Purple Haze

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month is PURPLE. 

I started my work with the 2 inch width scrap bin.  I didn't have many purple scraps in there so I cut a 2 inch strip for my Single Wedding Ring blocks from purple scrap chunks.  The blocks finish at 7.5 inches. 

 But these Sixteen Patch blocks all came from the 2 inch scrap bin that I am trying to empty. I think these blocks have been a RSC project for a couple of years so I'm hoping to have 120 of them by year end.  I believe I only have 41 more blocks to go. 

Purple haze, all in my brain

Lately things don't seem the same...

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

With Some Blue Scraps

With some blue 2 inch width scraps I made six Wedding Ring blocks that finish at 7.5 inches. 

I now have 89 blocks and my target is 144.  

And with some blue 2 inch width of scraps plus a few other colors of scraps I made eight Sixteen Patch blocks that finish at 6 inches.  I've been making these for a couple of years and now have 91 blocks out of a target of 130. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

From Green Scraps

Wedding Rings that finish at 7.5 inches and a couple of 16 patches that finish at 6 inches. 

 Dark green is the May Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month for May. I used most of my green scraps in January when the color of the month was light and bright green but I have accumulated a few green scraps since that time so I sewed them all up into blocks for my current RSC projects.    

 Plus Postage blocks that finish at 10 inches made from 1.5 inch scraps. 

 Wishing Rings that finish at 3 inches. 

Double X Mosaic and Snowballs. Blocks finish at 4 inches. 

I think the rest of this month of green I will try to finish a bunch of RSC tops I have in the pile.  I also need to add a scrappy green border to an old UFO. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green Two Inch Scrap Edition

Little Green Houses Made of Ticky Tacky

3 inch finished

Actually these houses are made of 2 inch scraps.   I have been making these off and on since 2018 and have hundreds of them. Maybe it's time to take an actual count and decide what size quilt I want.  They are quick and easy to make. There are instructions for making the Quilting Company Home Sweet Home Bitty Block  but I don't make mine following those instructions. I use the Easy Angle and Companion Angle ruler to cut pieces for the roof instead of using "flippy corners". 

 Wonky Stars

4.5 inch finished

I've also been making these little stars off and on since 2018. I started making them to use up those little waste triangles left over from using "flippy corners" and some 2 inch scraps.  Maybe it is time to count these too.  Or maybe I'll just keep on making them. 

 Sixteen Patch

6 inch finished

These also came from the 2 inch scrap bin. I think I started making these last year. I was going to combine them with an alternate block like the Broken Dishes blocks I've been making from 3.5 inch scraps but then changed my mind and decided to make a large quilt with just Sixteen Patches. 

Single Wedding Ring

7.5 inch finished

I started these blocks last year as another way to use 2 inch scraps. I haven't taken count of these either but I want to make a big quilt from these so I will continue to make these as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project again this year. 

And that's it for the blocks I'm making from 2 inch scraps this year. 

 I sort most scraps by size and have 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 inch scrap bins.  I've been working out of them for years and this year I hope to empty them all.  So when I finish making blocks each month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color I have been cutting anything left in that color into squares. If there is not enough for a square I sew it into a strip to be used later on in a Chinese Coin quilt. 

Then next year if I need to make any blocks to finish any RSC project I will cut from my scrap chunks. I keep those all together regardless of size or color in a milk crate. 

So this 16 quart (why don't they just say 4 gallon?) bin of 2 inch scraps is what I hope will be empty by year end. 

And speaking of scrap chunks....

Double X Variation and Snowballs

4 inch finished

...I've been making these blocks since last year from scrap chunks because they require different sized pieces -- 2.5 and 1.5.   I always cut the pieces for these before any other RSC blocks so I can throw the remainder of the 1.5 and 2.5 inch strips into the appropriate scrap bin so those scraps are immediately available for use when I make my blocks that use 1.5 and 2.5 inch scraps. 

These Double X and Snowball blocks were inspired by a c. 1860 quilt.   

I only had that mint green piece of yardage in my stash to use for background so I guess I will make blocks until that piece of yardage is used up. 

Now I've made all my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks for the month and will patiently await next month's color. In the meantime I will work on assembling a top (or two) made from RSC blocks. Or maybe I'll work on quilting a top (or two) made from RSC blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday 

More Rainbow Scrap Challenge Projects

 This week I worked with 2 inch scraps in dark neutrals.  I've been making these Sixteen Patch blocks that will finish at six inches all year long and so far I don't have that many blocks. I think that is mainly because I don't have a lot of longer scraps in 2 inch width. 

 I counted 48 blocks and if my target is a 10 x 13 layout (60 x 78 inches) then I need 130 blocks total and since I don't have half that amount of blocks after a year I can either continue into another year and wait for scraps to happen, I can make the blocks a lot scrappier, or maybe I can combine them with another block. Hey, I've been making Broken Dishes blocks for awhile. I wonder how they will look as an alternate block. 

Looks good to me.  So, I now just have to make 17 more Sixteen Patches and I'll have blocks enough to start assembling a top.  I'll make those Sixteen Patches from scrap chunks.  And this RSC project will not have to continue into next year. 

Another block I've been making from 2 inch scraps is called Wedding Ring and finishes at 7.5 inches. 

 In case you are wondering how I piece blocks...I stack the pieces on top of each other and then...

 ...do lots of chain piecing. I often have piles of blocks behind my sewing machine with the rows pieced waiting for the rows to be sewn together at another sewing session. 

I took a count of these blocks and found I have 43 of them. A 12 x 12 layout (90 x 90 inches) will require 144 blocks so this project will continue into the next year and if I don't have scraps in the 2 inch scrap bin in the color of the month I will cut pieces  from scrap chunks. 

 These houses also come out of the 2 inch scrap bin. Next year I may cut the 2  x 2.5 house pieces from 2.5 inch scraps and still use 2 inch scraps for the roof and low volume backgrounds. These finish at 3 inches and I need about 200 more. 

 Another project that I have neglected this year that uses 2 inch scraps and waste triangles is Wonky Stars. I'll probably work on those next year. When I started making them I didn't even have a 2 inch scrap bin so I kind of forgot about them. 

And speaking of 2 inch scrap bin...it is a 16 quart container and it looks like this now. In the new year after  I finish making Wedding Ring blocks and Wonky Stars I will cut any remaining scraps of that color into 2 inch squares and eventually will make a 100 Patch Quilt. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

In the Pink!

Wishing Rings that finish at 3.5 inches. 

(Blocks are also called Church Window Hexagon Variation, Buttons, Doughnuts) 

Cut and weed. Sew and weed. Cut and weed. Sew and weed. And repeat. 

 This week in between garden weeding I dug into my pink scraps and managed to complete most but not all of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. 

 Four inch Double X Variation and Snowballs inspired by a vintage quilt. 

 Wedding Rings that finish at 7.5 inches. 

(Also called Single Wedding Ring, Odd Scraps Patchwork and Crown of Thorns). 

 Six inch Sixteen Patches. 

 HRTs (2 x 4)

 3 inch Rails. 

 A couple of six inch Broken Dishes and a 12 inch 16-Patch Star. 

And a bunch of eight inch Garlic Knots (aka Arrowhead Puzzle). 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Blue Two Inch Scrap Edition

This week I dug into my two inch scrap bin and pulled out the blues and made: 

Four Wedding Ring blocks (aka Odd Scraps Patchwork, Crown of Thorns, Single Wedding Ring) that finish at 7.5 inches...

 ...three Sixteen Patch blocks that finish at 6 inches...

...and ten Kitties that finish at three inches that I will match up with little nine patches I have on hand. 

The color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is dark blue with lighter blues to be used in a different month; however, I just am using blue scraps. When the different month rolls around I will make a couple of my RSC project blocks in blue that I'm not making this month like Wonky Stars from 2 inch scraps and waste triangles. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday 

Using Two Inch Scraps

 Orange is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. This month I'm also making blocks in last months color which was aqua.  This week I dug into my two inch scrap bin to make some blocks. 

Wedding Ring blocks in orange that finish at 7.5 inches. 

 Wedding Ring blocks in aqua. 

Sixteen Patch blocks. 

Wonky Stars that will finish at 4.5 inches. I'm using waste triangles for the star points.  I've been making these off and on for a few years and only have a small pile of them. 

I have a big bin of 3 inch nine patches so have been making some 3 inch kitties to combine with them.  I cut all the kitty pieces from 2 inch scraps. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green Two Inch Scrap Edition

 This week I dug into my green two inch scraps. 

First I made seven (one didn't fit on my batting covered cutting mat) Wedding Ring blocks.  These finish at 7.5 inches. 

 Next I made twelve Sixteen Patch blocks. These finish at six inches. I just combine 2 inch green scraps with any other scraps that suit my fancy from the 2 inch scrap bin. 

 Next I made 20 Kitties that finish at 3 inches. I will combine them with 3 inch Nine Patches from a bin full of little Nine Patches I've made or swapped over the years. 

 Then I made some little Wonky Stars. I use green waste triangles for the star points and 2 inch scraps for the rest. 

 Then while I was playing in the 2 inch scraps I decided to make more Carolina Chain blocks. I started on these blocks last year while I was making my Fractured Rainbow quilt with two inch scraps but haven't worked on them for a long time. Since I didn't use black, brown or gray in the Fractured Rainbow quilt I've been using them in Carolina Chain blocks that form the light chains. I've been using dark rainbow colors in blocks that make the dark chains.   

I was going to tell you to turn your head at an angle to get the the full effect of the chains since these blocks are set on point...

...but I turned the camera instead.  As you can now see the light chains will run across the quilt and the dark chains will run down the quilt. 

So maybe by year end I will have an empty 2 inch scrap bin.

Now I need to dig into the 4.5 inch green scraps. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday