Triangle Stars Finished !!

Scrappy Triangle Stars

56.5 x 75

Hand quilted

Pattern at AllPeopleQuilt

Last year I made one triangle star each month from little bits and pieces of scraps. I used a paper template and cut each triangle piece of the star individually by hand.  Each block was made in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  For the backgrounds I used chunk scraps  in solids or tone on tones. 

I used different colors of hand quilting thread.  I hand quilted 1/4 inch inside each triangle in hand quilting thread the color of the star. 

You can't see it very well but I quilted stars in different sizes in the background areas.  I used simple star templates and traced around them with a hera marker. Again I used hand quilting thread in the color of the background to quilt the stars.  

I used a low volume print I had on hand for the backing so all of the hand quilting in the various colors shows up on the back.   I like to use Hobbs Heirloom cotton batting when I hand quilt and since this was a smaller quilt I pieced my batting. I didn't have any problems hand quilting with pieced batting. 

I couldn't think of what to use for binding that would look good on the front. I finally decided to try facing a quilt.  This was my first time trying it and I'm glad I did. 

This one is for me. 

Take time for some Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

and use those scraps because

Oh Scrap! Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

At The End of This Rainbow is a HEART of Gold

Heart of Gold

It's just a top right now

When finished this will go to my youngest brother who unexpectedly had a quadruple bypass last year shortly after Easter.   It was unexpected because he's not overweight nor does he have high blood pressure.     At any rate I hope this quilt reminds him to stay heart healthy and that I love him and his heart of gold. 

I made these blocks (or I guess I would call them units instead) from 4.5 inch  scraps last year as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.    You know (if you are a regular blog reader) I usually don't lay out my quilts (on my floor - no design wall here)  but instead sew blocks together randomly but this rainbow configuration I decided upon meant I had to lay blocks out and then, good golly, Miss Molly, I had to make sure I not only sewed them together correctly but sewed them together pointing in the right direction.  Sheesh!  It didn't all go so smoothly and I have to say I became reacquainted with my old seam ripper that has grown lazy but in the end I have a rainbow trail. 

My inspiration was Kathy Doughty's (of Material Obsession) "Red Centre" quilt. 

This is a UFO I hope to finish up this quarter. Since I now have a top I'm getting closer to that goal!   I'm not sure what I will use for the backing and I hope there's enough rainbow fabric left for the binding.  

Check out what everyone else is doing with their scraps at: 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

My February OMG (One Monthly Goal) is to get this finished!! 

OMG at Elm Street Quilts

I didn't make my February OMG goal so now it's my March (One Monthly Goal) OMG to get this quilt finished!!  

OMG at Elm Street Quilts 

2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge Finishes on Parade.

Lozenges 

2.5 inch scraps

Pentland Crackers

2.5 inch scraps

ROY G BIV Kaleidoscopes

2.5 inch scraps

Rainbow Chevron

4.5 inch scraps

Twinklers

2.5 inch scraps

Have you Heard of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge? 

I like the Rainbow Scrap Challenge because it helps me keep my scraps under control and actually results in some fabulous quilts.  I always look forward to a new color of the month and digging through boxes and bins to see what scraps I have in the color for each of my projects. 

Here in this post I've shown you what RSC projects I FINISHED in 2016.  

They were mostly all  projects spanning several years.  My goal is to use scraps and I don't necessarily have scraps in the color of the month or only a few scraps or don't have scraps in the size I need for WIPs.   That's why I usually have numerous RSC projects in the works every year.   I usually work my projects each week by size of scraps - 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, chunks, crumbs are the sizes of scraps I have most often. 

I have some tops in the quilting queue from past RSC years and I have projects I'm carrying over to 2017 from previous years.  I have a couple new projects to try out.  I'm in no hurry to get any one quilt finished; it doesn't bother me to have so many on-going projects. I'm easily bored but more importantly I enjoy the time, the process, the energy I spend on each of my quilts. 

Besides using up scraps I have fun visiting other blogs for inspiration. And from those visits  I get to know the people behind the quilts. 

Got Scraps? 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2017

When You Wish Upon a Star

Twinklers

60 x 78

Machine Quilted with Loops and Stars

I started making these six inch blocks from scraps a couple of years ago as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  Slowly but surely I made 130 blocks and used a lot of scraps. 

The block instructions may be found at Claudia's Quilt Shoppe. 

I bound it with turquoise polka dots because the backing is turquoise and coincidentally I had just bought a remnant at Hobby Lobby that was just enough yardage for the binding.   Serendipity! 

For the backing I used a nice soft Twin sized sheet from the thrift store.  I used gray thread on top and a blue green (more on the green side) thread in the bobbin.  Those were threads I had on hand. 

I went with my old standby for for machine quilting star quilts - loops and stars.   I guess I need to learn to be more consistent  with my stars because sometimes there's blank spaces that could have been filled in a little better.   But that's not a bother to me right now.  

I think this might be one of the quilts I put in the car survival kits I've made for the adult kids for Christmas. 

This was my goal # 6 

for Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016

This was also my December OMG (One Monthly Goal)

And this sure used a LOT of scraps  - Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Twinklers: It's a Top! and an OMG!

Twinklers

60 x 78

Free 6 inch block pattern at Claudia's Quilt Shoppe

I've been making these blocks, a few a month, for a couple of years as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project.  I used 2.5 inch scraps.  That's 1170 - 2.5 inch squares of scraps!!! 

These were randomly arranged. There's no design wall here.  (Grandma didn't have one either and she's the one that inspired me to quilt).  

In the process I noticed I was a little heavy on blue and brown blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - ScrapHappy Saturday at SoScrappy

I hope to get this completely finished this month. I'll be quilting it on my DSM. 

OMG (One Monthly Goal) at Elm Street Quilts

A Flimsy of Spools

 Spools

81 x 87

783 - 3 inch spools

Right now it is just a top

This was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project so I made a few spools each month from 1.5 inch scraps in the color of the month.  I've been making spools for several years. 

As I made spools I kept them in little baggies separated by color so I could try to make sure I wasn't heavy on one color and light on others. 

When it came time to assemble the top I threw all of the spools into a paper grocery sack and shook and shook and shook it to separated all of those spools out of their color stacks. 

Then I reached into the sack a few times and pulled out a few handfuls at a time to sew into 29 rows 27 spools long.   And then I cut all of those rows apart and sewed them together into panels of 4 rows.   And then the yucky part...I ironed the rows twirling the seams where the spools meet so the quilt would not have little bumps at each juncture. I'd like to say that was a waste of time but it really made a difference and the top doesn't have little seam bumps now. 

This is the type of quilt I like...one with LOTS of little pieces of fabric, one that fits on a bed, one that looks sort of vintage, one that I could just look at all day and smile. 

I spy three different cupcake fabrics, some chicks, a whale, oranges, apples, tomatoes...

Getting these spools into a top was my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for November. 

So now it is time to link up with Elm Street Quilts for the Nov. Finish Party

And

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

ScrapHappy Saturday (where it all started - as an RSC project)

Filling in the Holes with Black Scraps

2 - 8 inch Depression Blocks

2 - 4 inch blocks - broken dishes and pinwheel for the 4 inch units pile

Whole bunch - triangle units for pyramid quilt

November and December are catch up months for Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  I looked at my 2.5 inch scraps and decided to fill in some holes in a few projects with black blocks and units.

Other than that I'm working on assembling a couple of other RSC projects - Twinklers and Spools. 

ScrapHappy Saturday 

Spoolin' Around

This month my OMG (One Monthly Goal) is to get 783 - 3 inch spools assembled into a quilt top 81 x 87.    If I get it completely finished that will be a bonus (or my Dec. OMG goal). 

I started making a few of these each month in 2014 (or was it 2013? I think 2013. ) as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project after I saw Kathy of Kathy's Quilts making them.   Funny thing...Kathy is  working on getting her spools assembled this month too.   We are using the same block but making quilts that will look very different when finished.  But oh the scraps we have used! 

One Monthly Goal

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Scraptastic Tuesday

Yellow

Yellow Flying Geese from 4.5 inch scraps.  

Looks kind of like a hidden object game this month.

If the RSC color is a primary color I use secondaries for the geese sides and vice versa.    This project will continue next year. I have about 58 blocks and that's not near enough for a big, colorful, fun, cozy, scrappy quilt. 

Interlocking Chains

14 inch blocks from 2.5 inch scraps. 

By the end of the year I should have enough for a quilt

ScrapHappy Saturday...a division of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Stacking and Whacking

Improv circles or bulls eyes. 

In June we made some Block Lotto Bulls Eye blocks using this similar method and I really liked how they turned out and had fun doing them.   So I decided start these as another new RSC project using the color(s) of the month and red and brown as my "neutrals".  I'm using chunk scraps for these. 

I fooled around a little with mixing and matching these, separating them by a thin sashing, etc. but in the end I think I liked the four fabrics stacked and whacked all together in one block.  I started with 8.5 squares of fabric and squared them up to 6.5 inch finished blocks. Four of them together will make a 12 inch block and use up a lot of those chunks of fabric. 

I made enough of these units so now I have (sans border units which are a different size) enough colors of the rainbow to make...

...a quilt similar to this one called Red Centre from Kathy Doughty's book Making Quilts. 

FYI - believe it or not both of these blocks use a similar method of construction called Stack and Whack - stack up pieces of fabric, whack through them, swap out a few pieces in the stack and then sew the whacked pieces all back together again. You get multiple blocks from each stack you whack. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Put on Your Sunglasses and Come On, Come On Get Happy

For this month's star I didn't have enough yellow miscellaneous sized scraps to cut for the triangles so I mixed it up with the accent color of orange.  But I usually use the accent color for the background so I threw in some red for the background on this one.  

These blocks finish at 18 3/4 inches so after I make two more I will be ready to assemble (as opposed to ready to rumble). 

I used the Triangle Star Pattern from AllPeopleQuilt. 

After I finish this one I'm going to make another with my civil war repro scraps.  These are easier to make than they look. 

From my 2.5 inch yellow and neutral scraps I made some pyramid units following the tutorial on Molly Flanders blog.  I need to see how many of these little guys I have because I'm ready for a BIG pyramid quilt.  They get assembled on the diagonal so I'm not even sure I know how many of these I need for a big quilt.  

Snakes. I have all of the colors of the rainbow made now (except the red ones that are half assembled) so I need to see what kind of rainbow snake layout looks good and go from there as far as what I still need to make.  I usually cut these from the bigger "crumb bag" scraps but sometimes from 2.5 inch scraps width wise because they are a little big longer than 2.5 inches but about 2.5 inches wide.  I'm using the pattern and templates from the book Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration.   And for the background I've been using different browns that look a little like the dirt where a snake that is not a snake in the grass might be found. 

THEN...

I found a shoe box of 3.5 inch scraps. I usually don't have many of those for some reason. But I do see a variety of colors in that box so I decided one of my RSC projects for next year will be little 3 inch snowballs with neutral 1.5 inch corners because I also have a whole lot of...

...bright 3 inch nine patches to mix in with those snowballs some day.  I've been swapping 29Ps for a long time so have quite the stash of them despite making two quilts with them already. (The darker 39Ps I have set aside for my neutral/dark Jack's Chain quilt which is a UFO I work on from time to time). 

And I've been watching Sally and Inspector Molly make a bow tie quilt and was inspired to make a few blocks (larger than Sally's) from the newly found 3.5 inch yellow and neutral scraps.  I like the vintage look of a simple block and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge keeps me making a few each month so I don't get bored making enough for a quilt all at one time.  (I like BIG quilts).  So mark this as another RSC project for next year. 

(I feel a little itchy after looking at these.) 

And speaking of simple blocks...here's another project for next year...3 inch rails from the 1.5 inch scrap box. 

Ok. that leaves 2.5 inch scraps for next year's projects (also leaves 4.5 inch scraps but I haven't gotten that far yet) so...

...I love HSTs in a quilt and I've been eyeing Lady of the Lake quilts for a long time so decided to try four  10 inch Lady of the Lake blocks in this month's RSC colors.  And that used up most of my yellow 2.5 inch scraps  These are pretty wild but mixed up with other colors of blocks they should be fine. So...with 2.5 scraps I'll be making some Lady of the Lake blocks next year.. Can't wait. 

Oh, and I don't want to forget to make a Tall Ship in each of the colors of the rainbow (using 2.5 inch scraps for the sails). 

I belong to an online "birthday club".  Each year everyone in the group chooses a block in colors of their choice and we all make the block and sent it to the birthday girl in her birthday month.   This month the birthday girl picked the Tall Ship block with sky or sea background colors, brown hull and scrappy sails.  I had my orange 2.5 scraps out so made the HSTs sails for her block plus a few extra for my block.   Twelve of these will make a nice little quilt and I have the perfect backing in my stash set aside for it. 

And finally...this month's Block Lotto block is a six inch fan block but when you put four of them together you get a Sunflower.  (I might have to make a few of these to go with my Sprout blocks). 

Well, that sure used a lot of yellow and orange scraps.  I didn't even realize I used that much yellow and orange. 

Got Scraps? 

Find inspiration each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Yellow/Orange Scraps

From 2.5 inch scraps...yellow Sprouts, Depression Blocks 

The red/yellow 4 inch Happy blocks are left over from last month's red/yellow scraps that I just got sewn together.  

More four inch Happy blocks and some orange and orange/blue rail fence blocks from postage stamps (1.5  inch scraps) and muslin strips.  I used the yellow postage stamps I had cut last month with the red postage stamps in my Vintage Rail blocks. 

ScrapHappy Saturday

Red Potpourri

From red 2.5 inch scraps - 4 Sprouts, 2 Depression Blocks, 1- 4 inch pinwheel. 

Also from 2.5 inch pieces - 2 Interlocking Chains. Pattern can be found at Quilter's Cache. 

And I made lots and lots of red pyramids from 2.5 inch scraps. 

 I made them following the method on Molly Flanders Blog. 

They will eventually get sewn together on the diagonal - this is a pretty easy way to make a pyramid quilt - but now I have to figure out how many of these I need to sew together diagonally to make a big quilt. 

Visit ScrapHappy Saturday to see how others have used their red scraps this month.. 

Red Scraps So Far

Triangle Star

18 3/4 inches

from free pattern at allpeoplequilt.com

When I looked at the odd sized red scraps I had to use I wasn't sure what to use for the lights and almost reached for the pink scraps. Then I noticed I had quite a few red/white scraps so used those as the light. 

I made four more 10 inch postage stamp blocks.   I now have 19 blocks.  I'm not sure what to call them but I was inspired by a quilt on ebay.   The seller called it a vintage Roman Stripe.  But I don't think it is a Roman Stripe. But I'm no expert.  

Vintage Roman Stripe quilt inspiration from ebay. 

I'm aiming for a large quilt and have some yellow/brown plaid fabric set aside for the sashing. Hope I have enough of it at assembly time. 

I made some 4 x 8 inch flying geese from my 4.5 inch scraps.   For these I've been digging into my 4.5 inch scraps in the RSC color of the month for the geese center and when the color is a primary I have used secondary colors for the goose sides. 

Also from 4.5 inch scraps I made some of these stack and whack units.  There's several ways to arrange these. This is not one of those ways but pretty much resembles the disarray of my mind these days. 

Now I think I only have my 2.5 inch red scraps to tackle. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Got Scraps? Then join the fun.