Oh Scrap! : Happy New Year!

Can you believe it is already the last day of 2017?

Before we get into what I have been working on, I want to thank all of you for stopping in and reading my blog.  I so enjoy the support and encouragement you provide.  All of you mean so much to me and I really do wish you and your families the absolute best in 2018!

You know there will be lots of scrappy goodness in the new year!!

I haven't been working on anything new.  When I had time to sew last week, I worked on these scrappy string blocks.  I am happy to say I finished all 42 of them so they are ready to make into a quilt top.

And speaking of quilt tops....I also finished up this triangle quilt top.  It is all ready for me to piece up a backing so I can get it on my frame.  I don't think I have any yardage that is big enough for the entire back, so I am going to have to get creative.  

With two quilt tops in these colors, I am going to have to stretch the rest of my fabric into two backings.  I want to use it all up so I think they will be far more pieced than my norm.

Happy New Year!!

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It is now your turn to share what you have been 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!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)

*This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!

Oh Scrap! : String Cleaning

On the night before Christmas....

I hope to be doing a little more string cleaning!

When I do find time around the holiday bustle to sew, I have been working on piecing the rows on this triangle quilt.  Four rows are completed with six more to go.

And because I can't seem to work on just one project at a time, I am also sewing the leftover fabrics into a stack of these blocks.  A little bit of "String Cleaning" you could say!

I hope all of you are celebrating the holidays with lots of family and friends and making cherished memories.  May there be Peace and Love for all!

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Now it is time for you to share your scrap projects.  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!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

Follow Me on Bloglovin'          Follow me thru Email          Follow me on Feedly


Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward) 

Scrappy Squares

Just how many more finishes will I be able to sneak out in 2017?

This one might just be the last one!

 I love quilts that are 100% scraps!  This one started out with some 1" wide grays strips I found near my cutting board.  The centers came from my 2.5" square stash and the outer frames are mostly leftover binding pieces.  It finishes up at about 50" x 60".

I tried to keep the colors to purples, blues, blacks and grays.  I really liked the contrast of the light lavender and the dark blacks and navy.

Digging deep, I found a blue gray batik and added in a wide inset of the perfect dotted fabric (I had just enough!).  Both have been in my stash forever so it was nice to be able to use them.

I think I am going to take this one (and maybe a few others) to a kid's charity I support.  I feel like it wants to bring some comfort to a child so I will send it on its way.  I know the need is great this time of year.

...and I believe there is a whole bunch of love in a modest scrappy quilt!  :)

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Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

Crazy Mom Quilts (Finish it up Friday)

Tip for Balancing Color

I have finally finished cutting all of my triangles for one of my "stash busting" quilts.  As I was getting ready to lay it out on my design wall, I thought I would take a few photos to share one of the tricks I use to help balance out color/fabrics in my quilt layouts.

These 8" triangles were cut using my AccuQuilt die cutter from a bunch of stash gifted to me.  They were leftovers and no longer wanted.  The fabrics all coordinate nicely so I have always kept them together.  Once I cut up all the larger chunks of fabric, I was left with a pile of triangles that needed balancing throughout the quilt.

First, I sorted each fabric into its own pile.  Some of the fabrics I only have a few pieces, while others the stack is quite large.  The next step is to determine how I want to "section" my quilt layout.  This really depends on the block or the quilt design.  A triangle quilt is done in rows so I decided I would break it up into 3 sections.  I planned a 10 row quilt so each section would be just over 3 rows.

So I grabbed each stack of alike fabric, and like dealing cards, I created three identical piles of triangles.  For fabrics where there were fewer triangles, maybe each stack were only "dealt" a piece or two.  While the large stacks left each pile with a number of the same fabrics.  Any triangle that could not be evenly dealt, I placed aside.  You can see them below my three stacks.  At the end of the sorting, I will sort these onto the stacks by similar color, this will help to keep your layout looking even. 

Now all I have to do is take one of the stacks of triangles and layout my first three rows.  I then can grab the second stack to lay out the next section.  The final stack will finish out the layout.  Using this method will help ensure that your colors and your fabrics are balanced throughout the layout and you don't end up with a fabric or color only in one section of your quilt.

I think using this little trick lessens the time you spend moving blocks around and has you sewing rows quickly!  Hope you give it a try!!

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Linking Up:

Freemotion by the River (Linky Tuesday)

Sew Fresh Quilts (Bee Social)

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

The countdown to Christmas is going on at the Fat Quarter Shop right now.  Every day, there are great deals on various items.  You have been working hard and deserve to buy yourself a little gift!

*This post contains affiliate links.  I appreciate the support!

Oh Scrap! : Weekend Sewing

It sure seems like the end of the year is flying towards me.  But I still found some time to do a bit of weekend sewing. 

I finished up all of my scrappy blocks and they are ready to be sewn together. 

This should be a finish soon!

I also sewed up another Burgoyne Surround block.  If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the block before I did a bit of "surgery" on it.  It is so easy to get a few pieces turned on this block.  Especially in the colors I have chosen.

The blocks sure are pretty up on the wall.  But I still have quite a ways to go.  I am planning on twelve blocks but I might stop at nine.  I just really like how square quilts look.

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Please share your scrap projects.  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!

<a href="http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Z8EyMCoCg0j1sBoz_APBotiRQveh32vQoL2dCSO4nQFAi8du60IuUCQp3Hb18vGD8IrM0W6_vmuufImGcr4Pf2Ve2dNIWd5LbQJfyDTRjtcekT6coT7c2nSCOG_9dvjiKGVAnuTN70/s1600/Oh+Scrap+Button.jpg" alt="Quilting is more fun than Housework" width="125" height="125" /></a>

So if you love scrappy projects, feel free to grab my button for your sidebar or posts and get ready to share all your wonderful projects from scraps.  And if you have a great idea for using scraps and would like to be featured, feel free to contact me!

An InLinkz Link-up

Follow Me on Bloglovin'          Follow me thru Email          Follow me on Feedly


Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt (Monday Making)
Small Quilts and Doll Quilts (Design Wall Monday)
Cooking Up Quilts (Main Crush Mondays)
Em's ScrapBag (Moving it Forward)

*This post contains affiliate links.  Thanks for the support!