Oh Scrap! : Scrappy UFO

 I haven't been doing any teaching since I started Many Hands and Many Hearts but sometimes, I still get to see a finish that I inspired.

About 10 years ago, I taught a scrappy class here in Eugene.  I called it Bit by Bit and it was choosing colors and then sewing slab blocks in all sorts of sizes.  At the end you sewed the big slabs into a quilt top. Chris recently finished her quilt top and donated it to MHMH and we were able to quilt it and get it finished.

It is so much fun to see what student make - even if it did take them a decade.

Don't let this back fool you.  Four of those strips are actually all one fabric.  I just added the turquoise to bring in the turquoise from the front.  I think Wanda did the beautiful quilting on it.

I love this method of scrap sewing - just grabbing bits and mindlessly sewing them together.  One of these days I hope to get another opportunity to sew like that...

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It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Keep the Finishes Coming!

 I am really trying to make it a priority to share all the finished quilts to date.  I got a bit behind this winter and now my notebook is a mess.  I hope to clear that up by the end of the year.

Elizabeth sent in this lovely quilt top.  It is one of those patterns you really need to look at to identify where the blocks are.  Elizabeth also sent in this lovely quilt back.  It is one of my all-time favorite prints.

Elizabeth also sent in this stunner. Again, I love the pattern!  And orange and teal are a favorite color combination of mine.  The dark orange backing from Elizabeth really finishes the quilt nicely.

Here is a cute little quilt top sent in by Sharon.  All those trucks, tractors and fire engines are going to make some kid very happy.  We put a nice red fabric that Mari sent in (I think it was flannel).

Here is a bright happy quilt for some fisherman out there.  Robin sent in this quilt top and Kristin sent in the perfect fish fabric for the backing.  Board Member Marcia quilted it up with some fun bubbles.

Marcia also quilted up this wild west themed quilt sent in by Kristin.  I think Kristin sent in another fabric for the backing, but Nann sent us a bunch of these prints that look like Native American weavings.  It looks perfect and we will be able to use Kristin's fabric on numerous other quilts.

This one was completed a long time ago.  Karen sent in this top made from framed rectangles in soft colors.  We put a dainty little floral on the back.  I think it came from an estate sale.

There are always so many inspiring quilts passing through our hands.  

I will try and share as many as I can!

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The next MHMH block drive has been announced.  

You can read more about it and find the instructions in this post.

Also, July's Many Hands and Many Hearts' newsletter will be sent out soon.  If you aren't on the distribution list, let me know and I will get you signed up!

manyhandsandmanyhearts at gmail dot com

More MHMH Finishes

I am still trying to catch up with all the previously photographed finishes.  

Lots to share today!

This pretty quilt top was sent in by Kathy.  I love all those scrappy blue stars.   Thanks to Dusty, we had this lovely blue fabric for the backing.  It wasn't quite large enough, so we added in a big scrap we had.  New local longarm quilter Wanda finished this one up for us.  

I think Mina sent in this quilt top - the tag got misplaced.  But I do know Karen sent in this pretty blue backing and it was sent out to Terry for quilting.  It is a wonderfully fun quilt.  

Nann sent us this lovely quilt top made from homespun plaids.  I think she noted it was a Running Doe pattern (postcard type) that was called Jasper.  We didn't have a large homespun for the backing but we did have a plaid print that worked well.  Thanks to Wanda for quilting it up for us.

Rena sent us this lovely scrappy quilt top quite a while ago.  It got stuck in the quilting queue for months.  But it finally made it to the finish line.

Remember this one?  It got stuck in the quilting queue also.  I put this quilt top together from some autumn-colored scraps after we did the Two Step block drive.  Sandr and Elizabeth sent in the fabrics we used on the backing.

This is another quilt top that was sent in by Rena.  We don't often get quilts or fabric from Asian prints, so this top has patiently waited for some appropriate backing.  When she sent in the quilt top, Rena had included some leftovers from the top but it wasn't quite enough for a backing.  Finally, a piece was donated so we could get this out to quilting.

Hopefully I will get another finish post up this week.  But I am shopping for a new toilet (that I will need to install) and Arthur decided to take on either a spider or punctured his cheek and he now has an abscess.  Both of these occurrences have turned way more complicated than they needed to be. 

Plus, it is way too hot here in Eugene right now - which makes me grumpy.  I am really looking forward to cooler weather late this week!

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Oh Scrap! : It's Never Dull

 It is never dull around here at Many Hands and Many Hearts.  I tried all last week to get a few things put away to clear off some workspaces.  There always seems to be quilts needing labels or bindings, scraps needing cut or items waiting to be checked in and receipts written.  

It is a bit like Whack-a-Mole. 

I did get quite a bit of cutting done this week.  I pulled all the small pieces of florals and autumn-colored prints for a sew day project this fall. I will let you know at a later date what we are making.  I am also still cutting 2.5" RWB strips out of scraps for Veteran blocks.

But as fast as I cut, more scraps seem to appear!

Kristin's courier came to Eugene this week, so I had quite a few items to check in and put away.  She sent 25 quilt tops with backing and binding fabric this time!  That girl has been busy!!  She also sent a big pile of quilt kits (with all the fabric cut) for our volunteers to sew together and some bags of batting.  As usual, Arthur was supervising the project nearby.

I have a friend showing up next week to help me move some furniture around and sew up some backing for some of the quilt tops that have been sent in. 

There is never a dull moment around here!

*********************************************

It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

• This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
• You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
• If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
• If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
• This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
• Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 Follow Me on Bloglovin'                 Follow Me on Feedly

The next MHMH block drive has been announced.  

You can read more about it and find the instructions in this post.

Quilts from Beth

 Boy, did I get a big surprise on my porch!

Beth had told me a couple times she was sending me some finished quilts.  Then time would get away from her and they never actually made it to the post office.  Her last email said she finally sent a box and she thought there were about 6 finished quilts in the box.  

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box!

(You might want to get comfortable because I have a lot of photos to share...)

Let's start off strong with this stunner.  It practically glows!

I am also impressed she got the pieced back so perfectly centered with the quilt top.

This simple patchwork quilt will find a new owner quickly. The colors are very masculine - something we don't always have in our inventory. 

As I was pulling each of Beth's quilts out of the box, I saw that many were simple designs but the colors and prints she used really elevated them to beautiful!

I am pretty sure Beth quilted all of these herself with her domestic machine.

I like how she put these squares on point.  It gives a quilt a whole different look.

This one is for her....

This one is for him!

This one is for someone who enjoys whales.

I really liked this design - those simple purple strips create a wonderful pattern among these patchwork squares. And again, Beth lined up the pieced backing beautifully.

Here are more fish - only these are pieced.  This block would make a fun RSC project.  

Beth sure made this pieced back interesting.

Another quilt with a masculine feel.  We couldn't make up our minds if the stripes go up and down or sideways.  I think after looking at the photos we repositioned the label.

And finally, here is her framed black and white blocks she sewed into a quilt top.  I think these blocks were too small to send in for the block drive.  And because they were all framed in black, it was necessary for her to add in sashing.  I loved that she used blue, green and purple like the colors in the centers of the blocks.

As you can see, there were more than 6 quilts in the box.  I was so surprised to see a total of eleven quilts.  All were finished so all we had to do was attach a label.  Many of these will be delivered to the hospital next week.  The rest we will send in July.

Thank you SO MUCH Beth!

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