Scrap Processing: Multicolor on Black

The other day I finished a block set of 8 inch finished HSTs made with multicolor on black and solid scrap chunks.  I cut 4.5 inch strips from the scrap chunks to make my HSTs that I cut with my Easy Angle ruler.   After I completed my block set I had a lot of 4.5 inch pieces left over so I used them for other projects. 

1. Above - I cut 35 -4.5 x 8.5 rectangles.  I will add 2.5 x 8.5 inch rectangles (maybe red?) to each of the longest sides.  That will give me 35-8 inch finished Basket Weave blocks for a quilt kiddo quilt 40 x 53 inches. 

2. I cut 70 - 4.5 inch squares of both the multicolor and solid scraps. I will alternate multicolor and solids in a quilt 10 across and 14 down (40 x 56 inches.)

3> From the rest of the multicolor scraps I cut 2.5 inch squares.  Earlier in the year I emptied a box of 4 inch width scraps and one of the last things I did with the pieces in that box was cut rectangles 4 x 2.5 for a bricks and stones quilt with black multicolor for the stones.  I still need more bricks and more stones cut to complete this quilt but I can sew together what I do have cut as a leader/ender.  

And now I have emptied my baggie of leftovers from making the HST Four Patch blocks.

And sew on...

 

The Blue Contessa Finish

It's a finish!

Blue Contessa

40 x 60

 I made blocks in June 2025 and stashed them away in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin until last month when I assembled the top and quilted it. This week I put on the binding. 

I know these blocks as a Basket Weave. Once you know the formula for figuring out rectangle and sides for the size block you want you can pretty much use anything for the rectangle. It's similar to making Happy Blocks - figure out size of block you want and then figure out size of center block and sides and you can pretty much use anything for the center. 

With that said...I used I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.for inspiration only. 

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. I used 2.5 inch width scraps.

I didn't make as many blocks. (Pattern is 60 x 70)

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many in my scrap bin). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 3 or 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added  2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle(s) (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

I quilted it on my DSM with vertical and horizontal lines of blue.

To make it more fun for kids I put a colorful collection of frogs on back.

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

 

The Pink Contessa Finish

It's a finish!

The Pink Contessa

40 x 60

I made blocks in June 2025 and stashed them away in my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin until last month when I assembled the top and quilted it. This week I put on the binding. 

I know these blocks as a Basket Weave. Once you know the formula for figuring out rectangle and sides for the size block you want you can pretty much use anything for the rectangle. It's similar to making Happy Blocks - figure out size of block you want and then figure out size of center block and sides and you can pretty much use anything for the center. 

With that said...I used I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.for inspiration only. 

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. I used 2.5 inch width scraps.

I didn't make as many blocks. (Pattern is 60 x 70)

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many in my scrap bin). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 3 or 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added  2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle(s) (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

The back.

I quilted it on my DSM with horizontal and vertical lines of red. 

And now it's ready to give a wee one a quilty hug. 

I also made a blue and a green version of Contessa so stay tuned. You might be seeing them soon. 

And sew on...

Monday Musings at Brenda's Songbird Designs

***

I still have some roses blooming! Maybe I should stop and smell them! 

 

Basket Weave Top

It's a top!

Basket Weave

39 x 45.5

In a previous blog post I mentioned that I met my goal for the only block I was making from scraps in my 4 inch width scrap box. Most of the scraps in there have been given to me over time. When I receive a box of scraps I take my little six inch ruler and measure the width of scraps and put them into the appropriate scrap box. Larger scraps I call chunks are sorted and stored by color. I try to use smaller scraps as I receive them in one of the many blocks I have going but with my husband John's health problems off and on I sometimes don't have enough time to sew all the scraps as I receive them. 

Well, now that you see my 4 inch width scrap box overfloweth I decided to see what could be made with the contents and hopefully soon just end up storing a baggie of 4 inch squares. 

I pulled out all of the blue scraps in the 4 inch width scrap box and made a Four Patch top. 

After that I still had some blue 4 inch width scraps. I found enough pieces I could cut into 4 x 7 rectangles to make some Basket Weave blocks. 

I was recently gifted a bolt of orange fabric and since orange is the complement of blue I decided to use orange 2 x 7 strips for the sides of my Basket Weave blocks. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

***

I finished a book - Remember Us by Robert Edsel with Brett Witter. Oh my goodness this was a good book! I highly recommend it.  It is a WWII non-fiction.

Summary from the Robert M Edsel website: 

"Remember Us is a compelling ensemble narrative that chronicles the lives of twelve central characters over a six-year span including Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole, the first member of the 101st Airborne to receive the Medal of Honor; Sergeant Jeff Wiggins of the 960th Quartermaster Company, who escaped the poverty and racism of Alabama only to face a new indignity: digging graves in wartime Europe; and Frieda van Schäik, a teenager who falls in love with an American soldier. 

"In this rich, dramatic, and suspenseful story, both the horrors of war and the transcendent power of gratitude are captured, showcasing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators. Drawing on never-before-seen letters, diaries, and other historical records, Edsel shows the painful price of freedom, on the battlefields and inside American homes.  

"Remember Us is exactly the book we need—a reminder that grief is universal, that humanity knows no national or racial boundaries, and that we all want to be remembered, somehow, someway, by somebody.  "

***

In the flower gardens some different types of Aquilegia (Columbine) are blooming as well as different types of Alliums. 

And sow on... 

A Little Basket Weave

It's a finish!

Basket Weave

36 x 45

I started making the Basket Weave blocks last year.  As I mentioned in that blog post...

"I have received bits and pieces in different sizes of this and that - some end cuts of strip sets, some untrimmed or unfinished crumb blocks, some wonky little blocks. When I receive things like that from folks I put them in a box. Sometimes I may take a few pieces out to fill in some spaces in an orphan block quilt but other than that I haven't used many bits and pieces this year and the little box is getting full. "

I used mostly blue bits and pieces to make the blocks.

I like basket weave blocks because they are so versatile - anything can be used as the center between two strips, sizes can be any size rectangle and side strips can be any size as long as you do the math to end up with a square block. The width of center plus two  side strips (in this case 6.5 + 2 +2= 10.5)  minus 1 which is the seam allowance if those pieces are sewn together (=9.5). That now gives the length I need for the center and side strips. Center =6.5 x 9.5 and the two side strips = 2 x 9.5. And all sewn together = 9.5 inch unfinished square. Alternate blocks In the layout. 

I had to make another pieced back. 

And another is ready to comfort a little one.

The theme in my sewing space this month has been "smalls" and neutrals. I chose "smalls" because there was a call for smaller quilts from Wrap-A-Smile. I chose "neutrals" because that is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month and I have a lot of ufos that I need to move forward that involve working with neutrals. For now I think I am finished with "smalls" this month and will get what I have made shipped off to go to work. 

And sew on...

The Pink Contessa

I'm only showing 8 blocks of the completed 24 block set.

Blocks finish at 10 inches. Quilt will finish at 40 x 60.

This is going into the SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin to be assembled into a top at a future date.

I decided to make these blocks because I had noticed a lot of pinks in my 2.5 inch width scrap bin. 

I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.  

(It is actually what I call a Basket Weave pattern).

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. 

I didn't make as many blocks.

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 3 or 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added  2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle(s) (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

Yesterday I showed the blue version of Contessa and I think I will have enough for a green Contessa one of these days.

And sew on...

Going where the scraps take me and making comfort quilts one scrap at a time.  

Contessa - A Complete Block Set

I'm only showing 12 blocks of the completed 24 block set.

Blocks finish at 10 inches. Quilt will finish at 40 x 60.

This is going into the SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin to be assembled into a top at a future date.

I decided to make these blocks because I had noticed a lot of blues and purples in my 2.5 inch width scrap bin. 

I used Moda's free pattern called Contessa.  

(It is actually what I call a Basket Weave pattern).

BUT

I didn't use a jellyroll. 

I didn't make as many blocks.

I didn't make stripsets of 5 WOF strips (because I didn't have that many). Instead I made 4 strip sets of 4 strips and then cut them into the 6.5 inch sections and added a 2.5 x 6.5 inch rectangle (from 2.5 inch width scrap bin) to the ends of each section. 

And sew on...

Going where the scraps take me and making comfort quilts one scrap at a time. 

 

A Basket Weave Finish

It's a finish!

Basket Weave

42 x 60

I made the top last September when I was cleaning out a box of 3 inch width scraps. In amongst those scraps were some 3 x 6.5 inch rectangles someone had given me that were mostly yellows and a few reds.  I cut more warm colored rectangles and pieced a few from some of the other scraps in the box. And then I added rust colored sides 2.25 x 6.5 to each rectangle and then wove them into a top. 

I quilted it on my sewing machine with horizontal and vertical lines. 

The back is a mottled brown with apples. 

And sew on...

Finished Or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts. 

***

REMEMBER, TREASURE, GROW, READ (my words of the year)

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many." - Anonymous (sometimes attributed to Mark Twain).

I'm 73 years old today. No regrets.

 

New Starts

Fractured Rail Fence

10 inch blocks

The "fractured units" are made with 3 x 3.5 inch rectangles stacked and whacked and sewn back together for a 3 inch square.  I call them "fractured units" because I first came across them in the book Making Quilts by Kathy Doughty. She uses the unit to make several different quilts; however, a rail fence like above is not one of the quilts she makes. 

I will be adding these blocks to the list of blocks I'll be making as a RSC (Rainbow Scrap Challenge) project.   I'll be making them each month with scrap chunks in a light and dark color of the month.   I had some pink scraps out so decided to make a few blocks.  

They should make some fun kiddo quilts. 

I mentioned in previous posts that I've been trying to catch up on scrap processing and I've been going through baggies of things that have been sent to me. 

I have received bits and pieces in different sizes of this and that - some end cuts of strip sets, some untrimmed or unfinished crumb blocks, some wonky little blocks. When I receive things like that from folks I put them in a box. Sometimes I may take a few pieces out to fill in some spaces in an orphan block quilt but other than that I haven't used many bits and pieces this year and the little box is getting full. 

I've  picked out a lot of bits and pieces that have blues in them.  Then I make them into 6.5 x 9.5 inch pieces. Then I add 2 x 9.5 inch black strips to both sides to make a 9.5 inch square. 

Thirty blocks in a 5 x 6 layout will be arranged in a basket weave pattern.

I guess I need to make 12 more blocks!

And sew on...

****

CELEBRATE (my word of the year)

Dec. 20 - Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.  Hearing the music this time of year triggers some memories. I used to have an LP album (I think I still do) of the Nutcracker suite and for some reason I'd listen to it mostly when I cleaned house.  (It's easy to dust to). One day when my youngest wild child Johnny was about 5 years old he told me he thought that music was beautiful. I noticed it had a calming effect on him.  I made a cassette tape of the album. I started playing it at night when he went to bed. He usually fidgeted and messed around for hours before he was able to get to sleep but when he started listening to the Nutcracker Suite he nodded off a lot quicker. He listened to that tape at bedtime for years but he's still my wild child. And these days I rarely dust.