With 3 Inch Width Scraps, Novelty Pieces and Quilt Back Trimmings

 

16 Patch

10 inch block

made with 3 inch width strips

This past year has been a blur with hubby in and out of the hospital and with me helping him and doing all his chores as well as mine around here. I've also been working on clearing areas of land for some more of my dream gardens.   Also this year I have been blessed with scraps and other quilt makings from many folks who know I like to sew with scraps and also like to make donation quilts especially for kids. In previous years I used to have a few quilt blocks going for almost any size scrap I came across and I would make blocks as scraps happened.  I have fallen behind on that task and now am trying to get back to business as usual.   

So this set of blocks all use 3 inch width scraps. Not only will I use 3 inch width scraps as they happen but I also hope to use up a little box of novelty bits and pieces and empty a box of quilt back trimmings.  The novelties and quilt back trimmings will probably be used along with other widths of scraps but I'll get to that in a different post one of these days. 

So, as you saw above one of the blocks I'm making is 10 inch finished 16 patches in reds,  blues, yellows. Goal is 24 blocks in a 4 x 6 layout.  I have gone through a few quilt back trimmings and novelties and cut a few strip sets. 

Peaks and Valleys

from Jo's Country Junction

Modified to use 3 inch scraps for a 10 inch finished block. 

I will be using that green fabric in all the blocks. 

Goal is 24 blocks for a 4 x 6 layout. I had some 3 inch squares so counted out enough for all my blocks and moving forward I hope to have all pieces cut for this quilt by year end. 

Bits of Bricks

From a Youtube video. I rarely watch them because my computer takes forever to load them and then they are sometimes broken up; however, someone sent me the link so thought I would check it out. 

These units finish at 2.5 x 8.5 and consist of two 3 x 6 inch rectangles. 

The units get staggered a little so there are no seams to match.   I will be adding a 3.5 inch unfinished scrappy border. 

I sewed together the waste triangles from the Bits of Bricks units and will keep them in a baggie and decide what to do with them later. Some might be wonky because I don't take the time to cut an even 1/4 inch from seam lines. I just take a big scissors and snip. I'll just use them wonky in something so I don't have to do a lot of measuring, trimming, etc. on those snippets.  

Also while sorting 3 inch width scraps I cut 3 x 5 rectangles and 2 x 3 rectangles to be used in something later. I cut those sizes because someone gave me some rectangles cut to that size so why not expand on those sizes. They can always go into some type of coin quilt. 

I also cut 3 inch squares for some future use. 

And anything greater than an inch and less than a square gets sewn together into strips for some future use. 

 A month or so ago I emptied out a box of 3 inch width scraps and ended up with 10 tops.  I had also cut a lot of the remaining scraps into pieces for Four Patches.  I'm still working on those. 

So now when I have 3 inch width scraps I know what to do with them right away!  I keep this notebook next to my computer. It is full of doodles of quilt layouts, math, block goals and so forth. It's kind of fun to look back through the notebooks once in awhile.  I also keep a notebook next to my computer that has all sorts of notes and scribbling in it from reminders to quilts to make to seeds to order to quotes I like to tips and research on health, homemade remedies, recipes, and house maintenance. 

And now when I have 3 inch width scraps I can go look in my 3 inch project box and add units and blocks to it.  

And on to the next size scrap...

And sew on...

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

November 27 - I received my order of native wildflower and grasses from Prairie Moon nursery that will sow 1500 square feet. I recently finished clearing the area out front near the ditch. Now is the time to sow because most seeds need cold stratification. More on that later with pics.      I also received a surprise sampler box of 9 Amaryllis from hubby John.  He said he ordered them for me when I was having what he thought was a really bad day. I don't remember what day that was but, hey, maybe I'll have to pretend to have a few more bad days in the future (wink, wink)! 

November 28 - Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for every single day. 

November 29 - Finished a book! Plum Springs by Dan Lawton. A dysfunctional family, child abuse, addictions and vigilante justice. Plum Springs was the winner of the 2019 New Hampshire Writers' Project Readers' Choice Award For Fiction but I'm not sure I really liked the book. I liked the writing style; however, the plot just seemed too far fetched to me.