Thursday, November 12, 2026

What's In The 4.5 Inch Width Scrap Box?

The box of 4.5 inch width scraps is very full. It's time to decide what I'm going to do with all those scraps. 

Maybe I should explain why there are so many 4.5 inch width scraps. Well, I'm the lucky recipient of scraps from others from time to time. When I receive a package I sit down and measure with my little ruler the width of each rectangular and square scrap that looks like it is under six inches. Then after all are sorted into piles by width off they go to be stored in boxes with friends of the same width. 

These scrap boxes are then usually made into blocks using scraps in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I usually have several blocks going for each box of scraps sorted by width.  I start with the longest pieces and move down to the shorter pieces. 

And here's what I think I'm going to do with the scraps in my 4.5 inch width box. Since the last RSC color was dark neutrals I pulled out mostly dark neutrals to make my blocks which are all New Starts. 


With any 4.5 x Width of Fabric I'll be making Wonky Star blocks with light neutral centers.  They will finish at 12 inches. I have no specific goal for number of blocks at this time. I'll just see how many I end up with using scraps in the box. 

I think with any multicolor or novelty 4.5 x WOF I'll make a giant 16 Patch with a constant red. Blocks to finish at 16 inches and I only need 12 for a child's comfort quilt. 

With any 4.5 width x at least 22 inches I'll make Floating Shoofly Blocks that finish at 7.5 x 9.5. The Shoofly will be in all solids. 


With any 4.5 inch width x 10 inches I'll make 8 Patch blocks that finish at 8 inches. 
I will also use scraps from the 2.5 inch width scrap box to make these. 

I'm also thinking I will make blocks for two different quilts - one with only browns and creams. And the other with color complements.  (For instance if the RSC color of the month is a primary color I'll make blocks in that color plus a secondary color and vice versa).  At the end of the year I'll see how many blocks I have and how many comfort quilts I can make. 

With pastels from both the 4.5 (at least 9 inches/2 squares) and 2.5 inch width scrap boxes I'll be making Double Four Patch blocks that finish at 8 inches. And I see I have a correction to make on one of the blocks. 


If it's not pastel and there's enough for two squares I'll make Four Patches. 

And with four 4.5 inch squares of the same color I'll make what I thought would be Snowball Four Patch blocks. But they look more like Econo Block Four Patches. I think these might go into the orphanage and I'll try using 2 inch corners instead of 2.5 inch. 

Any 4.5 inch width scrap less than 9 inches (two squares) will be cut into squares...

...or 2.5 x 4.5 rectangles...

...because I inherited quite a few blocks from someone that use 3 -2.5 x 4.5 rectangles and finish a 4 x 6 inches.  I'll figure out how many blocks I need for a comfort quilt and then how many rectangles I need and keep cutting from the 4.5 inch width and 2.5 inch width scrap boxes until I reach my goal. 

Anything less than 4.5 x 2.5 and greater than 4.5 x 1 inch goes into a baggie to later be sewn into coin strips. 


Now all of the finished blocks using 4.5 inch width scraps are recorded and will be stored together. When a RSC color is called I sort through the box for the scraps in that color and go down the list and see how many blocks I can make. 

And sew on...


RSC ScrapHappy Saturday
 

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

What's In The Bins and Box?

This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.


Bin #1 

Earlier in the year I received a couple of large bags of 2.5 inch unfinished HSTs and HST parts. Some were pressed but needed trimming. Some were sewn together on Thangles and other paper foundations. And some were just triangles that needed another half. 

I started with the completed HSTs and the ones that needed Thangles and other papers removed.  I then sorted by color, then pairs and decided on three different quilts to make from all these HSTs and parts. - Broken Dishes, Depression Blocks and Not Sure What You Call It.  

 
Tiny Bin (Empty Swiffer Pad Box)  #2 
HST parts for Broken Dishes

Then I sorted out all the HST halves. First I sorted by color and then paired up two pairs of like colors for Broken Dishes blocks.  I used my Easy Angle ruler to cut 2.5 inch light neutral triangles for the other half of the HSTs. 

My leader/ender has been making those HSTs for Broken Dishes Blocks. 

Bin #3

Chains of 4 HSTs for Broken Dishes Blocks.
They now need to be cut apart, ironed and trimmed. 
Then they go back again under the needle as a leader/ender to be made into a Broken Dishes block. 


These are the 4 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks I finished up this week. But bin #3 still is not empty so I have more ironing, trimming and Broken Dishes to put together. 


Now I have 105 Broken Dishes. 




Oh, and the shoe box in the first photo...what's in it? It has big bags holding blocks for my three quilts that will come out of Bin #1! 

And sew on...

***
Good News!

I had my mammogram and bone density tests yesterday (Tuesday).  I already saw the results on my chart today (Wednesday). I'm in good shape! Since I'm taking prednisone (for a year?) the rheumatologist ordered the bone density test as a baseline. Evidently prednisone suppresses "osteoblast activity and increases bone resorption, accelerating bone loss and raising fracture risk."

Bad News!

Evidently a raccoon or some other critter got into the garage and knocked a lot of stuff (crap) over. When said critter came down through roof it somehow must have disconnected a line between the two garage door opener units. I was leaving for my mammogram and bone density appts. and garage wouldn't open. I had to quickly remember how to open door manually. I hate to be late to appts. Gosh, that garage door is heavy. When I got home I checked outlet to make sure circuit breaker not tripped, etc. My son will help me look into it tomorrow or the next day or the next day...or I may have to call someone.  For now I'm parking outside because, gosh, that garage door is heavy. I'm also scared I might meet up with said critter in the garage. We've had raccoons (and their babies) and squirrels both up in there from time to time. I'm also going to have to look and see where they might be getting into garage.  I've put coyote urine around on deck and roof before to repel the said critters. Might be time for fresh batch.  

Also it rained and sump pump in basement quit working and basement filled with water. I pulled out pump and float must have been stuck. I'm glad that was an easy fix. I'm not glad basement is flooded. But I know that happens in this old house from time to time so there's nothing down there that can get ruined. I have an old wringer washer (two tubs with wringer in between) just because I have an old damp basement. And I have a clothesline and drying rack in the basement where I dry my clothes in the winter. So my washer and dryer can withstand the floods. 

And so it goes...


Tuesday, November 10, 2026

A Big Chip Top





It's a flimsy! 
A Giant Potato Chip Block
42 x 42


Made with 2 x 3.5 rectangles that came out of my 2 inch width scrap bin.  Sometimes I had to cut a rectangle off of a scrap in the 3.5 inch width scrap bin for enough rectangles to go around. 

This was one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects. Each round was made in the RSC color of the month - last round being purple.   

A few days ago I sorted through the scraps in my 2 inch width scrap bin to see what colors had the most scraps. 

I added a red, light neutral, green and black border to get to the 42 inch square size I wanted for a child's comfort quilt. 

More later on what I'm doing with the rest of the scraps in the 2 inch width scrap bin. 

And sew on...



 

Monday, November 9, 2026

What's in the Baggies in the Bag?


This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.

One of the recent packages of scraps I received had several different baggies of HST parts. I decided to empty the bags. 

I made 24 Pinwheels that finish at 4.5 inches with the orange and black and orange and white HSTs.  I'm going to put these with the orphan blocks for row quilts/strippies for now. They might even make a nice center medallion for a child's comfort quilt. 
One empty baggie!

I made Broken Dishes Blocks that finish at 6.5 inches. 

I have a box of mostly black and white orphan blocks so these will go there. One of these days I'll dig into the orphanages and make some orphan block quilts. 
Two empty baggies!

And I made some Broken Dishes Blocks that finish at 6 inches. These will go into the box of red, white and blue orphan blocks. 
Three empty baggies!

Normally when I make Broken Dishes blocks they go into the Broken Dishes box with other Broken Dish blocks of all sizes. 

Another baggie had little HST parts. I made them into QSTs (aka Hourglass) blocks. 

Four empty baggies! 
And the bigger baggie that held all those baggies in now empty too so...
Five empty baggies!

The little QSTs went into the box with all the other QSTs I've been making since 2021. 

There's a Lone Star in that box too. 

Someday that Lone Star will be the center of a quilt surrounded by all those QSTs and inspired by...
...this vintage quilt. 

Competition Quilt. about 1895. hand pieced cotton, silk, linen; hand quilted; machine stitched backing. Neusteter Textile Collection: Gift of Guido Goldman. 2008.406.



I just love love love to infinity this quilt and decided I would make something similar but use my wonky hourglass blocks instead of HSTs. I'm not squaring up my Hourglass blocks (because I don't like to square up) so I will just make "made fabric" out of them for the borders and not worry so much about points matching up. Mine is definitely NOT going to be a competition quilt like the original. 

And sew on...

***


The rain has gone for a while. The weather is beautiful again (sunny and 65 degrees here in Iowa at 2:40 pm on 11/9). I have started collecting seeds Zinnias, Tithonia, Sunflower, Datura and Four O'clocks. 

I've also been readying some areas for winter sowing some seeds probably in late November. 

And sow on...






 

Sunday, November 8, 2026

In The Hoop and On The Hook

What's in the hoop?
Easy Sunday
I've been big stitch hand quilting it. 


I've been marking lines with a Hera Marker. 

I've been big stitch hand quilting with different colors of perle #8.

***

What's on the crochet hook? 

A Granny Square cardigan for me.  I've finished the Granny Squares for the left front piece and have mattress stitched the rows together but still need to mattress stitch the columns. 



I'm more of an earth tones person when it comes to my clothes!

I like to have several different projects going that keep these old hands moving in different ways. 



Saturday, November 7, 2026

What's In The Box?





20 - 12 inch finished Wonky Log Cabin blocks with black/multicolor centers.
For a 48 x 60 quilt for a wee one. 

This month the theme in my sewing space to move UFOs forward and use scraps is WITB? - What's in the bag, basket, bin, box? Hopefully I will be able to empty quite a few bags, baskets, bins, boxes too.

This is the second quilt to come out of a bin of novelty and bright strings. I think I might have strings for another quilt! Stay tuned! 

What's in the Box? Novelty and bright strings. 

What came out of the box?


2. Wonky Log Cabin - 20 - 12 inch blocks