Friday, December 7, 2018

A Scrappy Finish

For some reason, the condition of my scraps have been really bothering me lately.  My bins are littered with a lot of tiny pieces and none of my drawers will close without a lot of force.

So I am finding myself focusing on making quilts that resolve some of those issues.


This is the first quilt I finished.  It is made 100% from the scrap bin.  I pulled a lot of my smaller red, orange and pink scraps to make some slab blocks.  I also pulled crumbs from my low volumes scraps.

I still have a lot of scraps in these colors but at least the small bits are cleaned out and the drawers will now close.



I am sure I will revisit this design in the future.  The blocks were pretty mindless to sew - it was just a matter of adding fabric until I had a piece large enough that I could trim to the size I needed.  In this case, the color blocks were 6.5 x 9.5" and the lights were 3.5 x 9.5".

When they are sewed together, they make a 9.5" block.



I did change thread colors on this quilt when I did the quilting.  I used the appropriate color thread in each color block - quilting in a squircle (a square design that turns into a circle in the middle).  In the light areas, I used a white thread and quilted a simple stipple.


Here is a view of the quilting from the back.



I didn't have quite enough of the striped fabric for the backing so I added a butterscotch floral to one side.  It makes for a fun little surprise.



As I was making this quilt, I started thinking about all the other layouts you could make with this same block.  Something to play with in the future!

Sunday I will be sharing a new project I started using green and brown (blech).  I don't use brown very often but scraps still slowly build up.  I finally got tired of looking at them and decided to add in some green and get them sewn into a quilt.

So stay tuned!




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21 comments:

Alison V. said...

This is so fun and I love the way that you arranged the blocks! It kind of reminds me of striped candy.

Elizabeth V Kelbaugh said...

LOVE your latest scrap quilt. Wonderful!

Chantal said...

Congratulations on this scrappy finish. I love it and got inspired by it too. ;^)

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

It's fun to follow the chain of quilted swirls on the backing! Lovely finish and congratulations on getting your scrap bin doors to close again.

Pamela said...

Love it - what a great way to use scraps!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I really love this one, Cyndy! So much that I want to make one, too - can I shamelessly copy you? I really like the way you planned for those square blocks by combining the colors and neutrals into one block. Great finish!

audrey said...

This is such a great idea! Congrats on using up so many scraps. I need to dive into my scrap bin too. It's overtaking the quilt room!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

A lovely way to use up lots of lovely scraps! And your quilting is great on this one!

Turid said...

So fun. I love how this came out, and will certainly stay tuned for your next idea.

Louise said...

I love how you quilted this one! It looks like a fun thing to stitch, and fairly forgiving. After all, who can see a little bobble here and there in all those fun crumby scraps? :) Fun finish!

The Joyful Quilter said...

You make THE BEST scrap quilts!!! Thanks for sharing the measurements you used. I will SEW be trying this at home!!!

Jo said...

Such a great design. I'm so glad you had fun digging through your scraps.

Cathy said...

Squircle! I was reading along and my brain thought “squirrel” for a split second. Thank you for that chuckle. 😀 I love your finished scrap quilt. I’m also wrestling with browns and grays and blacks overtaking their drawers and will either end up doing wonky log cabins or crumb block like you did. Hmmm... I just remembered that I have a bunch (150+) neutral 3.5” blocks. I think your design has just inspired a new quilt!

Pamela Arbour said...

Beautiful. You are always so creative. I enjoy seeing your imagination at work!

Vicki in MN said...

Every time you show a new scrappy finish it becomes my new favorite!

Kat Scribner said...

Ingenious design, love it. Great quilting, just right too. You always hit the mark... must be gifted, i think.

scraphappy said...

Beautiful finish! Congratulations on getting your drawers to close. Small victories!

Kate said...

This is such a fun and scrappy quilt. You always manage to make a scrappy quilt that doesn't look scrappy. Beautifully done.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Well done. I like the quilting motif. I am overwhelmed by my scraps. Part of me just wants to give them away and start from scratch. And part of me feels like I need to tame the pile and make stuff.

Mystic Quilter said...

A super finish, the blocks are a nice size and love the colours.

Linda said...

What a great idea and love the colors and design! I feel like Anja (comment above) torn between giving away my scraps and actually using them.

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