Saturday, July 4, 2020

Into The Wild Blue Yonder


The Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for July is dark blue. I think we previously used bright and light blues in April. 

Baskets of Flowers
These finish at 9 inches.

I started them last month because I want to use a pile of scrap chunks. I cut a 3.5 inch piece for the HST and a 2 inch strip for the other three basket pieces. I could have used just a 3.5 inch piece to make the baskets but I'm making another block that uses 3.5 and 2 inch pieces so nothing will get wasted and nothing will be left over. 

I'll make the baskets out of the RSC color of the month and use scraps from the 2 inch width bin for the "flowers".  I found a teeny tiny picture of these baskets in a Google search for "flower basket quilt block" but I was warned by my antivirus program not to click any further.  Unable to find any more information about the block I figured out how to make it myself. I'll set these on point and I'm aiming for a  twin sized quilt. 

I'm using some neutral scraps for the backgrounds.  I didn't have enough of the polka dot for three blocks so substituted a few bees. During the block assembly process I grabbed a few of the wrong pieces so some of the backgrounds are a little mixed up within some blocks. I think that will be okay since the backgrounds are scrappy anyway plus I don't really like to rip. 

Hey, wait a minute! Something is wrong with this picture. I thought I made seven blocks. 
(I later found it mixed in with another WIP of partially completed blocks. So this one gets its own photo.)

Then with some of those same 3.5 and 2 inch scraps I used to make baskets I made some Buckeye Beauties that finish at six inches.  I started these last month too. 


I started those Buckeye Beauties because they will use some of the same 3.5 and 2.5 inch scraps as the baskets and I'll also use some shirt pieces as well as some red and black chunks.  I had three bags (yes, sir, yes, sir, three bags full) like the one shown here full of shirt scraps left over from making a couple of other quilts. I've been going through those scraps and I've been cutting squares or 1.5 inch strips or 2.5 x 3.5 pieces for some other quilts. Two bags down and one to go!! 

I also made a few dark cornered Wishing Rings. I have been making these for a couple of years. They finish at 3.5 inches. I want 312 of these blocks with dark corners and 312 with light corners and have over 200 of each so I'm hoping this is the year I make my goal.   I have been cutting the center and four corners from 3.5 inch scraps. I cut a 2 inch piece and two 1.5 inch pieces. Then I cut 1.5 inches off of the 2 inch piece and square it up. The 2 inch piece is the center of the Wishing Ring and the 1.5 square goes into the postage stamp scrap box. Then I cut the two 1.5 inch pieces into four 1.5 inch squares for the four corners. I then have very little waste from a 3.5 inch scrap.   The sides of the Wishing Rings are cut from 1.5 inch scraps. 

So, as you can see I got three different blocks from each 3.5 scrap and two of those blocks used the 2 inch scrap. 

Then this is what happened to the rest of the original 3.5 inch scrap. I have some HSTs for the Parts Dept. because when I cut my HST for the basket I used an Easy Angle Ruler and cut two HST parts rather than leave a slanted cut on my scrap.  I then cut off a 2.5 x 3.5 piece to go into a bag of pieces that size I'm saving for a quilt. I am aiming for 800-2.5 x 3.5 pieces and as of today I have 400.  Then I cut the rest of the scrap into 3.5 inch squares for who knows what.  I'm just trying to turn almost all my scraps into squares now.  And if there was not enough for a square it was sewn into a strip. I have a box of those strips in various widths and colors now and at year end I'll make a Chinese Coins quilt. 





16 comments:

The Joyful Quilter said...

That's QUITE the process, Cathy!! I guess that's why you are SEW productive (while I slog along at the rate of two blocks per month.)

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your flower basket blocks are fun! I agree that a scrappy background won't matter if you have lots of different backgrounds anyway. I wouldn't want to rip those out either!

Nann said...

Thanks for the closeup of the Flower Basket block -- I see that it's a nine-patch grid!

Julierose said...

Just a lovely flower basket blocks! A lot of pieces in that one...
great projects you have going...I am still in "finishing up" mode...
time to go and attach Franken-Christmas' binding...it is hot here so we just put on AC...and it's Sewing Time....;)))
Stay safe over this Holiday Weekend...
~ ~ ~ waving my little flag~ ~ ~ Julierose

Twin Violet said...

I have never seen a basket block I love. But I love 9 patch blocks.I may have to give them a try. Violet

gayle said...

You always find the most interesting blocks to play with!
(I may have to cover my eyes every time you show those basket blocks though. So tempting...)

Linda said...

Great flower baskets, so many different scraps of fabrics. Your ideas just keep on coming!

Jenny said...

Pretty little flower baskets!

Laura said...

I have never seen this basket block before. I really like it...look forward to seeing this quilt finished! :)

Louise said...

Like Laura, I don't usually love flower basket blocks. But this one is quite nice, I think because of the small, detailed flower parts. I can just see it on a twin bed in a girl's room. Very sweet! :)

Pamela Arbour said...

I really like those dark fabrics in the baskets against the light background. Good job. Looking forward to seeing the finishes!

Julie in GA said...

I don't usually care much for basket blocks, but your flower baskets look great! I love reading about your systems for using up your scraps so efficiently--very inspiring!

Sylvia@Treadlestitches said...

These baskets are so exuberant! I am a big fan of basket quilts, and your block is one of the best I've seen. Being made of scraps is a big plus. And I love your cutting ideas for the "part department". That's how I work too.

Mystic Quilter said...

You're racing through your scraps, Basket of Flowers is so pretty, what is the finished size?

QuiltGranma said...

Nice bunch of blocks there! I love baskets and Jacob's Ladders!

Vivian said...

What an interesting basket block, never saw that one before. You are always such a good resource for scrap projects!