New Starts

New start...

Wonky Stars

10.5 inch finished

Made with nine 4 inch squares and two 3 inch squares cut on the diagonal.

The plan is to first use pieces in the 3 and 4 inch width scrap boxes and then move on to scrap chunks. I decided to use 4 inch squares for the background because that can be cut from a width of 4 inch fabric with only a little piece left over.  

For now I am going to make them in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) colors of the month. At year end, until I'm tired of making them or when I have piles of them I will just see how many blocks I have and divide them up into comfort quilts. 

Wonky Shoo Fly

4.5 inch finished.

The trimmings behind the Wonky Star points and the itty bit of the 4 inch width piece that was left over from the Wonky Star background was perfect for making Wonky Shoo fly blocks. All I needed to add to the mix was nine 2 inch solid squares. 

The Wonky Shoo Fly is NOT a new start. I have a little baggie of them I made in the past. I have a lo of small pieces of solid fabrics so I am thinking I will process some of them and get ready some sets of nine 2 inch squares. 

Rail Fence

8 inch finished

Made with 1.5 inch width scraps. 

All will be made with pink plus one other color.  I noticed I have accumulated quite a few pink 1.5 inch widths of fabric (WOF). Time to use them. 35 blocks will probably make a nice little comfort quilt. 

And sew on...

 

Yellow Scraps Part II

Continuing on with yellow scraps this week. (Part I was last week if interested). I'm using the 2 inch width scraps I found in my yellow scraps.  First I made some Zip Blocks following instructions found at Klein Meisje Quilts.  I've also been using odds and ends of solid scraps in these blocks. 

With the left over solid pieces I made a few Wonky Shoofly blocks. I used waste triangles for the corners and 2 inch square scraps for the centers. Blocks finish at 4.5 inches. These aren't accumulating very fast. I've been making them off and on for a couple of years as scraps appear and I remember I am making them!

I'm making 6 inch QST Four Patches this year as an alternate block for a big pile of 6 inch Four Patches I've accumulated. I use the Easy Angle Companion ruler to cut the QSTs (that finish at 3 inches) from a 2 inch width scrap. At the beginning of the strip I cut HSTs with the Easy Angle ruler so I don't waste anything. I've been making those into little Broken Dishes Blocks that finish at 3 inches. 

I made some Indian Hatchet blocks last week. For those I used four 2.5 inch squares for the base and other colors of 2 inch scraps for the corners. This time I used 2.5 inch squares in other colors and the corners were 2 inch yellow scraps. These finish at 4 inches. 

And finally some 2 inch yellow scraps were made into Bow Ties that finish at 3 inches. 

I think I have enough yellow scraps left for a Part III next week. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Red Scraps Part II

Red is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. I do have lots of red scraps. I usually start with the largest and longest scrap pieces and cut them into common sizes of strips and squares. Then I start making blocks that take the longest or most pieces in that size of scrap and then work toward smaller and smaller blocks. 

This is Part II of my red scrap adventure. Part I was last week if you are interested. 

New for me this year are ZIP blocks (above). The blocks use 2 inch scraps. Instructions may be found at Klein Meisje Quilts. 

While I had the solids out for the ZIP bocks I cut some 2 inch squares for WONKY SHOOFLY blocks. I have little baggies of waste triangles in all colors to use for the triangle corners and I use 2 inch squares for the centers. The blocks finish at 4.5 inches. I started them last year but I didn't keep up with making them every month so maybe I will this year. I'll probably make a baby quilt with these. 

I'm also making QST FOUR PATCH blocks that finish at six inches. I am going to use these as an alternate block for some six inch four patch blocks. I have about sixty FOUR PATCH blocks so I'm aiming for sixty QST FOUR PATCH blocks.   I cut the Companion Angle ruler to cut these from 2 inch scraps. Each QST then finishes at 3 inches. I was inspired to make the FOUR PATCH/QST FOUR PATCH quilt by a vintage quilt.

BOW TIE blocks also made from 2 inch scraps. They finish at 3 inches. I'm still going through scraps so may end up cutting up pieces for more blocks but not necessarily get them sewn together this month. 

I'm also working with brown scraps this month and I had some 2 inch pieces handy so I also made a few brown BOW TIES. A BIG quilt requires lots and lots of little blocks. 

These little INDIAN HATCHET blocks that finish at four inches were also inspired by a vintage quilt. I just love these. They are made from 2.5 inch pieces and 2 inch corners although instead of using 2 inch squares for "flippy corners" I cut triangles with my EZ Angle Ruler from 2 inch width scraps and line those up in the corners and sew them on. 

I made PUSS IN THE CORNER or UNEVEN NINE PATCH blocks last year. I only need to make a few more this year. With a 3.5 inch center and 2 inch sides they finish at six inches. 

Last year I started making BEAR PAW blocks whenever I had 2.5 and/or 4.5 inch scraps left over from making other blocks and quilts. I figured I would just build up a big pile of them in my Parts Department and at the end of the year make a few kid sized BEAR PAW quilts. These finish at 6 inches. 

Also when I have leftover 3 inch scraps I've been making HOLLOW NINE PATCHES.  I don't have 3 inch scraps left over very often so I don't expect to make many of these blocks. I may just end up with enough at year end for a kid sized quilt. 

Also if I run across any pieces that are at least 5 x 9.5 I make HORIZON bocks. The instructions for this simple block is also found at Klein Meisje Quilts.  Again I'll see how many I have at year end and make the blocks into kid sized quilts. 

I cut a lot of these from layer cake pieces. Every once in awhile people give me scraps with a few odds and ends of what I suspect are left over pieces from a layer cake- 10 inch squares pinked all around.

Got Scraps?

Make something or some things and join us each ScrapHappy Saturday to show us what you made.  

 

Seeing Red...Scraps

Red is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) color of the month. So this week I made a few Big Chips...

...and a few Postage Stamp Pandemic blocks...

...and a few Little Wonky Shoofly blocks. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

 

Odds And Ends But Mostly Odds

This is a new project...4 inch (finished) Indian Hatchet blocks.  I had researched this block last year and came across a vintage Indian Hatchet quilt I loved so decided to use my scraps and make some blocks. The centers will be the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month and the corners will be secondary colors if the RSC color is primary and vice versa. So the colors for both pink and yellow ended up to be greens, oranges and purples.  If interested there are cutting instructions for five different sizes of blocks at Generations Quilt patterns.  

I made a few Wonky Shoofly blocks with waste triangles, a Plus Postage block and a PSP20-21 (Postage Stamp Pandemic 2020-2021).  The Plus Postage project is an old one and I only need a few more blocks. I cut the postage stamps in a variety of colors last year when I cleaned out my 1.5 inch scrap bin so will make Plus Postage blocks in the prepped colors when the RSC color comes up. I already have quite a few PSP blocks in yellow solids but came across a solid yellow scrap enough for a block so went ahead and made one. I think I'm aiming for 121 blocks for a big quilt. This old farmhouse gets really cold so I keep three quilts on the bed in winter. 

Three six inch Buckeye Beauty blocks. I'm using shirts and dark multicolors and a few dark metallics to supplement the RSC color of the month when I make these blocks. I started making these late last year and already had a few blocks made with yellow but made a few more this month to add to the pile. 

Then I made some Big Chips and some Little Chips for two different quilts. 

And with the trimmings from the Indian Hatchets and the Big Chips I made some Hourglass blocks that need some trimming. Those little Hourglasses finish at about 1 inch. 

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

 

Tuesday Triangles

Last Wednesday I posted about how I'm waist deep in waste triangles. I really want to use them but feel I need a little plan for how I'm going to use them. Now I kind of have some plans.  

As I've been sorting through the triangles each evening for a half hour or so I've pulled out sets of two matching triangles and paired them up with another two matching triangles and have been making little hourglass blocks. I don't really care if they are wonky or all the same size because I don't really like squaring up or trimming.  I don't know where I'm going after this but for now I'm making some little Hourglasses. 

I have two pencil cases of pairs stacked and ready to sew together for a few minutes each day in between projects. 

I keep an old cigar box for units that need trimming.  I just scissor trim off the dog ears each evening while in front of the TV. 

Then some of the triangles get sorted by color. I actually enjoy sorting because it is fun to look at all the different fabrics. 

Last week I started making Shoofly blocks using solids as a background. Now when I have solid scraps I know I can cut 8 two inch squares and have them ready to go to make these blocks. It doesn't take much time now that I have a lot of triangles sorted by color. 

For years I made Little Wonky Stars off and on as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. I sorted those last week and decided to pull out those with white backgrounds. Now I've decided to turn them into Double 9 Patches and I had enough for 3 blocks that finish at 13.5 inches. 

Like the Shoofly blocks I know I can now cut any white fabric scraps into 2 inch squares and grab some triangles to make Stars when the urge strikes.  I'm aiming for a twin sized quilt and have written down somewhere how many Stars and how many 5 inch squares I need so I can cut those from scraps. 

 And that brings me to the rest of the Little Wonky Stars I have on hand that finish at 4.5 inches. My November OMG (One Monthly Goal) is to turn these into a donation quilt top approximately 40 x 60.  There's not enough Wonky Stars to just use Wonky Stars in the quilt but I think I have a plan. 

One Monthly Goal (OMG) at Elm Street Quits.