For years my scraps have been stored mostly by width size (1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.5 and 3.5 and 4.5) and I have had a 16 quart bin for each size that has almost always been full of scraps. Each year as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge I have picked a block or two to work on for each bin using scraps in the color of the month. I have been working diligently to use up the scraps from each bin for years. Now I have emptied the 3.5 and 4.5 bins so I am not making any blocks using only that size of scrap. I almost have the 1.5 inch bin emptied. That leaves the 2 and 2.5 inch bins.
Now I am mostly left with scrap chunks - pieces that are greater than 4.5 in width and less than a Fat Quarter (FQ). (I do have boxes of strings and selvages and crumbs but that is a different story for a different time).
So that brings me to the title of this post --- 3.5 plus 2 and that equals the blocks you see in this post which are all made mostly from 3.5 inch and 2 inch pieces cut from my scrap chunks. I figured if I'm going to cut a chunk I might as well spread it out between a lot of blocks.
Flower Baskets
A few months ago I started making the Basket blocks you see above. I have been using all the 2 inch floral fabrics from my scrap bin and 3.5 inch and 2 inch fabrics cut from chunks. The basket is in the color of the month, the background is scrappy neutrals. Goal is to make a queen sized quilt with blocks set on point.
For the last several months I've been making Buckeye Beauty blocks from scrap chunks in the color of the month then paired up with men's shirts scraps or dark multi-color scraps. Again the pieces are 3.5 and 2 inches. The blocks finish at 6 inches. Goal is to make a twin sized quilt that will probably be donated or gifted.
Last month I started making X+ blocks using 3.5 and 2 inch pieces. Here's this month's batch. Goal is to make a twin sized quilt.
Last month I also started making Uneven Nine Patches. The centers are 3.5 inches and the sides are 2 inch pieces. The four corners don't have to match the center and the sides are neutral scraps. I've been trying to use up the last of my 2 inch scrap bin making these. I'll see how many blocks I have at the end of next year before I decide size of quilt or quilts. These will be made into donation quilts.
After last month's RSC linky party for the color purple I made a couple of Antique Tile blocks to use up a few scraps I had left over from making other blocks just to see if I liked how they looked and to see if I liked to make them. I did so I added this now to the list of blocks I'm making from 3.5 plus 2 inch pieces. They finish at nine inches. I'll wait until the end of next year to decide the size of quilt. Again, these will probably be made into a donation quilt or quilts. I get to have the fun of making them.
Another block I made after last month's purple linky party is the classic Propeller block. You guessed it...they are made from 3.5 plus 2 inch scraps. I have a lot of small gray tone on tone (TOT) pieces I'm going to use for the backgrounds. I decided the center square will be black scraps and the outer squares of the cross will be in reds. I see I need to fix the bottom center one.
And finally I made a couple of Dove in the Window blocks from 3.5 plus 2 inch scraps.
3.5 plus 2 = lots of blocks
