Friday, April 30, 2021

Donating One from the Stash

 I usually try and donate about 4 quilts to various organizations as part of the Hands2Help  quilt drive.  Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict hosts this event.  Every spring I find myself frantically  finishing up a number of projects for donation quilts.


With so many finished quilts around my house, I decided to do things a bit differently this year.

What a relief it has been!



Remember this lovely scrap quilt I finished last year?

Well, it had not found a home yet so I decided to send it off to Covered in Love.



There are very few florals prints in the quilt and the colors have a masculine feel.




If you want to read more about this quilt, you can read the original post.  This design is something I will definitely revisit again.


If you want to learn more about the Hands2Help quilt drive, you can check it out here.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!




Sunday, April 25, 2021

Oh Scrap! : More Scrappy Blocks

 The rain finally arrived so I was pushed back indoors and into my sewing room.  It was nice to finally make some progress on some projects and to do a bit of much needed cleaning.




I was able to cut and sew up my blue HRT blocks for one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts.  Each of these measure about 4 x 8".




I started this quilt back in 2020 and when I put my blue blocks with the other pieces, I realized I only needed the color orange to finish out the quilt.  So I decided to go ahead and sew these up too.




Once I counted all the blocks, I found out I needed nine more to have enough for the size quilt I wanted.  I dug through my "undesirable" scraps and pulled out some chunks I could use in this quilt.

(Note:  My undesirable fabric bin isn't bad fabric - it is usually filled with batiks, multi-colored and novelty fabrics.  I got tired of them filling up my color bins.)




I also finished up one of the March blocks I had cut and hadn't sewn yet.  I still have two more green and then the three blue blocks I need for May.  My plan is to finish all of those this week which will catch me up on all of my RSC projects.  Yay!

And now that I completed all of my HRT blocks, I have laid them out on my design wall and I am working on sewing up a top.  I have decided that it will be another Hands2Help donation quilt.


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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! 

Friday, April 23, 2021

PSP20 and Hands2Help

 I can't remember who started the Postage Stamp Pandemic (PSP20) but I was quick to hop on board.   Having finished a postage stamp quilt not too long ago, I decided to bump up the size of my cut squares to 2".  The memory of sewing up all those smaller sizes was still very fresh in my mind!




All of the fabric for the top of this quilt all came out of scrap bins.  Every time I would come across a chunk of solid fabric in a shade I had not used before, I would make a block



For the print squares, I really focused on cutting up scraps I am tired of seeing or those that I knew I would have a hard time using.  So a few odd panel pieces, novelty fabrics and lots of multi-colored prints fell under the rotary cutter.



When it came time to quilt it, I decided to use the piecing as my marking and stitched in a double eight pattern.  It was easy placing those loops in the appropriate square and knowing that my spacing was going to be just right.



I even used a bunch of leftover binding scraps to make a scrappy binding.  I don't often do this but it worked perfectly for this quilt.  

For the backing, I used an orange/blue print I picked up at Connecting Threads.  Their clearance section is my favorite place to get affordable large cuts for quilt backs.

Originally, I laid out all the colors randomly across the quilt and was not very happy with how it looked.  We all know I love a challenge, so I started playing with the color hues of the blocks.  I was really pleased with how it turned out.




I will be donating this quilt to Happy Chemo as part of the Hands2Help quilt drive.  I have sent quilts to Emily over at Ems Scrap Bag for quite a few years now.  Cancers Sucks - so if I can bring a bit of comfort to someone going through chemo, I am more than happy to do so!





Sunday, April 18, 2021

Oh Scrap! : More RSC Mixology Blocks

 Oh my!  Temperatures in Eugene Oregon reached 80 degrees Saturday.  I was in heaven working in my gardens most of the day.




I still found quite a bit of time to sew up more of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  I finished up one more of my blue Well Suited blocks.  I only made three last week and I need 4 of each color for my quilt.  I found a nice light blue solid for the geese blocks.





Last month, I didn't finish all of my RSC blocks.  So I quickly sewed up the 3 Two Bits blocks in green that I had already cut out.




Then I moved on to 3 of the same blocks in blue.




I have no idea how I will lay these blocks out.  The Two Bits pattern has quite a few options.  I plan on taking all year to make this quilt so I have lots of time to decide.




This quilt was also made using the Two Bits pattern.  I always find it fascinating how just a few changes can have such a drastic effect in a block.

I have more blue scraps all cut and ready to be sewn into blocks.  
Hopefully I will have more to share next Sunday!



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

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! 

Quilting is more fun than Housework



You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter





If you love Kaffe Fassett fabrics, Connecting Threads now has the newest prints in pre-cuts and yardage.  They even have the 6" design strips (which are nice when the print designs are so big and luscious.)

Friday, April 16, 2021

A Halloween Finish

 



Remember these orphan blocks I found in a bag of scraps dropped off by a good friend?  Well, I am ready to share the quilt I finished using them.




I know many of you asked me how to make these blocks.  Well, the truth is I could never quite figure it out.  I think they were strip pieced using two fabrics.  Cut and then sewn back together again.  I believe they are one of those designs that when you sew them back together, you get a positive and a negative block.  You can see what I am talking about in the black blocks.

