Sewing the Scrap out of March ... in April and May

Yeah, I am a little late in posting my progress but I've been steadily working on this scrappy house quilt project.

I have always been partial and in love with the patterns and ideas using this charming block. I have found numerous free and available for purchase patterns. But many of these patterns require odd size pieces or require trimming after sewing. That slows me down, creates confusion and mistakes, and creates extra work and mess on the sewing room table, so I redesigned this block to just using widths of pieces that are 2" and 2.75". Yep! Just two widths and no trimming! 

 

The house body requires: (2) 2" x 4.5" and (1) 2" x 2" matching pieces (2 rectangles, 1 square).

The House Door requires: (1) 2" x 3" contrasting rectangle.

The Roof requires: (1) 2.75" x 5" and (2) 2.75" x 2.75" squares in background fabrics. (Rectangle and Two Squares Method of Flying Geese Units)

When finished, block will measure 4.5" x 6.25" (5" x 6.75" unfinished size)

For the trees, I simply made the flying geese units the same way I made the roof units. Two flying geese units with a base of 2" x 2.25" background + 2" x 2.25" tree trunk color + 2" x 2.25" background piece. You can sew 2" strips together to make this 3 piece unit and then cut into 2.25" lengths.

Once your house and tree blocks are sewn the fun begins as you arrange your blocks. I used 2.75" x 6.75" background pieces as spacers. Two of these in each row will replace one tree or house block. Just a little addition and will make your quilt a little larger, if you desire.

 

I turned every other row upside down as if showing an aerial view of a street. I sewed the houses together to form strips that are 54.5"  long.

 

I may use simple borders and am still deciding what direction to go. I generally love working on borders and feature some element from the quilt blocks. Maybe a row of trees? 

 

Although I did not make the deadline in time, there are more challenge ideas at Kim Lapacek's Persimon Dreams. 

Back to towards a finish...

Happy stitching!

Kris

 

 

 

Mitford in Spring

My Stars Over Mitford is finished and ready to cover my bed, Yes, this one is a keeper. It began as a project to use up my abundant supply of Civil War fabrics. And you know how that goes. It hardly made a dent, which is okay because I really love those old calico prints and colors. I hope they never go out of style. (as long as we keep asking for them, right?)

This block is similar to several sew-along designs I have found online. It was what motivated me to get it out of the box and finish it. It began as a project perhaps 5 years ago (?) all because I am a big fan of Jan Karon's Mitford series. I even have her cookbook! So you see, there is a lot to love about this quilt!

 

My favorite part of making scrappy quilts is pulling fabrics together that contrast and compliment. A lot of surprises happen there and we kind of develop our own taste and skill for selecting fabrics as we progress, I think. I make a point to work randomly as well which is what I did in the arranging of the blocks in this quilt. I simply put them up on the design wall as I finished them.

While I was near completely sewing the blocks and sashing together, I remembered a tin I had stored away of Civil War 5" charms. My original intent was to sew these together into quarter sewn triangle blocks. I had many already completed but had put them away as I lost interest. 

So I was delighted to find that they fit into a perfect border along the outside of this quilt. I had to sew in a few "spacers" at the corners to make them fit but it blends well enough and doesn't draw too much attention as an after-thought. (The feather pictured is for a future project. It was sharing the design wall at the time.) I think I had to dig in the stash for a few charm squares to complete the borders, but otherwise the bulk of them were already done. Bonus blocks I'd say!

The quilting was done by my friendly Long-Arm Quilter in a Paisley Feather design. And for the backing I used some yardage of brown border fabric. The label sewn in the corner is from a simple orphan block, framed with muslin for easy writing of signature. The binding was some leftover background fabric saved for just this purpose. It has all worked together to a fine finish. Thank you Pat Speth for your lovely pattern. 

 

So I can claim this as a finish. She measures 93" x 93" and I busted a whopping 16.5 yards of stash!  

I hope this has inspired you to finish a project that is sitting in a box on your shelf. Sometimes they make the best stories as you make additions and alter your original plans. Time can do that. 

Now it is time to make a Hummingbird Cake to celebrate.

Happy Stitching!

February is for Lovers

Does that include Lovers of quilts, too? Quilts surely provide us with much warmth in these brutally cold weeks that we've had here in Ohio. I hope you are staying warm where you are. 

This month's focus for me has been my Patches of Blue BOM by Edyta Sitar. I have all the blocks completed now and am presently working on the several appliques of snowflakes, and  a gingerbread man.

My snowflakes are a little different. I am making mine using 1/2" hexagons. I love working with hexagons and these tiny pieces are definitely a challenge. Don't cut your nails if you attempt sewing these as there is not much to hold onto. 

I am also sewing up several hundred Half Square Triangles to make scrappy flying geese in the borders. I cut a few, sew a few, and keep a running record to help track to the goal of 348. I may have to make a few extra, depending on what the final dimensions are when all the units are sewn together. The first border should give me the fudge room I will need to make them fit. 

 

I have considered making a few extra blocks to extend the size of this quilt into a square size throw...but I really want to get this done and off the design wall. I am anxious to move on to the next UFO.

Another project I've been working on is Judy Martin's pattern, Ladders of Success. This is a very simple pattern because it is all squares but because of the arrangement, it tricks the eye and just looks complicated. 

I did make extra blocks for this one so it will be 7 blocks x 7 blocks finishing around 82" square. (Have you noticed I am partial to square quilts?) 

 

I have had this whimsical country fabric for years...like maybe 15years? It is Heritage Square by Sandy Gervais. When this pattern was mentioned on Stashbuster's group as a challenge, this fabric jumped of my shelf and said, "pick me!".  It was fairly easy choosing a few fat quarters that would coordinate and I had just enough of a quality backing from Maywood Studio to use for the background. So I really shopped my stash for this one! Almost feels like a "free" project, right?

 

For the month of March Tea and Brie is hosting a free National Quilting Month Scrap Challenge: Sew the Scrap out of March. Scraps are my favorite fabric choice so I just have to jump in. Besides, I have a project I have been working on and this might motivate me to get it to the flimsy stage by the end of the month. 

 

It is composed of crumbs that I have saved from the end of remnants used for other scrappy quilts. This should be a fun effort. You can click on the link above for more information. 

I participated in Sew the Scrap Out of March last year with Pat Sloan's pattern, Traffic Jam. It's a free one you can download here.

So, let's sew the scrap out of March and get to some finishes! Happy stitching!

 

 

 

January is no longer slow

Have you noticed that too? There was a time when it seemed like January would drag on forever, but now it just hums along with the rest of the weeks, months, years even. So here we are, nearing February. I hope you are making headway in your sewing room. 

Before we flip our calendars though, I have a finish to report! It is my first for 2021 and it is a doozy. American Patchwork & Quilting had a sew along in 2018, in April I believe. I knew I just had to participate since I had a box full of scraps that would work perfectly for this quilt. And I cannot resist a scrappy quilt of many pieces. Can you?

It is called Sew Many Strips and if there ever was an example to prove that "there are no ugly fabrics, you just need to cut them smaller" - this quilt is one of them. Each brick shape piece is 1.5" x 2.5".

 

It's finished size measures 96" x 96", with 5,560 pieces, and I busted 19 7/8 yards of fabric to complete it. 

I normally like to use up the stash in my sewing room, but for this one I just purchased one piece of backing. It is quilted in the feathered paisley design. I am so happy with the end result, and because of its size, it is a very heavy quilt.

So on to the next UFO finish I go. I am now concentrating on my Patches of Blue BOM with Edyta Sitar. It has taken me longer than I expected as I am adding my own little appliques to make it my own. It is such a lovely design, just as all Edyta's designs are. My goal is to have it to a flimsy stage by the end of February.

And because you read to the end, I would like to share something I found while purging my patterns and clippings. It was written by an unknown source so if this is you, thank you! It has captured my heart.

 

The Quilter

Once my fingers touch the threads

Washing, dusting, unmade beds

fade away to nothingness 

And I in complete happiness

Let my heart soar with masters past

The patches blend designs so fast

That time flies by

And there am I...

Peaceful, creative, contented, whole--

Quilting becomes my very soul.

                             ~ Author unknown

 

 

Challenges and Mysteries in 2021

  There are so many quilt mysteries and challenges available online these days. I am someone who easily gets distracted and loves to chase these "squirrels"! So to try to keep them listed in one spot may help prioritize, or narrow down which ones to participate in. Here is my list to entice you.

1. Modern HST 2021 Steph Jacobson is offering another block of the month series. If you like modern settings or want to experiment in this genre, then go for this one. And it is free. 
2. Warmth of Our Stars designed by Scott Flanagan at Quilting Daily. A flannel quilt project that promises to be extra snuggly.
   
3. Home Is... mystery sew along project by Pat Sloan. Because it is a mystery, you won't know the final reveal until June 2, 2021, but you can trust the design work of Pat Sloan.
   
4. Sewcialties by Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber. It comes in three sizes and the block designs are irresistable. A new block pattern is released every Friday until June 25, 2021
   
5. Rail Fences by Stash Bandit
6. American Quilter's Stitch Along by Lisa Bongean will feature 15 blocks that will show our love of our country in this red, white, and blue quilt project.
   
7. Color My World by Wendy Williams at The Quilt Show. This one you have to subscribe to, to get the pattern. So beautiful and features famous world structures. 

 

I'll try to come back and edit this post as I find more that may be of interest. These are my number one sources for distraction! Maybe I should learn to look away or just keep scrolling. 

Home Sweet Homes

I love little house blocks. And there are so many examples of these charming blocks on the web.  I finished my "Be My Neighbor" block of the month in 2018 but here I am again entertaining another quilt made from these simple house blocks.

It is really Kim Lapecek's fault to tempt me so. She is hosting a scrap quilt challenge (challenges are so self-motivating!) and is featuring the house block for the month of April. I have until April 2021 to finish a quilt using the house block and my box of scraps. Minimum size is 45" x 60". Now that is doable, right? 

So which pattern should I choose? Or should I combine different styles of blocks in rows? I have The Villages pattern so I will begin with there. And to commemorate the quarantine year, maybe socially space them further apart than directed in the pattern? Oh how our lives are changing...

I've already made one block as a test to see how well I like this pattern idea. Kim also gives a short tutorial for a version of her house block which has very little waste. I may try both.

I will be linking up at Kim Pacek's scrap challenge party today. And watch these fun little blocks grow into something to snuggle under. 

 Scrappy House Challenge

 

"These are unprecedented times."  seems to be a common phrase we hear repeated these days. So many good and bad examples and effects of this quarantine, and one is the amount of sew alongs that are being offered! I guess the good or bad part comes from whether you are keeping up with them or not. <grin> 

I've been trying to stay focused on my own list of projects but the quarantine mystery quilt project hosted by Edyta Sitar was one that was irresistible! And I am so glad I did NOT resist because it finished beautifully! Thank you Edyta! 100 blocks in 15 days!  I love her quilts! I love her style! I am driven to finish this top this week.

Another work in progress is my Bonnie Hunter Frolic Mystery quilt. I have all the blocks sewn together and am presently working on the border. This should be done soon and ready for my long arm quilter. 

And my Patches in Blue Block of the Month, by Edyta Sitar is past due for a finish. Once the above quilts are off the wall, I can get back to getting this one done to a flimsy stage of completion. 

Has anyone jumped in on Pat Sloan's Traffic Jam? It is a fun scrappy project and sews up fast! I have 25 blocks finished and ready for sashings. 



Scrap Challenges seem to be my weakness. Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams has monthly scrap challenges. You link up your committment to finish your quilt within the year. Requirements are minimal: size to be at least 45" X 60", entries must be completely finished, and must be "scrappy" (not matched using precuts). This month's focus is on house blocks. Since I already have the Village quilt pattern, and a bucket of scraps, I'm in!



With all the upcoming outdoor chores, this will surely keep me busy stitching some finishes for this quarter. I will be linking my projects on #2020falq2list

 

First Finish is a Mystery

A mystery solved, that is. Scrap Dash by Pheobe Moon recently hosted a mystery project on new year's day. I just finished mine, minus the final border since I could not find any fabric that would look right from my stash. 

My Round the Mountain Mini Quilt finished at 36" square and is ready for its debut on the table! It is a cheerful little quilt and am pleased with the end result. 

I love how the pinwheels play on the borders. And I think the center needs a little more elaborate quilting rather than just the stitch in the ditch. Any suggestions?

I'll pick that up after I complete another quilting deadline goal. It should only take a few hours.