangles making up the star in the center. To keep things calm, I used the same fabric for the border and binding.

Originally, I had planned to make four blocks. However (after cutting pieces) I decided it would be too long for my table. This left me with some extra cut pieces to incorporate into the back. You can’t see the entire back here but the pieced stripe extends the length of the runner. The brown solid was in my stash so I used that bit up.

I have to say, Carole’s pattern was a dream to use. I think it would make an adorable bed size quilt. If you used solid scraps, it would be a bit on the modern side. With prints or repro fabrics you would achieve a very traditional look. I love that Carole includes so many sizes in her patterns. This pattern includes everything from table topper to a king size bed quilt. This gives the quilter many options and the math is all done for you! If you haven’t yet made one of her patterns, go check them out here. She has a number of them to choose from and I know you will enjoy using her beautiful designs and easily understood instructions.

Southern Vermont is gorgeous at this time of year!

I am loving autumn here in the north east. We have had clear, gorgeous skies as well as some stormy gray days. Fall is my absolute favorite season so I plan to enjoy it regardless of the weather!

Linking up with a few fun places. Check them out at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

String Frenzy Book Tour

Today is my stop on the String Frenzy Book Tour!! You may have already read a few posts about this new book by none other than Bonnie Hunter. Bonnie, queen of scrappy quilts, has been at it again and this new book is the result of hours and hours of work. If you are new to my blog, welcome! I am so glad you’re here and hope you will take a few minutes to look around.

One of the things that impressed me about the book is Bonnie’s level of detail. She discusses the basics on block construction, string blocks, crumb blocks and foundation piecing. Lots and lots of great information for the beginner to intermediate quilter which is right where I fall.

Once she provides a good basis of instruction, she moves into the patterns. This book contains twelve unique quilt patterns with wonderful instruction. The difficulty ranges from advanced beginner to intermediate skill level.

I haven’t made a scrappy quilt in a very long time, which is made abundantly clear by the overflowing scrap bins and the pile of scraps not put away (for lack of a bin to fit them into)! While I didn’t have time to make an entire quilt, I did want to try one of the patterns. Making a table runner seemed more manageable with the other projects I have going on right now.

Daybreak from the String Frenzy book by Bonnie K Hunter

For my project, I selected the Daybreak pattern. I liked the tiny four patch blocks and the string pieced sashing Bonnie used in this pattern. These four patch blocks each finish at 2 1/2 inches. I used strip piecing to make these which was pretty darn quick.

When I was reading the book I decided rather than going with a totally scrappy look, I would choose a couple of colors to emphasize. My choices were green, blue and purple.

Then I decided I would use a pale green for the setting triangles within each block.

The borders were all pieced using my abundant supply of neutral scraps. I cut them into strings of varying widths and sewed large sections together. Then these were cut into strips measuring 2 1/2″ by 8″.

Finished! My version of Daybreak, just three blocks in all!

This is the finished project! I had intended to use it as a table runner but I really like it and am debating putting a sleeve on the back and hanging it in my sewing room. The finished measurements are approximately 12″ x 32″ and I have a spot on the wall that might work just fine. I need to think on that for a bit.

Quilting it was enjoyable. It has been a while since I have done any free motion quilting. I stitched in the ditch around the five on-point blocks within each block because I knew I wouldn’t be quilting those. I wanted to leave them alone. Additionally, I used loops on the low volume scrappy sashing and some wavy lines on the light green triangles.

As it should with a scrappy quilt, every bit of fabric came from my stash. I didn’t take a photo of the backing but even that was in the closet! Yay for using up some fabrics that have languished for a long while.

All in all, this is a great book. Lots of fun ways to use scraps and if you don’t want to make the entire quilt, go for a mini, a table topper or a runner. I love making smaller projects because there is a satisfying finish and practicing my FMQ is so much easier on small quilts.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour and look at the projects made by the rest of the gang. Here is the schedule:

Friday, 4/5: C&T Publishing at ctpub.com/blog

Saturday, 4/6: Pat Sloan at ilovetomakequilts.com

Sunday, 4/7: Sandra Clemons at makeitblossomdesigns.com

Monday, 4/8: Susan Arnold at quiltfabrication.com

Tuesday, 4/9: Bernie Kringel at needleandfoot.com. (You are here!!)

Wednesday, 4/10: Bonnie Hunter at quiltville.blogspot.com

Bonus!! C&T Pubs has generously provided me with an e-book of String Frenzy to give to one lucky reader. Leave me a comment and let me know if you are a scrappy quilter. Do you make lots of scrappy projects? What is your favorite way to use your scraps – and what constitutes a scrap? Will you save a 1.5″ square? How small is too small?? Looking forward to hearing back from you. Giveaway open until Friday and I will draw a winner over the weekend!

UPDATE: Giveaway now closed. Winner was comment #6, Sandy M! Congrats Sandy. Enjoy the book! 🙂

Calling to all customers!! I have all Michael Miller fabrics on sale at 50% off through the weekend! Yep — Such a great deal. Hop over the shop and take a look. I am sure you will find something you love. Prices can’t be beat. Shipping is a flat rate of $6.99 no matter how large the order is. Happy Shopping!!

Newsletter!

Have you signed up for my newsletter? It is published every month or so and contains information about my shop, new arrivals, sales, and events. Click here to sign up!

It’s the Little Things

22 Replies

It all adds up, right? I have had a lot going on but each is a small-ish project. Somehow this has filled my days over the past week or so. It’s all good though – creativity takes many forms and, for me, it is always quite satisfying.

I am working on a project for an upcoming book review. You’ll see the review and more of the project in a couple of weeks or so. But these little scrappy blocks are a lot of fun. The four patch blocks are 2″ finished. I don’t usually opt for small piecing (and for many, this isn’t very small at all!).

They are fun to make and I think the project is going to look really good. Plus I am using up a few scraps. I have not touched my scrap bins in many months so this makes it extra satisfying!

In our local quilt guild, there are many ways one can help with the community service projects. My usual choice is to bring home quilted pieces and machine bind them. Very quick to do and it enables me to contribute. Since we have a guild meeting a week from today, I thought I should finish this one up. That way I can bring it in and grab another one to take home.

My friend Sandra over at MMM! Quilts is hosting her 3rd annual QAL. She is so much fun – which I am sure you already know. She had curated a blogger bundle for me last year (the November bundle). Some of her readers asked if she would do a QAL using the bundle. She graciously agreed and this Beothuk Star the resulting event. Because there are only five or so of those November bundles left (should anyone else want to make it with those fabrics) she and I decided to create a second bundle for the QAL. Sandra curated this one as well and it is so bright and cheerful.

This bundle is built around the Sunny Side Up piece of fabric in center, by Maureen Cracknell

I really love this bundle! The reason there are two of the teal pieces is because one is used as the binding. If you are curious to see it close up, it is available in the shop now.

The other bundle, based on the November Blogger Bundle

Above is the other kit being offered for this QAL. It is based on the November blogger bundle but with two changes.

Additional pieces needed for the November blogger bundle

She needed another fat quarter so the pink and blue triangular print (Mosaic) was added. To have enough for the background, the amount of the sandy off-white piece was increased. This means if you have the bundle already, you might choose to purchase the kit extension for that original bundle. It is available here. Of course it isn’t mandatory. You could certainly use a different background if you have one you prefer. You could also add one complementary fat quarter of your choosing.

Crushed walnut shells – a new item in the shop

I have been adding a few different notions to the shop lately too. Most recent are these bags of crushed walnut shells for filling pin cushions. Yesterday I bagged up a number of them so they are now available too! Each bag holds six ounces and each order will be for two bags (so twelve ounces total).

These are not yet available but I am excited to show them to you. I asked my woodworking spouse to make a point turner for me. I have seen them and thought maybe I could be using something more effective than the chopsticks I currently use. (Chopsticks are a reasonable choice but the ends of mine are more square than round so I can’t obtain as sharp a point as I would like. He asked me what I thought I wanted and I described the one on the far left. He said ok but when he made that one, he also made two more so I would have something to compare. His designs are so much better (why doesn’t that surprise me???) I like using the fully rounded handle of the middle one. The piece on the far right has a nice point to it but the handle is flatter and it isn’t quite as comfortable to use. So, I am going for the one in the middle. I also like the extra bit of length on that one. They are really pretty aren’t they? Do you use a point turner? What works for you?

Last, but certainly not least, I have a fun event coming up next week! I have written before about the issues with a lot of us using social media for inspiration. Sometimes it is great to see all of this amazing work out there. Other times, it is kind of a downer and leaves us feeling ‘less than’. I know we are not ‘less than’ but it can feel that way seeing so much amazing work and then looking at our progress and feeling a little bit defeated. In an effort to show the real side to all of us, let’s share some of the ridiculous. We have all goofed. We have all made a project and thought, ‘nope, I’m not sharing this.’ Here is the chance to get real. What better day to open the event than on April Fool’s Day!! Think about this and write a post sharing a mistake or misunderstanding you might have had about our craft. Mine is quite ridiculous and I am sure it will entertain you. Share it next week and link up with me. Prizes will be awarded – just by a random drawing – no judging here! I think it is a great way to all get on the same level with our art by sharing these imperfections. If you have questions, leave them in the comments. Hope you will join in!!

Linking up with my favorites. Check them out at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

Special Pattern Sale, From My Carolina Home

6 Replies

This week I have enjoyed promoting the August Blogger Bundle curated by Carole Carter of From My Carolina Home. It has been such a successful bundle. Maybe with all the kids going back to school, we have that feeling of summer winding down, knowing the cooler weather of autumn is just around the corner and these colors were extra appealing to us? I am not sure but this bundle is by far the most popular of the blogger bundles this year. It might also be that Carole captured everyone’s attention with her gorgeous placemats and the related tutorial she kindly shared with everyone. Maybe it is the improv table topper she has promised to share with us. (She is sharing it over on her blog today – the photo above shows a scrappy binding which leaves me wanting to see more). Or is it the teaser she left about a tablescape with the placemats she intends to share on Monday. She has done her magic with this bundle of fat quarters!

It turns out that one of Carole’s readers mentioned she was buying the bundle to make a quilt with. Of course, this got Carole’s wheels turning. (She is always up to something creative!).

Placemats made by Carole of From My Carolina Home

After hearing this plan from her reader, Carole thought of the patterns she has designed and which of them were most suited to this bundle. She would like to offer them at 30% off today and tomorrow only! You might remember when Carole first published Scrap Dance and then Scrap Dance Tango. They are both really pretty quilts which one could make entirely with scraps and a background fabric. Or…. you might just choose to make them with this wonderful bundle of autumnal fabrics Carole curated. I think this is a great opportunity to pick up one (or two?) of Carole’s patterns. Summer is nearly done and with the cooler weather we will all be in the sewing room a bit more.

Scrap Dance, Designed by Carole Carter, From My Carolina Home

Take a look at the quilt made with her pattern called Scrap Dance. It is just gorgeous and with the fabrics in this blogger bundle it would be perfect for the fall season. Made entirely with HST’s and squares, the piecing does not seem terribly complicated. You know me, I don’t do complicated. 🙂

Scrap Dance Tango, Designed by Carole Carter, From My Carolina Home

This is Scrap Dance Tango. The version shown in the pictures is quite scrappy but again, with the bundle you would have a very pretty, autumn inspired quilt. With this quilt, she shows a scrappy low volume background which is lovely.

Here is the thing – the blogger bundles were quite popular so there are only a few left. They are on sale through the end of the day, while supplies last. If you decide to give this a go, hop over and grab a bundle. I do have a limited amount of the golden textured solid which would be a pretty background fabric. It is the floral that will be the limiting factor for the bundles.

Maybe you already bought a bundle over the past several days? If you didn’t know exactly how you planned to use it, I would encourage you to take a closer look at both of these patterns. One thing I appreciate about Carole’s patterns is that she includes so many options for the size of the project. Maybe you just want to make a table topper or wall hanging? There is also the choice of baby quilt, lap quilt or twin size bed quilt. It is totally up to the maker! As I said above, these two patterns are 30% off through tomorrow morning, making them a steal at $6.30 each. No coupon code is needed, the prices reflect the discount. For more information, please check out Carole’s post this morning.

So which one appeals to you most? I have to say, I am leaning heavily toward the Scrap Dance pattern. I just love the look of the secondary patterns created with this pattern. Ok, thank you again for your loyal support of my shop. I hope you realize how much I appreciate all of you!! Hope you have all had a lovely weekend.

Newsletter!

Have you signed up for my newsletter? It is published every month or so and is full of information about my shop, new arrivals, sales, and events. Click here to sign up!

Playing Catch Up

17 Replies

Well, I did great for the first three months of the year. My two RSC18 projects were worked on each month and one was finished in time for the next. Somehow April and most of May slipped by and I didn’t work on either of them. Knowing myself, I figured I had better get caught up. Once I am too far behind, it becomes very easy to talk myself into skipping it altogether. We know what happens next don’t we? The blocks I did make end up in orphan block land, a very sad place to be.

While I am not totally caught up yet, I feel much better with the progress I made. To remind you, I am sewing along with Angela and Mari’s Squared Away BOM and I am making nine patch blocks for a separate project. April’s color was yellow with a touch of gold. The block tutorial for the month was the 4X Star, also known as the Carrie Hall block. These made for super easy piecing as only squares and a handful of HST’s were required for each one. I love both of these blocks – note that I used the same golden fabric for the four squares in the center but it looks quite different on each one. I was having a really tough time finding scraps of yellow for April because I only had such a small amount of yellow. Mentioning this to Mari, she sent off a huge packet of yellow scraps. Though her idea of scraps might be different then mine because she generously sent a number of fat quarters. So, Mari’s tutorial, Mari’s fabric….. I wonder what it would take to get her to come to California to cut my pieces and stitch them up? Thank you Mari!

May’s color is pink and rose. This was easier for me as I have plenty of pink scraps in my stash. I don’t know if I really went with rose but I like the combinations I came up with thus far. The block for this month is by Nancy Cabot, called Baton Rouge Square. Mari describes it as a package with ribbons tied at the top. I like that! Again, these are easy blocks to construct as long as you watch the direction of each HST. At this point, I still need to make one more of each block for both April and May, and I will be good to go. June’s block will pop up on Saturday so I better get these done!

Here is a shot with all of my Squared Away blocks to date. Looking good, with the exception of the missing pink and yellow blocks! I am thinking of placing them on point and sashing them with a gray that is a tad darker than the background color I am using. But there is plenty of time to figure out those details.

Finally I did make a few nine patch blocks. I haven’t made the wonky stars in pink yet, but these are quick and simple to put together.

Now I am off to the sewing room to make a custom Chemex Cozy for a customer in Virginia. Time to get busy. Also, come back on the first of June as I have some updates about my shop to share with you. Until then, happy sewing!

Linking to Let’s Bee Social and Needle & Thread Thursday. Info on both of these is found at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

Have you signed up for my newsletter? It is published every month or so and is full of information about my shop, new arrivals, sales, and events. Click here to sign up!

SaveSave

Catching up on RSC18

13 Replies

First of all, thanks to everyone for the get well wishes. I am feeling better and have spent the last day or two getting caught up on things. Whenever I spend time down due to some illness or other, it is always so satisfying to get back to normal and have a regular day. Do you know what I mean? It makes me appreciate normal.

Today I am sharing my RSC18 projects to date. I finished the green blocks on the last day of March but never took pictures or posted them. The block for March is called Red Cross and dates to 1897. I don’t get the name but it is a fun block to make. Luckily I didn’t sew any bits together with the green HST’s pointing the wrong way (unusual for me, I know!) The color was to be light or bright green and this was easy as my green tub is truly overflowing. Like January and February, I tried to keep to the same scrap for each of the Squared Away blocks. Two of the greens look very similar (the lower two) but I am fine with this.

This green and yellow fabric is striking -somehow I have no idea where it came from. Usually I can remember but not this time! I love sampler quilts but sometimes they have a very busy look to them. I think using the gray background and keeping the fabric the same within each block is going to add order to the quilt.

Here are the blocks together, though none have been squared yet. There is a third purple block but my OCD self couldn’t take the picture with an extra block hanging out in space. Oh dear, what is wrong with me anyway??

I have said this before but it bears repeating. Mari, designer of the quilt for Squared Away, does an excellent tutorial and I appreciate the bit of information she provides about each block. If you haven’t sewn along with her before, I highly recommend her block of the month projects. Organizing, writing, preparing for this sort of event has to be incredibly time consuming. Thank you Mari!

As I make the Squared Away blocks, I have also been pulling smaller scraps from the bins and making nine patch blocks. These finish at nine inches each. In February I did a few wonky stars to go with the purple set. I really like these and will make more as I go along. I am unsure what I will do with these. Maybe just sash them in black and use it as a donation quilt. The nine patch blocks are a breeze and this uses up more of the small scraps in each bin.

The wonky star blocks add interest to this project.

I need to pull yellow scraps for April. This could be a challenge because I have so few yellow scraps. There are some charm squares I might be able to utilize, depending on the cutting instructions for the April block.

Another project I worked on this week was cleaning up my shop. I have deliveries tomorrow and next week. Hurray for new fabric!! There was a stack of 1/2 and one yard cuts that were end of the bolt so I did some measuring and pricing. Each of these is listed in the Bargain section of the shop. Come take a look, maybe you will find something you like!

Enough for now. I have lots to do. Hope you are all enjoying a ‘normal’ day too.

