Tuesday Tidbits

I recently received a gallon bag of 1.5 inch strips in a variety of lengths. 

I wanted to process them right away since I have slowly been trying to empty my 1.5 inch scrap bin and it is actually almost empty except for browns and blacks. So I put the browns and blacks from the gallon bag into my scrap bin and I pulled out the few colored scraps left in the scrap bin and went to work  play. 

With the longest pieces I made some 5 inch (finished) Framed Nine Patches. The other day I was musing as to how to set them and I received a nice comment with an excellent suggestion so I'm going to try that and keep on making these. 

Then I made some 5 inch (finished) Rails. I should count how many I have now because I've been making these for awhile. Maybe they will turn into some Diagonal Bars Blocks. 

Then I cut 1.5 x 2.5 pieces and made some 6 inch (finished) 18 Patches. Maybe I should count these also.  When I make these blocks I try to alternate light and darks of the same color in each block. 

Then I made some 3 inch (finished) Nine Patches in two colors or two shades for use in my Framed Stars and Path and Stiles.  Even though I have a bin of these little Nine Patches I don't have many in two colors. 

Then I cut more 1.5 x 2.5 pieces (bundles of 10) for Lynn's (Klein Meisje Quilts) version of a Lego quilt.  I've been wanting to make a Lego Quilt for ages and this method just makes the most sense to me.  This box is small so when I see I have 8 bundles I will make a block. 

Then I cut some postage stamps (1.5 inch squares). 

Then I made a Lego Block that looks a little crooked. I guess I will revisit those last three rows. (Maybe someone doesn't cut accurately.) I made this block before I took the Lego Box photo so it looks like I'm already due to make another. 

 

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenies

 

Purple is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. 

This week I made most of my blocks with 1.5 inch scraps. 

My scraps are getting smaller and smaller and I don't mind. 

I just started these 9 inch (finished) Double Irish Chain blocks a few months ago. I wanted to use the 1.5 inch width scraps left over from making my Clarissa hourglass blocks; a lot of which were creams, tans, taupes, browns. So the backgrounds will all be light browns and the center chain will be dark browns. The other chains will be in the RSC color of the month. 

I started these Plus Postage blocks last year. They are 10 inch finished blocks. They are inspired by a Susan Ache pattern I cut out of an old magazine. 

I started these 8 inch (finished) Postage Stamp Pandemic 2020 (PSP20) blocks a couple of months ago. 

I think I've been making these 3.5 inch (finished) Wishing Ring blocks for a couple of years now. The center is a 2 inch square but the rest of the pieces are 1.5 inch width. I will alternate light and dark corners in the finished quilt. 

Double X and Alternate Snowball Block. 

Inspired by a vintage quilt. 

These blocks finish at four inches. I think I've been making these for a couple of years too.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday 

From the 1.5 Inch Scrap Bin

 This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is dark blue/dark neutrals. This week I dug into the 1.5 inch scrap bin and made some blocks I call Whatchamacallits. They are a version of Coins. The pieces are 1.5 x 2.5.  This is the second year of making them. 

 I've been making little Rails for two years also from 1.5 x 3.5 inch scraps. 

 I made a lot of them this month from what was in the scrap bin. 

After I use the scraps in the 1.5 inch scrap bin to make the two different blocks...

...I've been putting them in a shoe box with some Spider Webs. 

I'm not sure why the 1.5 inch scrap bin isn't empty yet. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Red 1.5 Inch Scraps

This week I dug into my red 1.5 inch scraps. In case you don't know...I sort a lot of my scraps by size. All colors go into the various "size" bins and I sort through there for the color I need. I do not precut fabric to fill those bins but it seems they are always more than half full.  They kind of remind me of those doll baby bottles that you tip up to feed the doll  and the "milk" disappears and then when you turn it right side up the bottle is magically full again. 

Anyway...back to the red 1.5 inch scraps...I made three strawberries.  I just googled "strawberry quilt block" saw a picture of one, committed it to memory and went and made three blocks.  I have an old UFO - Tea Towel Challenge- kind of fruit themed - that I've decided to take apart and start over. I think I work better if I have all the quilt parts assembled before I attempt to make a quilt top.  More on that later after all the parts are assembled. 

Speaking of assembly...I've been making little three inch rail fence blocks for a couple of years from my 1.5 inch scraps.  Maybe it's time to count and decide what to do with them. There's so many options.   And the block on the left - a 21 patch - kind of a Chinese Coin variation block that measures 6 x 14 - I should probably count those too and decide what to do with them.  I've been calling the block "Whatchamacallit".  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Not Quite Blue, Not Quite Green 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

Aqua/Teal/Turquoise and everything else in between blue and green is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.   This week I used 1.5 inch scraps. 

3 inch Nine Patches

One  6x14 Whatchamacallit 

Sixteen 3 inch Rail Fence

After making my RSC blocks the rest of this size scrap has been going into the Spider Web UFO project box. 

RSC ScrapHappy Saturday

Pink 2.5 Inch Scraps and Then Some

This week I dug into the 2.5 inch pink scraps.   

I made two 10 inch Lady of the Lake blocks.  The centers are six inch so I used some larger scraps for those. 

I also sewed together pink 2.5 inch bits and pieces usually less than a 2.5 inch square. The strips will probably be used later in the year in a Chinese Coin quilt or as a border. 

 Two 8 inch Depression Blocks. 

I've been making these for years. 

And I made some mini Happy Blocks.  They have 2.5 inch centers and I raided the 1.5 inch scraps for the sides.  I've been making these for years too. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Pink 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

This week I used pink scraps from the 1.5 inch scrap bin.  

I made two 6 x 14 Whatchamacallit blocks ( aka Chinese Coins). I didn't have quite enough different scraps for two blocks so I added in a few red scraps. 

Little 3 inch Rail blocks. 

3 inch Nine Patches

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Yellow 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

 I worked with 1.5 inch yellow scraps and neutrals this week and made :

3 inch rails...

...a 6 x 14 Whatchamacallit...

...and some 3 inch Nine Patches. 

And that about wraps it up for my yellow scraps. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

 I don't know what these 6 x 14 inch blocks are called so I call them Whatchamacallits. 

I dig into the 1.5 inch scraps, cut pieces 1.5 x 2.5, cut a neutral pieces the same size chain piece them and then sew 21 of those little units together into a block.  

This is a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project carried over from last year. At the end of this year I'm hoping to have enough to sew together into a BIG quilt. 

These little 3 inch rail blocks are another Rainbow Scrap Challenge project carried over from last year. They also use 1.5 inch scraps.  I'm not sure yet if I'll combine them with another small block, sew them together into 9 or 16 patch blocks by color or just throw them all in a bag, shake them up and sew them together as I pull them out. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

A Finish! 42 Cents Forever Stamp

42 Cents Forever Stamp

74 x 92.5

hand quilted with perle #8

From the book 19th Century Patchwork Diva's Treasury of Quilts

I actually bought the book for the Sunflower pattern but got sidetracked before I got to that. 

It's not often that I make a quilt in the same colors and almost exactly like the one in the instructions but that's the way this one turned out.  I don't buy a lot of large cuts of fabric but it just so happened I had a double pink fabric that was about right as far as yardage. And I happened to have a lot of the postage stamp blocks already made and I had a lot more postage stamps already cut and stored in pencil boxes.  It was meant to be. 

That's a lot of little 1.5 inch pieces of fabric! 

I just casually (no lines drawn) quilted through the stamps on the diagonal with pink perle #8. So there are quilted vertical lines about an inch apart across the quilt. Pulling the thread through all those seams was hard on the fingers!  I had to lay it aside several times. 

I ran out of thread with five rows left to go.  I hate going out when the weather is cold and snowy if I don't have to so I made do and used some pink crochet cotton that matched pretty well for those last five rows. The crochet cotton was a thinner thread but I don't think anyone would even notice the difference. 

 And speaking of making do...I used a soft flannel sheet from the thrift store for the backing. I had to let out the seams all around in order for it to be big enough. 

This was my goal #1  on the list for 

2018 Quarter 1 Finish-Along

and

18 in 2018

This took a lot of Slow Sunday Stitching and then some. 

And Oh Scrap! 

Purple Whatchamacallits and Rails

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for February is purple. 

I used 1.5 inch scraps this week and made one  6 x 14  Whatchamacallit block...

 ...and several little 3 inch rails. 

And then if there's any 1.5 inch scrap left over after that it gets thrown into the Spider Web project box.  That way I can spread the scraps between 3 quilts for maximum scrapiness!!  I have about six Spider Web blocks that I started ages ago using 1.5 inch scraps and then , for whatever reason, it stalled.  Any new scraps in light blue or purple accumulated throughout the year will go into the regular old 1.5 inch scrap box for next year's whatchamacallits, rails, or new project. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Blue Whatchamacallits and Rails

I'm still playing with scraps of light blue; the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. 

I call these blocks Whatchamacallits. They are a carry over project from last year. 

I first make little units from  1.5 x 2.5 scraps - one light blue and one neutral. I then sew them together into blocks like above that will finish at 6 x 14.   Last year I used only my 1.5 scraps to make these but this year I also used my 2.5 scraps.   

Maybe by year end I'll have enough for a big quilt. 

These little 3 inch rails are also a RSC project carried over from last year.  Last year I only used 1.5 inch scraps to make them but this year I'm using scraps out of the 1.5 and 3.5 scrap bins.  Again I'm aiming for a large quilt. The blocks size is the same as the 3.5 inch spools I made several years ago and I think it took me 3 year's worth of scraps to make enough spools for a big quilt so I expect you may also see these next year too. Time will tell. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Gallimaufry and Thingamajigs

Gallimaufry

It's no secret that I'm inspired by a lot of vintage scrappy quilts.  I tried a few 4 inch blocks after I was inspired by a quilt for sale at Rocky Mountain Quilts.   I love all of the secondary patterns that can be seen in the quilt.  I'm not interested in buying - just interested in making my own. And so I think I have the little blocks figured out and now will continue to make more.  Nann at With Strings Attached suggested a few weeks ago that Gallimaufry would be a good name for some of my scrappy concoctions because that's what came to mind when she saw some of them.  Nann is a librarian so she knows all those fancy words but I didn't know if she was giving me a compliment, making fun of my quilts or just thought I could use a little learnin'. I had to look up the word so I could remember it longer.  Thanks, Nann. That's a good name for this quilt wannabe. 

Thingamajigs

I made a couple more of these Thingamajigs inspired by vintage blocks I saw on Flickr.  After screwing around trying to figure out how to make the block I decided they were just an Ohio Star variation. But now that I look back at the photo I'm not so sure these blocks are connecting quite the same as those in the picture. But that's okay. I'm going to continue on like this. 

The plan is to use my 1.5 inch scraps to make these blocks.  After I use a scrap for each block plus make Rainbow Scrap Challenge rail fence and Whatchamacallit blocks  if there is any left of the piece  I'm going to put it in the Spider Web quilt box so I can continue on with that quilt. 

And that's how really scrappy quilts are usually made around here - one scrap goes into many quilts. 

Whatchamacallits

 This is day 10 of my sewing machine in the shop.  I have been cutting, cutting, cutting and doing hand work instead.  I finally got out my old Kenny Kenmore (nice plain guy who has been around since the 70s) and did some sewing to ease those sewing withdrawal pains I've been experiencing.  I used to make all of our clothes with Kenny. I'm not sure why I quit using him and thought I needed anything else. 

Anyway...I made 3 brown Whatchamacallit (21 patch) blocks from my 1.5 inch scraps.  Scraps are cut 1.5 x 2.5 and then sewn together with a neutral 1.5 x 2.5 scrap for a little block that measures 2.5 square.  Twenty one of those little squares are sewn into blocks of 3 x 7.  Finished size of the block is 6 x 14.    

And here's how they will look together with other colors someday in a big quilt. 

This will continue into 2018.  Instead of using 1.5 scraps next year I think I'll cut a 1.5 piece off the end of  2.5 inch scraps for variety. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday