A "Scrap Happy" Quilt

My scrap bins are overflowing, so I a going to make some scrappy quilts.  Using the Fusible Grid (see my March 16th post), I am making these blocks:

Some of the blocks will have black corners, and some will have white corners.  They will alternate in a checkerboard like pattern. Not sure how it will turn out, but it's fun making these blocks and goes fast.  Hope to use up a smidgen of scraps this way.

Here is a variety of possible layouts:

     

I'm leaning toward the first layout, although what I originally had in mind was more like the second layout.  I like #3 as well.  I made these in EQ7, a really useful program!  We'll see how this quilt evolves!

Easier Construction

I have one last thought about the Quilt of Valor that I just finished.  When I received my quilt kit, I had directions for the quilt block and instructions to make 20 of them.  I started working making those blocks.  It was only after I started sewing the blocks and rows together that it occurred to me that there was a far simpler way to construct this quilt.  It would have been far quicker, and easier, if only I had seen a picture of the finished quilt, I might have done this entirely differently!

Here is the block, constructed according to the pattern I received:

When you sew block to block, you have to match those blue strips, the white squares and the red squares.  But what if the Block looked like this instead:

AND you added sashing strips and cornerstones: 

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You'd get the exact same look of the quilt, but with far less matching and cutting.  You could have one large center red (instead of 4 smaller squares that come together).  You could have 4 rectangles instead of 8 squares.  Add a long blue strip between the blocks (instead of 2 rectangles end to end), and a sashing strip with cornerstones between the rows.   I think that would have been much better.  It would pay to study the whole quilt pattern, not just a quilt block pattern!

Quilt of Valor Under the Needle

My Quilt of Valor is coming along nicely.  I WAS able to get more of my dark blue fabric for framing in the quilt center.  SO happy about that!  It looks great.  The quilt top is finished now:

There was a problem when it came to PINNING the quilt, however.  I have arthritis now in my hip, and it has become problematic and painful.  I have a cane to help me get around, but I am unable to get down on the floor to tape and pin a quilt as I have always done in the past for each and every one of my quilts.  SO!  How do I make the quilt sandwich???  I have heard that you can tape smaller projects to a table, but this quilt is rather large  (62" x 80").  Pin half at a time?  I gave that a try.

I laid it out on the design board, all 3 layers, pinned in a few spots and then took it over to my work table.  I used fusible batting, so it stuck together fairly well in that transition, and then I proceeded to pin the top, smoothing things out as I went.  When the top was finished, I flipped it over and smoothed out the back.  I had to move every single pin, because even though I THOUGHT it was tight and smooth, it wasn't.  When the back was re-pinned, I flipped it over to the front again, and did it once more.  This took a long time, a couple days, and was hard on the back.  But I finally was satisfied that I could quilt it with no puckers, and so under the needle it went.  It quilted beautifully, and I am pleased with the finished result.

Finished! (Sorry for this blurry picture.)

This shows the binding, quilting, and backing.