Linking up with a number of blogs, including Finished or Not Friday. See the list up at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

SaveSave

Scrappy HST Finish

23 Replies

This finish was long in the making. I started making large (9″ square) scrappy HSTs in the beginning of 2016 as my RSC16 project. They were a lot of fun to make and I easily finished the quilt top by the end of the year. Then I promptly pressed it, hung it neatly in the closet, and closed the door. It languished for all of 2017, poor ignored quilt top. I think I left it there because I felt it was too small and I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to make a stack of 5″ squared scrappy blocks. Without any plan, I figured I would somehow use them for a border. After making the blocks, I figured out the size rectangles I needed to space between the squares to create the border. For the most part, this worked ok. But you know me and quilt math….. When I laid out the border and it looked like I would be coming up short, I just expanded one or two of the scrappy blocks to compensate. I hope this doesn’t offend anyone. It doesn’t bother me. 🙂

In fact, I love it. I am wild about this quilt. It is my kind of project. Imperfection works in this sort of quilt. I am pleased with the colors, the polka dot background which provides a nice spot for the eye to rest, the border of gray dots between the HST’s and the scrappy border – all of it! This one took a long while to come together, but it was worth the wait! I took it to the long arm shop and quilted it with a meandering loopy motif. Some little spirals, some large loops and some small ones. It left the quilt with a nice, cozy drape. This was a lot of fun to quilt and took no time at all.

For the backing, I chose Newsprint in a wide back. This was designed by Carrie Bloomston and is probably my favorite backing. When I ordered my first bolt of it, I was pleasantly surprised to sell the bolt within weeks. I just received a second bolt so I have it in stock again. Because it is such a fun print, I also take the wide back and cut fat quarters and 1/2 yard pieces. Each of these (wide back, fat quarter, and 1/2 yard cuts) are available in my shop.

The binding is a print by Lotta Jansdotter called Aliisa from her Lemmikki line. I really like this fabric but looking back, I don’t know if it is the best match for the quilt. The color is “slate” but when it is next to Newsprint and the gray dotted background, it has a very blue tone. Because the quilt is so scrappy, I decided to go with it anyway. I like the angular pattern of the print. So, I think it is ‘good enough’. I did go back to the listing though and update my description to explain about the blue hues this fabric has. If you are intrigued by this one, click here to see the shop listing.

I can happily check this one off the list and report I am down to three unfinished quilts in the closet. Well, that is not including either of the RSC18 projects I am working on. Not too terrible!

Tomorrow I am off to see my kids in Vermont. Probably no blog posts until I get back – unless I change my mind. 😉 I am so excited to see my grand daughter. She started walking last week and it will be so fun to watch her toddling around. Like I mentioned in my last post, any Etsy orders placed by 3:00 Friday (today) will ship. If placed after that, they will ship on Monday, April 2nd. The last time I was gone like this, I promised to refund half of the shipping charge for orders placed in my absence – sort of a thank you for being patient and waiting until the 2nd for shipment. Same goes with this trip! Place the order and just know I will pay half of your shipping cost. Thanks so much for understanding!. It is a bit difficult to be a grammy to a little girl in Vermont when you live in California!

Linking to Finish It Up Friday and a few others. All are listed at the top of the page, under Link Ups.

Squared Away in Purple

10 Replies

It is already mid-February and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is purple. On Tuesday I set aside my doll quilt projects and pulled out my purple scrap bin. It was time to get to work on some scrappy piecework.

The second block for the Squared Away BOM, hosted by Mari of Academic Quilter and Angela of So Scrappy, was released last Saturday. For this month, Mari chose a block called The Wishing Ring. Let me say, this is a great block – not fussy at all! My kind of quilting. 🙂

I have decided that, as much as the scrap bins allow, I would like to use one fabric throughout each block with the same gray background throughout. I think it will look more cohesive. Luckily I had some reasonably large purple scraps so it worked for this month.

I had some fun playing around with these blocks. I think it would make a great quilt on its own. I have not made a quilt with just two colors but maybe someday…. I like it. ( Though I doubt I would choose purple for a whole quilt.) There are some fun secondary patterns that appear with this block.

Putting the January and February blocks together looks like this. So far, so good!! I still have the purple bin out on the sewing table. I started cutting three inch squares and playing with them yesterday. Once I figure out what to do with them, I will show you. 🙂

Have a good weekend everyone. We are enjoying spring like weather so it should be a nice one!

Linking up to my favorites. Please take a look at the Link Up tab at the top of the page.