Scrap Overload

I have been working on multiple quilts (the Mystery quilt, Asteroids, Rainbow Kaleidoscope for the quilt guild presentation, whirligigs, plus miscellaneous things --cow, etc.)  Needless to say, my sewing room is in need of a serious cleaning.  I should put things away from one project before I start another, but nooooo.  Isn't there an old saying about a cluttered room is the sign of a gifted mind?  (THAT's MY story, and I'm sticking to it!)

Anyway, to say that I am a scrap hoarder is an understatement.  Ever since I learned that paper-piecing can use the SMALLEST scraps, I've been keeping almost everything!  And my scrap bins overfloweth!

I have decided to make an actual quilt with those scraps, and this may take years and years to do.  I am cutting squares in various sizes, the smallest being 1.5" square.  If a scrap cannot make a 1.5" square I am tossing it out!  I cut the largest square I can from a scrap, the largest being 3.5" (3" finished,) a 2.5" square (to finish at 2") and 1.5" (1" finished.)  I plan to sew scraps together (as in the picture above) and then arrange them in some random combination to make a 12.5" square (finishing off at 12").  These will all be sewn, not strip piecing, so it will take some time.  I am making it a goal to sew one "square" a day (16 one-inch pieces in a 4x4 arrangement) or a 16-patch of 3" squares, or a 4 patch of 2" squares, or whatever it turns out to be.  When I have a significant amount of squares, I will make a quilt and call it "Scrap Attack."  A have enough scraps to make about 100 of these kinds of quilts!!

Whirlygigs

Now that I have finished piecing Asteroids, my design wall is empty.  I have a UFO that is about 3/4 finished, so I decided that shall be next.  Up onto the wall it went, and I finished the remaining 8 blocks in record time.  Here it is:

I like this one!  It is full of colors and was easy to make.  I don't know what I will do with it once it's done, but that's not really important to me.  I just love making quilts!  I have to sew these 20 blocks together, and put on some kind of border--  first a small 1 or 2 inch black border to frame it, then something with the colors from these blocks.  I have a lot of good size pieces of each color, so I could get a little creative.  Maybe something like I made for Anna's Painted Lady.  I was also thinking of a "Delectable Mountains" type border, as that could repeat the angles of the whirlygigs.  I don't want it to be too big or flashy though.  Time will tell.  I'll keep you posted!

You can find the pattern for Whirligigs in this book
Midnight Quilts by Lerlene Nevaril.

 

Asteroid Top is Finished

I have finished the mitered borders on Drew's Asteroid quilt!  It looks really nice.  In retrospect, I wish I would've used more burgundy and less white.  The batik border helps a lot, but I still think there is too much white to suit me.  Also I am worried that the burgundy will run when it's washed and all that white will turn pink!  I will have to send along a box of Color Catchers, and print up a wash-in-cold-water label!  Well, here is the finished top:

  

OH!!  It just occurred to me--- MY DESIGN WALL IS EMPTY!!  What's next!?

Mitered Corners on the Asteroid

I have finished the Asteroid quilt top for Drew, and now I am working on those final borders.  Because I wanted those white stars on the edge to be "finished," (my brain needs to see a whole star here!) I have some adjustments in the border to do!  I had to make a paper-pieced pattern with the star points "overlapping" the borders.  I suppose I could have just appliqued a triangle over the top of the border and called it a day, but I think it looks more "accomplished" this way.  So the border will be pieced in three sections, and the ends will need to be mitered because of the double border.  Here's a pic of how it's going to far...

The fabric I am using for the outer border is a burgundy/red batik with black/gray swirls that look like tire treads, and match really nicely at the seam lines.  The seam lines aren't that noticeable.  It will also help bring more burgundy into the quilt, which was looking a little too black/gray/white than I wanted.   Another interesting thing about this batik is that when you iron it, it smells wonderful!  Like sandalwood or some spicy woodsy smell.  Someone must've stored it in a wooden container, like a cedar chest, although it doesn't smell like cedar.  I think I bought this piece of fabric last summer on a shop hop. Since this quilt is for a boy, I'm glad it's not a "girly" smell, like roses or perfume!

I think this quilt is shaping up nicely. 

Cow

Because of my skill in paper piecing, I have been "volunteered" to help with a community service project--a larger wall hanging similar to the Harry Potter bookcase but without the magical objects.  The book titles will be titles of books by Wisconsin authors, and a few author autographs have already been collected.  This will hang in a local library.  One of the books is titled "Holy Cow It's Me," by Louis Landau--an autobiography about a rural veterinarian in SW Wisconsin.  I have been looking for a paper piecing pattern of a cow, but most of what I could find are silly looking cows, or cows for kids.  But now I have found a REAL looking cow pattern on Etsy, and I bought it and have sewn it into a 10 1/2" square.  Here it is!

One block done, thirty (?) to go!

Medallion Tutorial

After my Kaleidoscope Medallion presentation to the Quilt Guild last Monday, I have decided to put that tutorial here on my blog.  I hope you like it, and can give it a try sometime!

Rainbow Medallion

I have been working on my presentation for the Quilt Guild on Monday.  I have put together another Medallion, using rainbow colors.  I'm excited at how it turned out.  I love that these medallions are a little bit mysterious and you don't know how they will turn out, but it's almost impossible to make an ugly one!   Here is a picture of all the pieces on the design board.  I will sew them together after I do the presentation.  (I must be partial to rainbows!)

 I have written a tutorial which I will include in this blog.