Motley Mix

Back on March 24 I received several bags of scraps. I thought it would be fun to see how many donation quilts I could make from those scraps, I first sorted them into various piles. One of those piles was a 14 quart bin of warm colored scraps. I made a Streak of Lightning top and an Uneven Nine Patch top and then I still had some bits and pieces of scraps in that 14 quart bin of warm. So I made a lot of different blocks from the leftover warm scraps and now I only have warm scraps left for some slabs and crumb blocks.  

First I made some Bear Paws that finish at 6 inches. I will make these as I go along when I have 4. 5and 2.5 inch scraps.  They are going into the Parts Department and when I have a lot of them I will make some quilts. 

More Bear Paws. For some of these I added in some 4.5 inch squares from the Parts Department.

Sixteen Patch Stars

I had some 4 inch squares left in the 14 quarts of warm. I also have a little drawer of 4 inch novelty squares from previous I Spy type swaps. So the warm squares got together with the novelty squares and a few Sixteen Patch Stars were born. I previously made four blocks from green scraps so if I make a purple and a blue block I should have enough for another nice donation quilt top. 

With 2.5 and 2 inch scraps I was able to add a few Indian Hatchet blocks that finish at 4 inches to my collection. A vintage quilt was the inspiration for these blocks. 

Also with 2.5 inch squares I was able to make some small Chips (Economy Blocks) to add to my collection. And whenever any project leaves me with 2.5 inch scraps I make Nine Patches for the Parts Department. At year end those will be made into quilts.

Whenever I have 3.5 inch scraps leftover I combine them with low volume scraps to make Four Patches or Uneven Nine Patches. More for the Parts Department!

I started making 3 inch project leftovers into Hollow Nine Patches. The Parts Department is growing!

I love blocks made from 1.5 inch scraps. I have a whole 14 quart bin of little 3 inch Nine Patches so I added in some more. And I started making some Rail Fence and Bit Coin blocks that will be new Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects. I like to have projects going for all sizes of scraps so I can make blocks with project leftovers instead of throwing leftovers in boxes and bags to sort later. 

Two inch scraps get made into Four Patches. 

And I added a couple more blocks to the RSC line up. 

Some of the rest of the scraps in that 14 quart bin of warm got cut into squares for the Parts Department and if there was less than a square I made a little strip for a future Chinese Coins quilt. My box of these little strips is overflowing so I should probably make a quilt now...or maybe later. 

Since the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color this month is red and I definitely used some red scraps I will link up with RSC ScrapHappy Saturday where all kinds of scrappy things are happening. 

 

Its a Finish! Bitcoins

 Bitcoins

84 x 84

It's a finish! 

I tried to take some pictures yesterday but it was partly cloudy, it was cold and it was windy so this is as good as it gets. 

 Except for chunks, strings, selvages and crumbs my scraps are sorted by size. This quilt was made from 1.5 inch scraps. From my blog history it appears I started combining a 1.5 x 2.5 inch colored scrap with a low volume scrap of the same color and just made 2.5 inch unfinished squares for the Parts Department around May 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I figured I could use them for a border, to make Four Patches or Whirlagigs someday when I had enough of them. 

 Around July 2017 I played around with the little squares and somehow ended up sewing them together by color into blocks of three columns and seven rows probably because I had at least 21 little squares of several different colors.   I called them 21 Patches even though there were 42 pieces. 

By November 2017 I was calling them Whatchamacallits because I was not sure what to call them but those blocks needed a name. 

 Sally of Objects of Design started making some blocks and by September 2018 she had a whole quilt top of them. She called hers Bitcoins and I thought that name was clever and more descriptive so my 21 Patch turned Whatchamacallits turned into Bitcoins. 

 In June of this year Bitcoins became a flimsy (or top if you prefer) that consists of 3528 little pieces of fabric if I calculated correctly. It was a charm quilt until it wasn't. I intended to use all different colored scraps and each time the Rainbow Scrap Challenge came around I only cut one piece off of each scrap that was in there; however, since it took me several years worth of scraps to get all the blocks I need a scrap may have been in the 1.5 inch scrap bin from year to year so there are repeats. 

 And then I finally put it in the hoop and started big stitching with ecru perle #12 that I had on hand. I didn't mark anything. I just big stitched about 1/4 inch either side of the lengthwise seams. 

The quilt fits perfectly on my bed and since it is square it can be oriented any way on the bed. 

I used wide muslin for the backing and muslin scraps for the binding. 

When I hand quilt I usually use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting. 

This was my goal #11

for

Q4 Finish-Along

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

What's in the Hoop?

 What's in the hoop?

Bitcoins. I'm doing some simple big stitch quilting with perle #12.

Quilt measures 84 x 84 and is made of 1.5 x 2.5 inch scraps. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

It's a Flimsy! Bitcoins

 Bitcoins

It's a flimsy!

84 x 84

It can be oriented this way...

 ...or that way. 

 I started it in November 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project to use...

 ...1.5 inch scraps which I cut into 2.5 inch pieces.   Later I also used 2.5 inch scraps cut into 1.5 inch pieces. 

I first sewed 1.5 x 2.5 inch colored pieces to 1.5 x 2.5 inch neutral pieces to make a 2.5 inch square unit. I played around with them for awhile and then decided to join units of the same color into blocks of 3 columns x 7 rows.   I first called the blocks Whatchamacallits until someone else started making them and called them Bitcoins which is a more suitable and very clever name I think. 

Now to find a backing and get it quilted. 

And Then There Were 84!

