3.5 Plus 2

X and + blocks

I've been using scrap chunks this year to make most of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) blocks. This week these blocks all use a combination of 3.5 and 2 inch pieces. 

Buckeye Beauty Blocks

I've been combining the RSC color of the month with odds and ends of shirts and multicolored black pieces. 

Propellers 

I've been combining the RSC color of the month with some odds and ends of gray for the background, red scraps for the ends of the + and black scraps for the centers. 

Antique Tiles

It's a fun challenge to try to combine three different greens from the scrap chunks to make these blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Pink 3.5 Plus 2

Dove in the Window

10.5 inch finished

I've been emptying most of my scrap bins and boxes over the last couple of years. I 've completely emptied the 4.5, 3.5 and 2.5 inch scrap bins and boxes, almost emptied the 1.5 inch bin and really need to work on the 2 inch scraps.  And now I am also working to reduce scrap "chunks" which are stored by color and consists of anything less than a FQ and more than 4.5 inches.  

Last quarter I decided on several blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge that all use 3.5 and 2 inch scraps. So this year hopefully between the scrap chunks and 2 inch scrap bin I will have the makings of several scrappy quilts at year end, an empty 2 inch scrap bin and far fewer scrap chunks. 

Buckeye Beauty

6 inch finished

RSC color of the month combined with shirt scraps or black multicolor scraps or dark red scraps. 

Top: Propellers (7.5 finished) in RSC color of the month, gray scrap backgrounds, red scrap + ends from 2 inch scrap bin and black multicolor centers from 2 inch scrap bin. 

Bottom: X+ (7.5 finished) all in RSC  color of the month. 

Antique Tiles

9 inches finished

All in dark, medium, light RSC colors 

Uneven Nine Patch

6 inch finished

3.5 inch centers and 2 inch corner stones in RSC colors that don't need to match the centers. Light neutral scraps for sides. 

Shoofly

4.5 inch finished

Solid backgrounds (in RSC colors) and waste triangles and 2 inch squares. I started these several months ago as one of my projects to use waste triangles. 

After all those blocks were made I picked out all the pink scraps and low volume scraps from the 2 inch bin and if there were two squares I made four patches for the Parts Department. I did the same with any 3.5 inch scraps remaining after I made all my blocks. 

If there weren't two squares for the four patches then I cut squares for the Parts Department. Or if there was a 3.5 x 2.5 piece I cut it for a WIP. 

Anything left after that was sewn into strips for a future Chinese Coins quilt. Moving forward if I have 3.5 or 2 inch scraps left over after making a quilt I will make Four Patches, cut squares or sew scraps into strips instead of throwing those scraps into bags, bins or boxes. 

I do still have a few more RSC blocks to make this month that will be made from more scrap chunks- Double Irish Chain that uses 1.5 inch pieces and Square in Square that uses 5 inch TOTs (Tone on Tones). 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Yellow 3.5 Plus 2

Antique Tiles

They finish at 9 inches. 

This week I was working with yellow scrap chunks. Off of each chunk I cut a 3.5 inch piece and a 2 inch piece. Then I made a bunch of blocks that contain both 3.5 plus 2 inch pieces. 

Dove in the Window

They finish at 7.5 inches.

X+

They finish at 7.5 inches.

Flower Baskets 

They finish at 9 inches.

Baskets are in the color of the month and flowers are floral scraps from the 2 inch scrap bin I'm trying to clean out. 

Propellers

They finish at 7.5 inches. And, yes, I see one that needs to be fixed. 

Backgrounds are gray scraps, all centers will be black multicolor squares and all ends will be red squares -- both reds and blacks came from the 2 inch scrap bin. 

Uneven Nine Patches 

They finish at 6 inches. 

Neutral sides came from the 2 inch scrap bin. 

Buckeye Beauties

They finish at 6 inches. 

I have been combining the color of the month with shirts or dark multicolor scraps. 

Last week Miss Pat commented "Lots of buttery yumminess. Lets make popcorn." 

Well, Miss Pat, did you find the popcorn this week? I did have a small scrap of it! 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

3.5 Plus 2

Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC)

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday