Scrap Life

Angela of Soscrappy has been hosting the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for quite a few years now.  The challenge behind the project is to use up fabric scraps from prior quilt-making efforts.  Despite several years of RSC participation, my collection of scraps has not diminished.  Honestly, that's OK with me, as I don't participate to use UP scraps, but because scrappy quilts are my favorite type of quilt!  

In fact, this month, I decided some new "scraps" were needed, so I pulled lots of fabric bits (which were clogging up the fabric storage drawers) in the RSC theme for January:  light and bright greens.  I sliced everything into standard scrappy sizes:  3.5 inches, 2.5 inches, 2 inches, and 1.5 inches.  I keep all my scrappy strips in plastic bins, ready to be pulled for future scrappy projects.

While I was digging through the bins, I noticed my 1.5 inch strip bin was getting really full.  

That inspired me to start making new blocks for my Lego quilt.  I put this project aside two years ago because I thought my scraps weren't providing enough variety.  

Maybe the scraps of 2020 will be the boost needed to finish this quilt!  I'll keep slicing up new 1.5 inch strips in each monthly RSC color and working them into the Lego quilt blocks.

I started making Carolina Chain blocks last year as a leader-ender project. 

As I was cutting green strips, I sub-cut pieces for some green blocks.  I'll continue working on these blocks in 2020, too.

These Sugar Bowl blocks have been an ongoing RSC project.  My plan was to set the blocks in groups of four, with narrow sashing and a cornerstone in the center of each block.  I assembled a couple blocks in this manner, only to realize the cornerstone drew the eye and the blocks got completely lost.  Out came the seam ripper!

Instead, I opted for a traditional, on-point setting with alternate plain blocks.  I found the perfect fabric for the plain blocks in my stash - and I had enough of it for the entire quilt!

It's a fun fabric, and I'm so happy I found a great use for it!  Now comes the fun of stitching all those pieces together.  

If you love the Scrap Life, be sure to check out the RSC weekly link-up!

Scrap Quilt Secrets Blog Hop & Giveaway!

Welcome to Blog Hop day 11 for Scrap Quilt Secrets by Diane Knott!

 

I have been online friends with Diane for several years.  She is originally from south Louisiana, so we share an appreciation for Louisiana culture as well as all things quilt-related.  When Diane announced her plans to publish a book about scrappy quilts, I was immediately excited to see what insights she would share.

 

Not only is Diane’s book full of inspiring patterns, she shares her “secrets” for creating or adapting scrappy quilts to the quilter’s unique style and personality.

Using the word SCRAPS as an acronym for components of scrappy quilting, Diane focuses on 6 design factors that help make great scrap quilts.  Being a mostly self-taught quilter, I’ve used many of these factors intuitively.  Diane’s spotlight on these 6 factors has helped me become more mindful about design, in addition to being intuitive.  I think the result will be lots more fun fabric playtime and happy, scrappy quilts!

The last “S” in Diane’s acronym stands for Selvages.  I’ve been saving fabric selvages for years, but never thought of them as a basis for a scrappy quilt.  Duh!  When I saw Diane’s selvage inspiration – Gift Baskets, I knew I had to give it a try.

I was influenced by Easter and the Vernal Equinox to focus on purple for my Palette (there’s that acronym again) and begin constructing some selvage baskets.  I found additional purple fabrics in my stash to pull the theme together.  Once I finish the quilting, it will be the perfect size for a table topper or wall-hanging.

 

One lucky quilter will win a copy of Diane’s book from today’s blog hop – so leave a comment and tell me about something you’ve made or want to make using selvages.  If you’re a no-reply blogger, be sure to include an email address so I can contact you if you win.  I’ll choose a winner on April 5^th, so please leave your comment before then! 

There are multiple stops on the blog hop and therefore more opportunities to win a copy of Scrap Quilt Secrets.  If you haven’t already, do visit the other bloggers, enjoy their reviews of Diane's book and leave a comment for more chances to win a book.

3/21    C&T Blog http://www.ctpub.com/blog/

with Diane www.butterflythreadsquilting.com

3/22    Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

3/23    Lori http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/

3/24    Karen http://nanagirlquilts.blogspot.com/  

3/25    Audrey http://quiltyfolk.blogspot.com/

3/26    Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com/

3/27    Valerie http://myplvl.blogspot.com/

3/28    Kelly http://pinkadotquilts.blogspot.com/

3/29    Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

3/30    Rachaeldaisy http://bluemountaindaisy.blogspot.com/

3/31    Angie http://quiltingcrescent.blogspot.com/

4/1       Julie http://quiltjewelry.blogspot.com/

4/2       Barb Www.funwithbarb.com

 

A Throwback to the Tropics

It's been a dark and stormy day in the city.  Silly me, I believed the weather prognosticator's claim that rain wouldn't start until late afternoon, and got pretty thoroughly soaked while I was out and about for work this morning.

When I got home, my dogs were huddled under my desk (I work from home) for protection from the thunder...which continued for hours.

So you can imagine that a bright and cheerful throwback memory brought a smile to my face!

 

This wall hanging dates back to 1993, when I was struggling to use up a lot of scraps from a tropical-themed friendship quilt.   I string-pieced lots of scraps onto a fabric foundation, leaving the narrow, center "neck-tie" section clear.  When the blocks were assembled, they formed a star shape.  I machine-quilted with metallic silver thread to echo the star shapes.  Instead of adding the side and corner triangles, I just bound the blocks in their irregular shape.  I was quite surprised when Dixie Haywood, a member of my quilt guild at the time, asked to include it in a book she was co-authoring on foundation piecing.  (confession time:  the quilt was gifted to a friend long ago and I scanned the picture from the book!)

If you've been following me for awhile, you know scrappy quilts like the starry throwback above are dear to my heart.  I've discovered Diane Knott, of Butterfly Threads Quilting, is also a scrappy quilt lover - so much so, she has written a book about it!

 

There's a blog hop going on to help kick off Diane's book, and of course, there will be opportunities to win copies of the book.  Here's the menu of blogs to visit - I hope you'll check them out and get inspired by Diane's scrappy ideas!

3/21    C&T Blog http://www.ctpub.com/blog/

with Diane (that’s me)www.butterflythreadsquilting.com

3/22    Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

3/23    Lori http://humblequilts.blogspot.com/

3/24    Karen http://nanagirlquilts.blogspot.com/  

3/25    Audrey http://quiltyfolk.blogspot.com/

3/26    Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com/

3/27    Valerie http://myplvl.blogspot.com/

3/28    Kelly http://pinkadotquilts.blogspot.com/

3/29    Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

3/30    Rachaeldaisy http://bluemountaindaisy.blogspot.com/

3/31    Angie http://quiltingcrescent.blogspot.com/

4/1      Julie http://quiltjewelry.blogspot.com/

4/2      Barb Www.funwithbarb.com

Some Veggie Leftovers

A few weeks ago, I finished one of the quilts on my "Finish It" list for 2015 - a snowball quilt featuring some wonderful woodblock prints made with vegetable-based dyes.  As I petted the new quilt and started to put away the leftover fabric, I was somewhat dismayed with the amount of leftovers!  In fact, those leftovers haunted me for several days and inspired lots of thoughts on how to best utilize the remaining fabric. 

 

In particular, a bag of bonus HSTs kept calling out to me, and eventually they formed themselves into the center of this mini quilt (26" x 26").  Those HSTs are only 1.25" finished - that's a lot of seams!

 

The leftovers included some stripes, which were just calling out to be a mitered border.  I didn't have enough black or blue for an entire border, so I used them together.  I hadn't done a mitered border in years, but I enjoyed it and plan on making more mitered borders in the future!

 

The leftover HSTs still aren't all gone, so I've been using them as leader-enders and making pinwheels.  I'm going to randomly float them on the back of the quilt.  

I really hadn't planned on starting a new quilt just now, but sometimes you have to go where inspiration takes you!  I feel very satisfied to have used up at least some of those veggie leftovers and look forward to another project with the bigger chunks of fabric.

 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Still in the Pink!

After making 2 sets of Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks this month, I didn't see much of a dent in my pink scraps.  I don't know about you, but I always have a mental list of blocks I want to at least try, so I consulted the list and came up with another scrap-friendly block.

The Granny Square block seems to be all over quilting blogland right now.  I think it's perfect for a color-coordinated quilt or a scrap quilt.  Although it's meant to mimic a crochet granny square, it is based on a traditional quilt block often called Chimney Sweep or Album.  In fact, I essentially used the granny square technique when I made my Album Quilt many years ago!

I used some of the more modern pink scraps in my collection - most of these scraps are from doll quilts I've made for my nieces.  And now the pink scrap bin is noticeably diminished.  I guess I will have to go back and revisit the red and green scrap bins for Granny Square blocks, so I have a complete Rainbow Challenge set!

Don't forget to check out the weekly link-up from Rainbow Scrap challengers!

Pieces of the Past: Double Wedding Ring

Here's another one of my Family Mystery Quilts: no one seems to know if the quilt was made by my maternal great-grandmother (Bertha Julianna Hoffmann Sommerfield) or maternal grandmother (Norma Gerke Sommerfield).  It doesn't really matter who made the quilt, I just love having a wonderful, tangible connection to my past!

Bailey, my Lab mix quilting buddy, is admiring the quilt from the corner of the pic!

When my mom gave me this quilt, I was a little dismayed by the bright yellow background fabric.  I don't think the quilt had ever been used, let alone washed, and the yellow background was very vivid!

On the other hand, the backing fabric was fabulous!

I gave in to temptation and washed the quilt.  The yellow color softened perceptibly and didn't clash quite so much with the pink borders.  The quilt now has pride of place on the guest bed.

The rings have bubblegum pink and green centers.

All those little pieces make a great fabric catalog.  Most of the fabrics are typical 1930s and 1940s prints.  

Several of the pieces are double pinks and indigo prints, fabric styles which have remained popular for generations!

The quilt measures approximately 78" x 94".  It is hand-pieced and hand-quilted.  I'm really not sure when the quilt was made; the fabrics give a clue, but I don't have any information on the date they were actually assembled into a quilt.

Rainbow Scrap Saturday

I have been looking forward to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge update all week!  I just finished browsing through this week's entries and I loved seeing all the creativity.

Last week I finished three 16-patch blocks using red scraps.


My plan is to add hourglass (quarter square triangle) blocks in between the 16-patch blocks to add some additional color and movement to the quilt.

This week I made one more scrappy red 16-patch and cut some quarter square triangles so I could play with the hourglass blocks.

I tried using all reds for the QSTs, but it just didn't "pop" like the white.  

I can't wait for next month's color assignment so I can continue playing with my scraps!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2012: January

Soscrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge for 2012 grabbed my attention a few weeks ago.  What's not to like?  I love scrap quilts and I love color.  I just needed to decide on what type of blocks I wanted to make.  I wanted to be able to use some of my Scrap-Users pre-cut scrap strips and I wanted an easy block so I could resort to mindless sewing on weeknights when I was too tired for finicky cutting and piecing.

One quilt pattern that has been on my "to do" list for awhile is 16-patch blocks set with hourglass blocks.  This is a great scrap-using pattern and the hourglass blocks add interest by creating secondary square within square blocks around the 16-patches.

This quilt from several years ago illustrates the secondary design.  This time around I'll be using 16-patches and multiple colors.

I used my 2" scrap strip collection and pulled as many reds as I could find.  I needed to cut a few strips from my red stash in order to get at least a little light vs dark balance going.  It didn't take long to have 3 blocks completed.

I haven't cut the hourglass blocks yet.  I envision using all the rainbow colors for those as well, with white and off-white fabrics as the neutral.  The arrangement of the colors in the hourglass will coordinate with the colors of the adjacent blocks.  So the hourglass blocks will likely include two different colors plus the neutral.  Perhaps this week I will cut some quarter-square triangles and play with hourglass block set-ups.

The 16-patch blocks were so much fun I'm trying to decide just how many I should make in each colorway!

Saturdays are link sharing days for Soscrappy's Rainbow Challenge, so check out the link to all kinds of scrappy red creativity!

Funny How Time Slips Away!

Oh - hello - and happy New Year!  I had no intention of taking such a lengthly break from blogging, but time has just slipped away the past few weeks.  Not to mention very little quilting has been done!

My life is finally starting to return to its normal pace.  Or at least the "new" normal, as DH and I have promised ourselves to expend extra effort on eating less and moving around more (ELMAM).  I don't mind the moving around more, but it does require some juggling of priorities - like quilting and blogging.  I think I will have to add "sleep less" to the ELMAM strategy!

Since New Orleans is in the grip of college football fever, I thought it would be fun to share some of my LSU (Geaux Tigers!) quilt efforts.

My youngest son asked me to make an LSU quilt for him several years ago - I think it was during his freshman year at LSU.  When your child actually sketches out a quilt design and asks you to make it, how can you say no?  His original design was a little more like a flag or banner, so I added some pieced quilt blocks to make it more quilt-like.  My vintage sewing machine friend Annie Kusilek did some wonderful free-motion swirls and other effects to really bring the quilt to life.  

David with his LSU football quilt

I'll have to devote another blog entry to what the entire quilt looks like, but it's essentially an hommage to LSU football and records all the SEC and Championship titles accrued by the team.  David and I have had some minor discussion on what to do about the outcome of the 2011-2012 football season, but we don't want to jinx anything by making serious plans yet!

Being as David's LSU quilt was very scrappy, I wound up with a huge collection of purple and gold fabric when the quilt was finished.  I created another scrappy quilt for a dear friend of his, but the purple and gold scrap pile was barely dented.

This is the completed quilt before quilting.  The border fabric is a wonderful tiger print by Robert Kaufman from their "Portraits of the Wild" collection.  I was inspired by a quilt in one of the Better Homes & Garden quilt magazines - a combo of nine-patches and hour-glass blocks.  The quilt was gifted several years ago and I no longer have access to it for more pictures.

Now I'm using the purple and gold scraps to piece some string blocks.  The center fabric is a very pale yellow batik.  I usually prefer to piece my string quilts onto fabric, but I didn't have enough of the yellow batik to use it as a foundation fabric.  I put a size 14 needle into the sewing machine and shortened the stitch length, so removing the paper foundations has been pretty easy.  

I haven't decided yet just how these blocks will go together; I may do the traditional spiderweb quilt setting or I may add some other blocks.  For now, it's just comforting piecing that keeps my hands occupied while I'm watching football!

Pieces of the Past: Feedsack Cracker

I inherited this quilt from my mom's side of the family, but its origins are a bit of a mystery.

My mom and her sister disagree on exactly who made the quilt.  My aunt says their mother, Norma Gerke Sommerfield, made the quilt, while my mom says the quilt was made by their grandmother, Bertha Hoffmann Sommerfield.  

My mom, who is the oldest, does not remember seeing their mother making quilts.  My aunt insists their mother was an avid quilter.  I knew both women as a child and I don't remember either one of them ever sewing, much less quilting!

Regardless, I have fond memories of both grandmothers when I use their quilts!

The pattern for this quilt is known as Cracker; it's a fairly easy pattern and great for using scraps.  This version is a nice sampler of Depression-era fabrics.

The printed fabric may have been purchased, or it may have been saved from feedsacks.  The white background fabric is coarser; it may be from plain, bleached feedsacks, since there are variations in the actual white color.

The quilting is done by hand in a cross-hatch pattern.

The binding was created by folding the backing over to the front; size is approximately 64 inches by 84 inches.

Pieces of the Past: Midwest churn dash

I do not have a large collection of antique quilts, but I enjoy looking at old quilts and learning about them.  I think I was drawn to quilting as much by a love of fabric as by the history of textiles and quilt-making.  My library is full of quilt history books: state documentation projects, doll quilts, Depression-era quilts, Civil War era quilts, etc.

This quilt was purchased from an antique dealer in suburban New Orleans about 10 years ago.  The dealer said it came from an estate sale in Illinois.  The quilt is in very nice condition and doesn't appear to have received heavy use.  There are no dates or inscriptions on the quilt.

There are several common names for the quilt block pattern:  hole in the barn door, monkey wrench and churn dash.  Whatever you wish to call it, it's a classic Nine-Patch block.

The blocks themselves use a number of different fabric prints and colors, but the overall appearance is more coordinated than randomly scrappy.

I love how the quilter got inventive in using what fabric was on hand!  The fabrics in the quilt are typical of fabrics from about 1890 through 1915, but if the quilt was made from scraps, who knows when the quilt was actually constructed!

Hand-quilted using a fan pattern; single fold bias binding.  The size is about 64" by 70".

Backing fabric is a solid piece of light brown and cream shirting-type stripe.