Scrap-A-Palooza! Quilt #7 Part Three

I don't know about you, but I am not finding much time to sew lately.  I have a number of projects I have been itching to work on but each day goes by in a flash and I haven't even visited my sewing room.  

So sad!

One of the projects I have been working on is this month's Scrap-A-Palooza quilt.  I was really starting to second guess the background fabric I had chosen so I wanted to get the top together to see how it looked.  Could I have made a big mistake?

Last week we started sewing together our color blocks.  For my quilt, I decided to use up the many green, blue and purple strings in my scrap bins.


I chose Kona Stone (over Ash) for the background fabric.


 




For this week, the first step is to get all the color blocks sewn up.  My design had a background strip sewn to the green end of each color block.  I also flipped every other block to create a staggered look.

Once the final layout is chosen, it is time to add some sashing.

I decided to sew my blocks in three columns.  My original design had wider sashing but because I was questioning my color choice,  I decided to make them thinner.  I cut my sashing at 1.5" x 17.5".  I pressed all my seams toward the sashing material to reduce bulk.

The thinner sashing required me to sew up more blocks to add another row on the bottom of the quilt to make it the size I wanted.  No worries, I still have plenty of scraps!

Once I had the three columns sewn, I measured the length of a column and cut some thin sashing to length.  I pinned and sewed in the sashing, matching up the horizontal sashing.

I also added a 2" border from the background fabric around the entire quilt.


I am happy I chose the Kona Stone.  It is such a wonderfully warm neutral.

I tried to get some outdoor photos but the wind kept messing up my shot.

And when I laid it out on the patio, I was nervous a neighborhood crow was going to "bomb" my quilt.  You can see his ominous shadow as he sat on a birdhouse just a few feet away.

I am very pleasantly surprised at how pretty this quilt is!  I love the vibrant jewel tones.  When this one is finished, it might be tough to give away!

Now, I am off to find a backing fabric.  With all the colors in this top, I am sure I have something around here that will work.  I think I will keep the quilting simple on this but play with thread colors.  I will share what I come up with before the end of the month!

I do hope you try something slightly outside your comfort zone when you quilt up your scrap quilt.  They are perfect to practice on!

Here's an overview of the important stuff to do before the next step!

• Finish up your blocks and decide on a layout
• Add sashing and sew up the top
• Dig in that stash for a backing (it is in there - just keep looking!)
• Try a new quilting pattern - something out of your comfort zone.

And remember, you can check out all of the previous quilts made in the Scrap-A-Palooza series by checking out the gallery tab. Not only are the steps to each part linked up but I have also shared quilts made by others so you can find lots of inspiration to sew up those scraps. 

Scrap-A-Palooza!  Every month there's a party!!

I will be sharing this with My Quilt Infatuation, Sew Fresh Quilts, and Freshly Pieced.  Hop on over to see more sewing inspirations!