Quilts of September #12

September finish #12!

Dakota Farmer

64 x 80

I started making these blocks back in January 2020 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) project.

Each month I made blocks in the RSC color of the month. This was one of the last quilts to come out of the 2.5 inch width scrap bin which is now empty. 

Why is it called Dakota Farmer?

That's what Bonnie Hunter called it in her Addicted to Scraps column in the November/December 2013 issue of Quiltmaker.  Bonnie Hunter used 2 inch (unfinished) HSTs to make her blocks but I used 2.5 inch HSTs because that's what I had on hand. 

I quilted it with swirls in light gray thread. Multicolored Easter Egg fabric is what I used for binding. 

The backing is pieced. 

And on to the next!

(How many will I finish in September????) 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

It's A Flimsy! Dakota Farmer

It's a flimsy!

Dakota Farmer

64 x 80

Why is it called Dakota Farmer?

That's what Bonnie Hunter called it in her Addicted to Scraps column in the November/December 2013 issue of Quiltmaker.  Bonnie Hunter used 2 inch (unfinished) HSTs to make her blocks but I used 2.5 inch HSTs because that's what I had on hand. 

I started making blocks as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project back in January 2020 and it is one of the last quilts to come out of my 2.5 inch scrap box. 

I just sewed blocks together randomly. And, gosh, that was a lot of points to match up! Well, actually, not all of them actually match up but that will be our little secret. 

This completes my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for January. However, I'm continuing on to complete more quilt tops. I just wanted to get that goal of "at least one" out of the way. 

We've had lots of snow (9 inches, I think) and even more ice on top of the snow so it was a dangerous walk outside to take pictures. I couldn't take my usual clothesline photos because all of the clothespins and the clothesline were encased in ice.  So I posed my flimsy on the old Concord grape vine trellis. (There are no grapes on this trellis anymore. When my father- in- law moved in with us long ago he thought he would do us a favor and prune the vines and he pruned a little too much, bless his heart). 

Everything here is coated in hoarfrost and it is actually very beautiful - a winter wonderland.  When the sun shines everything glistens like jewels.  But the sun has not been shining much. 

Early this morning when the moon was still high in the sky and the sun was rising everything white glowed pink. 

I was hoping to get a good picture of the sun rising across the road but my timing was a little off. 

 Ok. Well, back to the warm sewing room....

Cleaning Out The 2.5 Inch Scrap Bin -- Part I

I dug into the 2.5 inch scrap bin and made 23 more Dakota Farmer blocks to complete a set of 80. The inspiration was a Bonnie Hunter Addicted to Scraps column. She made hers from 2 inch scraps (1.5 inch finished HSTs for a 6 inch finished block) but I made mine from 2.5 inch scraps (2 inch finished HSTs for an 8 inch finished block). 

These Hourglass blocks are the only other Rainbow Scrap Challenge project I have in process that uses 2. 5 inch scraps. I haven't made any for a couple of months (shown here are old blocks) because I'm out of black and BOB (black on black) fabric and am trying not to buy fabric unless it is for a backing.  The reason I started making these blocks was because I won 23 blocks in a Block Lotto in December 2019 and 23 was not enough for even a small quilt. 

I counted up my blocks and found a total of 74. I think that is enough for a small donation quilt set 7 x 10 (42 x 60) with four left over for the back or the orphanage. 

Long ago when I first started sorting scraps I found I had a LOT of 2.5 inch scraps so I started a bin (later moved to a box) of 2.5 inch scraps. Most were left over from making Happy Blocks with 6 inch centers and 2.5 inch sides or leftover from other blocks I made for swaps. As the years went on when I found I had a lot of scraps of a certain width I started a small box to hold scraps of that width. When I found the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (2013????) I decided to make blocks that used 2.5 inch scraps in the color of the month. Then later as the other bins became full I decided on other RSC projects that used other sizes of scraps. Thankfully my scraps have dwindled using this approach and I've had fun seeing what scraps I had to work with when the color of the month was called.  Now that my scraps have dwindled I have decided to try to use scraps as they are made BUT also keep scrap chunks by color. For me scrap chunks have always been anything greater than 4.5 inches and less than a FQ and I have kept those all together in a milk crate that started overflowing.  Now I have started storing those by color in separate containers.  

This year I emptied my 3. 5 inch scrap bin and my 4. 5 inch scrap bin. I have my 1. 5 inch scrap bin almost empty. I am still actively working with the 2 inch scraps and I hope to empty that bin next year when I am finished with several projects.   And that leaves my 2. 5 inch scrap bin which has always seemed to be full. Now that I have finished my RSC blocks that use 2. 5inch scraps I have a plan to empty the paper copier box  filled with bags for each color of 2.5 inch scrap. More on that plan tomorrow in Part II of "Cleaning Out the 2.5 Inch Scrap Bin". 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Odds and Ends

I'm thinking that this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color must be yellow since that is the only one left on the list. I had these Double X and Snowballs cut out in red for last month but never got around to getting them sewn together.  So first thing this month I made those red blocks. 

I started making these in February 2019 after being inspired by a c. 1860 quilt.  I had a few minty green pieces (mistakenly bought for a fabric when I actually wanted a spring green) to use for background and I decided I would make blocks until I ran out of the background fabric.  Two years of making blocks from scraps in the RSC color of the month and I'm out of the background fabric. In fact I had to piece together the green for a couple of the Snowball blocks.  

After I made the red blocks and saw I was low on green background I figured out how many yellow blocks I would need in order to have enough blocks for a quilt. 

The blocks finish at 4 inches. I was originally hoping to have enough blocks for a quilt roughly 60 x 80 - 150 each of the Double X and Snowball blocks.  But that was not meant to be.  But I do now have enough for a respectable sized lap quilt 48 x 64 (12x16 layout - 96 of each block). 

So enough is enough of these blocks. Someday soon I can assemble the top.  

I also never got around to making red Dakota Farmer Star blocks last month so I made a few of those in red as well as...

...yellow. All are made from 2.5 inch scraps. 

    By year end I hope to have a set of these for that 60 x 80 quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Purple 2.5 Inch Scrap Edition

This week I dug into my 2.5 inch width scrap bin and dug out my purples. 

I made five 8" (finished) Dakota Farmer Stars. 

And I made six 6" (finished) Hourglass blocks.  I won over 20 of these in a Block Lotto so decided to make enough blocks for a twin sized donation quilt. I think I will set these on point and then you might see why they are called Hourglass. 

Looking forward to a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color for September. Will it be red or yellow? 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Still in the Pink

 This week I worked with my 2.5 inch pink scraps because pink is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. 

I made three Dakota Farmer 8 inch blocks. 

 And then I made six Hourglass blocks that finish at six inches. 

 Then I cut the rest of the pink 2.5 inch scraps into 2.5 x 3.5 rectangles for a quilt that will require 800 of those little rectangles.  Then I cut squares for some unknown future project. Then I sewed the pieces that were less than a 2.5 inch square into strips for a future Chinese Coins quilt. 

Then I grabbed a couple of pink scrap chunks and made two Churn Dashes that finish at 14 inches. 

Now I need to check out the 2 inch scrap bin and see what I scraps I have. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

More Blue Scraps

 From 2.5 inch scraps...ten Dakota Farmer Stars. (Sheesh, that's a lot of HSTs)

From 1.5 inch scraps...four Plus Postage blocks. (Sheesh, that's a lot of little 1.5 inch squares)

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Blue-green 2.5 Inch Scraps

This week I worked with my 2.5 inch scraps and made some Dakota Farmer Stars...

...and Hourglass blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Orange 2.5 Inch Scrap Edition

 This week I worked with my orange 2.5 inch scraps.    

This block is called Dakota Farmer and I found the instructions for the Dakota Farmer blocks in Bonnie Hunter’s Addicted to Scraps column in the Nov/Dec ’13 issue of Quiltmaker. But I didn't follow the instructions. I used 2.5 inch scraps instead of 2 inch per the instructions so my blocks finish at 8 instead of 6 inches. 

 This is an Hourglass block. I started making these as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project because I was a winner of Block Lotto in December and received 28 of these blocks.  I thought these might make a nice twin sized donation quilt.  Right now I think I will set these on point but I have a whole year of making these out of scraps before I need to decide. 

 This year I'm trying to get rid of the banker's box of 2.5 inch width scraps so after I make my blocks I cut any remaining scraps into 2.5 inch squares. I'll deal with all those squares next year. 

After that any pieces that are less than a 2.5 square get sewn into strips. Long ago I used to throw those ends into the crumb box but the last few years I've been sewing them into strips instead. I think at year end I will have a lot of strips to play with and will probably make a Chinese Coin quilt. 

I have quite a few colorful strips now. 

Now I just need to work on my orange 1.5 inch scraps and crumbs. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green Scraps - 2.5 Inch Edition

 I dug into the light and bright (and in a few instances dark) green 2.5 inch scraps this week. 

I made some Dakota Farmer blocks.  When I hurt my back a few months ago I went through some old magazines and found instructions to make the Dakota Farmer blocks in Bonnie Hunter’s Addicted to Scraps column in the Nov/Dec ’13 issue of Quiltmaker. But I didn't follow the instructions. I used 2.5 inch scraps instead of 2 inch per the instructions so my blocks finish at 8 instead of 6 inches. 

 I also made some Hourglass blocks - the final block for Block Lotto since it has come to an end.  Lucky me...I won 28 of those six inch (finished) Hourglass blocks so I decided to make more for a twin sized quilt.  The Hourglass and Dakota Farmer blocks are the only two blocks I'm making this year from 2.5 inch scraps. 

 One of my old Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects made with 2.5 inch scraps is a Plus block.  I haven't worked on these in a long time.  I dug out the pile of them and found that if I alternated light and dark backgrounds I only needed 10 more blocks for a small quilt 42 x 54 (7 x 9 layout).  So I made 10 blocks. 

 And now the blocks are ready for assembly according to that secret code. 

 I've been working on Sprout blocks off and on evidently since March 2016 according to my blog.  Since I was in the 2.5 inch scraps I decided to evaluate what I needed to start assembling these blocks. What you see above is what I needed.  

 So now these blocks are ready for top assembly. I'm thinking the top will end up to be 52 x 72 - a nice comfort quilt size. 

I'm going to try this year to rid myself of all the scraps in the 2.5 inch scrap bin. So I'm going to cut anything left over after I make my Dakota Farmer and Hourglass blocks into 2.5 inch squares. 

 And if a scrap is less than a 2.5 inch square then it goes into a strip. I've been making scrappy strips in various sizes for a couple of years now so at the end of this year I think I'll have a nice (and probably huge) scrappy Chinese Coins quilt. 

After I finished playing in all the light and bright green 2.5 inch scraps I picked out a couple of small chunks of green and made two Churn Dash blocks that finish at a big 13.5 inches. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday