Scrap Blocks

What do you do with all those scraps?  Are you spending just as much time organizing and re-organizing your scraps as you do with the new fabric the mail man brings you?    Do you spend just as much time searching on-line for ways to use your scraps as you do looking for new quilts to make?

I have the perfect solution for you.  Make a quilt with your scraps, by making a block each time you make a quilt.

Here's how:
Upon finishing a quilt top, add a final step.  Make a block or two with the scraps you've accumulated for that quilt.  Just start sewing them together.  No rhyme or reason, don't stress over it, just sew, press and trim, sew, press and trim till it all fits together.  Go for a 13 or 14 inch block.


You can even add that last triangle that you have left after cutting your bias binding as shown in the 2 blocks above.  If you choose to do that, make 2 blocks with your scraps, cut them in 1/2 diagonally, then add your triangular bias scrap.

If you follow this procedure, making a block or two after each quilt, pretty soon, you have enough for a  quilt top.  You can either square them up all the same size and sew them together, for a truly scrappy look,  or you can put a little order to them.  

 Kona Stone (shown here) or Kona White are good neutral colors for sashing.

The easiest method is to use the Log Cabin process with 2 1/2 inch strips of your sashing fabric.  

Sew your blocks together to finish your quilt top.

It's much faster to take a few minutes at the end of each quilt top you make to sew up a block with your scraps then it is to start from "scrap scratch".

UPDATE:  This quilt top is finished.  To see it, go here.

Hometown sneak peek

There are so many things I want to do with the Hometown line of fabric by Sweetwater.

I've been intrigued by this design.  I'm done with small squares for a while, so I modified it to make it larger.

 Hometown looks good with Kona Stone.

Me and My Sister Designs

UPDATE:  This quilt is now finished.  Click on the picture to see the post.

You may be interested in:

Hometown by Sweetwater

Card Trick - rebound

I love this card trick quilt, I guess because it was my first pieced quilt.  It was very patient with me as I struggled to learn the in's and out's of quilting before discovering the "blogging classroom".

 But something has bothered me about this quilt for a while.  I had this real cool plaid fabric and couldn't find anything to use it in, till I saw it sitting next to the card trick quilt.

You can see in this close-up that I've only basted the new binding down.  It's waiting for the next time my Texan husband calls for a "required family activity" to watch an old western together. . . he says it's part of their heritage and helps build their character  :)

new binding

old binding

I just learned that Carrie from Miss Rosie Quilts has another great book out:

and it has a card trick quilt pattern in it, featuring Sweetwater's Hometown line.


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QUILT FESTIVAL

Monaluna Monaco in pink

The fabric is Monaco by Monaluna.

Stats:  20 -  8" squares with a  4" kona white border.

measures 36" x 43" 

 Stippled on the HQ Sweet 16 by a great group of girls from my church,

 as a baby gift for their leader who just had a baby.

  They were quick, enthusiastic learners.  I see great projects coming from them in the near future.

First Look at Reunion

Sweetwater just gave a sneak-peek at their beautiful new line, Reunion coming out for Moda   . . . in JANUARY 2012 ?!  that's worse than waiting for Christmas!  .  .  .  my teeth are aching!  Look how cute those fabrics are.

In the mean time, I'll work with their most recent line, HOMETOWN, available at your local quilt shop, or Fat Quarter Shop if you don't feel like getting out. 

 Maybe I'll make this:

The pattern for Yacht Club in Sweetwater's EtsyShop. 

 Look at all this other fun stuff they have:

charms

 table runners

 notecards

art prints such as this one with all your favorite quilt blocks,  

or this one which can be customized in a variety of ways:  

streets in your town

favorite vacation cities

family facts

wedding date

etc

You may be interested in:

Sweetwater interviewed by

Greek Squares Quilt - finished

King size greek square quilt finally finished!

I made a stencil, and hand chalked it.  Then, I free-motion quilted it on my regular size sewing machine (not recommended).  

Late mid-stream, I decided to add the blue around the edge so that it would fit on my king bed (also not recommended).  Recognize the large pillow on the bed?  

It was the inspiration for the fabrics in the quilt.

You can see more of this quilt's evolution in this post.

It's kind of growing on me.  I think it's a keeper.

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 a quilt from a pillow

binding

free motion quilting