I am guessing the quilt she made used up almost all of one kind of block and the ones with the gray background found their way to me.




This is also the quilt that I decided to stagger the pink corner stones.  I wanted to add some color to the sashing but I knew if I used a cornerstone at each intersection, it would make the quilt really busy.  I love how this looks and will certainly use it again in another quilt.




It isn't a huge quilt - it measures about 50 x 60.  It was fun to play with block placement - I decided to group alike fabrics together in a row.



I had a few "reject" blocks (that were a bit smaller)  that I placed on the back.  The window/doorstop (top print) and the NY skyline (bottom) fabrics I pulled for the backing weren't quite big enough so this strip of blocks came in handy.  

I saw my friend (who is also one of my biggest scrap dealer) the other day and showed her the quilt.  It is going to go live at her house.  She decorates for the holidays and has lots of family that uses her quilts.  Plus she did do most of the work :)

I am just glad it found a quick home - my house is currently running over with quilts!


Annie's is offering a special 75% off the first month coupon within the Kit Clubs account.  Just use the promo code is SHARE75.  The coupon code will expire on Sunday April 18th!

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Rewarding Myself

 I haven't allowed myself to start something new in a really long time.  But after finishing all the Covered In Love quilts and making great progress on some of my WIPs, I thought I deserved to start a new project.



Quite a while back, a friend gifted me with these three lovely fabrics.  I had commented that I really liked these when she brought a quilt for me to quilt for her.  She had some leftover cuts so she passed them onto me.  They have been sitting on the corner of my cutting table since then - just waiting for some inspiration.



I knew I wanted to keep the pieces big because this quilt is going to be all about these pretty fabrics.  So I went to my stash and pulled some pieces to go with them.  I think I need one more fabric - I just haven't decided if it will be a gold or a pink.




I decided I was going to revisit one of my own patterns.  All That Jazz is a quick and easy project that really highlights big special prints.  The above quilt (that is the pattern cover quilt), I made using some of my favorite Kaffe Fassett prints.

I can't wait to see how this new version turns out!



Sunday, April 11, 2021

Oh Scrap! : Focused on Scraps

 Even though I have been trying to spend a lot of time outdoors, this week I have been also focused on sewing up some scraps.




I found a few more solid colors to make some more postage stamp blocks.  These are becoming a bit tedious to sew - and to cut all the pieces.  For the prints, I am really trying to focus on finding some of the most unloved scraps I have.  So these blocks are really taking a lot of time to complete.





I organized them all up on the design wall.  I still need four more blocks.  I found a medium pink and a very light yellow that will fit in nicely.  I think I will try and find one more medium green and dig again for a purple.  If I can't find something in my stash, I can always shift the blocks around a bit and make some more darker blocks.  I am getting so close!




I have started cutting all the bits for my RSC blocks and used these Well Suited blocks as a leader/ender project as I made the postage stamp blocks.  I used the bonus triangles from the flying geese to make the pinwheels.





I added the blue blocks to the other completed RSC blocks.  I forgot I was making four of these blocks each month so I need to make one more.  No problem there - I still have lots of blue scraps!



Speaking of blue, here is another Scrap Mixology quilt I made using this same Well Suited block pattern.  I just made the woven layout shared in the pattern.

I could make a second blue quilt and still not use all the blue scraps I have.


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

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! 



Friday, April 9, 2021

The Last CIL Finishes

 Today I will be sharing the last of the Covered In Love quilts I finished up for Kat.  It is always fun to see all the great fabrics others use.  




The last two quilts I finished up came from the sunflower blocks that were part of the Nov/Dec block drive.  I think Kat sent me the last of the blocks that had not been turned into quilts.  The initial plan was to turn these blocks into two quilts - but I decided with some careful planning, I could make three.




I dug through my stash and found a brown and tan striped fabric that I thought would work for a border.  Adding the border meant I could use fewer blocks to make the quilt top.




The backing I wanted to use dictated how wide my border was - I didn't want to have to add any inset to make it wider.  A brown binding framed everything up really nicely.




I think the blocks for this quilt were all donated by just a couple quilters.  




For the last quilt, I really didn't have anything in my stash that would work for a border so I decided to use some leftover backing fabric from a previous finish as a sashing between the blocks.



Just this simple change gives the quilt a whole new look.  Again, this small change allowed me to use fewer blocks - which meant I was able to send Kat eight quilts instead of seven.



The back of this quilt used up the last of the blocks and the last of the fabric bits I had.  

Two giant boxes have already been sent off the Kat so that they can soon bring comfort to someone who needs it.  If you want to get involved in the future, you can follow Kat's blog and help make blocks as she announces block drives.  Or you can make and donate a quilt to Covered in Love as part of the Hands2Help quilt drive happening over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Want to see the other quilts that were finished?  Links are below...


A huge thanks to all who donate their time making blocks or finishing quilts.  Also, all the donations of backing and binding fabrics and quilt tops is so appreciated!  
You are all angels 💝



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