 I just finished 23 of these 6 x 14 inch blocks. 

Now I have 84 and can begin to assemble the top. 

I started making these back in November 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project to use 1.5 inch scraps.  The individual pieces are cut 1.5 x 2.5 inches.  At first I called them Whatchamacallits because I didn't know what to call them.   Then Sally at Objects of Design started making them and called them Bitcoins and I thought that was a very clever and more descriptive name so I started calling them Bitcoins too. 

 I'm going to join the blocks together randomly 14 x 6 or 6 x 14.  That way the quilt will be a square 84 inches and I will be able to have the quilt oriented two different ways. I was going to make a rectangular quilt but couldn't decide which way to orient the blocks so this way it makes no difference. 

 As I mentioned previously, I've been making these from 1.5 inch scraps. The little pieces were individually cut and sewn and not strip pieced although that would have been faster.   I really didn't want a repeat of any fabrics except the neutrals but that didn't happen -- there are a few repeats.  

 I made these last 23 blocks from the 2.5 inch scraps since my 1.5 inch scraps are running low ( and that's a good thing). 

As soon as I iron these blocks...

...they will join with the 61 other blocks and I can begin quilt top assembly.   I've been chomping (or is it champing?) at the bit(coin) to move this forward!  Since the weather has been rain, rain, rain and more rain and I can't work in the garden I might as well go sew. 

Moving It Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Orange Scraps

It's always exciting to find out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month.  It means I get to dig through my scrap bins and see what old friends (aka scraps) I get to work with.  This month the color is orange but I'm also catching up on my RSC aqua blocks. Last month I had lots of  scrap chunks of aqua so finished a few flimsies instead. 

At the beginning of the month I start with my scrap chunks I keep in a milk crate. Scrap chunks for me are scraps of fabric less than a fat quarter and greater than 4.5 inches.  I usually pull out the biggest pieces to make blocks that take bigger pieces and blocks that require multiple sizes of pieces. 

These cats take bigger pieces so they are usually the first things I make.  I'm using scraps of gray for the background.   And note to self...wow aqua and orange makes a nice color combo. 

New for me this year are these Double X  blocks and Snowballs inspired by a vintage quilt.  The blocks finish at four inches and I'm using a light mint green for the background because I've had a big piece of yardage around here unused for ages.   

These blocks take 2.5 and 1.5 inch pieces so I cut the scrap chunks to make these blocks and the remainder of the 2.5 and 1.5 inch pieces go into their respective scrap bins to be used later in other blocks. 

 Also inspired by a vintage quilt are these little 3.5 inch finished blocks called by a variety of names. Temecula Quilt Company is having a sew along and is the first place I saw the vintage quilt and the block they are calling Cathedral Window Hexagon Variation.  On other blogs I've seen these called Buttons and Doughnuts and Wishing Rings.   I really like the name Wishing Ring so that's what I've decided to call the block.   I cut the 2 inch center and 1.5 inch corners from a 3.5 x 5 scrap and the sides are cut from 1.5 inch scraps.     So I go through the scrap chunks and the 3.5 inch and 1.5 inch scrap bins to make these blocks. 

 I've been trying to make an equal number of light and dark corners since they will alternate in the quilt. I iron seams toward the darker color so seams will nest when sewn together.  Actually I haven't yet properly trimmed and ironed these corners yet.   I figured that's a job for a summer day on the deck with a glass of homemade wine. 

 With all the blocks that use multiple sizes of scraps out of the way I dug into the 1.5 inch scraps and made Bitcoins and Little Rails. 

 I've been making the 6 x 14 Bitcoin blocks for several years and have 61 blocks. My goal is 84.  I will set them 14 x 6 for an 84 inch square quilt. 

I've been making these Little Rails for several years too. I have no idea how many I have and no idea how big I want to make the quilt. I guess I should count and decide. 

After I make the Bitcoin and Little Rails I've been throwing any remaining scraps of that color into a shoe box to be used in a Spider Web quilt.   So, the 1.5 inch scrap bin is getting low but the Spider Web shoe box is overflowing.  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Go Figure

 

 For a couple of years I've been making these blocks from 1.5 inch scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. The blocks measure 6" x 14".  I have been keeping my 30s reproduction scraps in that size separate from other scraps so I could finish some String Stars.  I finished the 30s String Star blocks so recently made these blocks (and then some)  from those scraps. 

I've been calling these blocks Whatchamacallits for lack of a better name but then I saw Sally at The Objects of Design was calling them Bitcoins and I think I prefer that name so that's what I'll call them moving forward.  

 Speaking of moving forward...I decided I should figure out how many blocks I have and how many blocks I need. So I took count. I have 52 blocks. I want to set them 14 x 6 for an 84 inch square quilt. The colors will all be mixed up so I don't need to worry about how many of each color I need. I'll continue just using whatever shows up in the scrap bin. 

So if I make 32 blocks next year I'll have the makings of a quilt. 

I've also been making these little 3 inch rail blocks from 1.5 inch scraps for a couple of years. 

It's also time for me to figure out how many of these I have an how many I need. 

 I sorted them into piles of 50.  And was surprised I had that many.  Again, these will be all mixed up in the final quilt and not separated by colors into rows or columns so I don't need to worry about how many of each color I have. I can just go where the scraps take me. 

I like big quilts so decided I'd aim for one 90 inches square.  (You know I've never liked square quilts but it seems that's what I've been making lately for some reason).   As of today I have 591 blocks. I need a total of 900. So if I make 309 in 2019 I'll have the makings of a quilt top. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday