Scrap-A-Palooza! Quilt #18 Finish

Normally my Scrap-A-Palooza quilts are quick and easy but this time I wanted to show that scraps can be used to create a very organized and planned quilt.  Like when pulling fabric off a shelf, scraps can be carefully selected too.

When I started this quilt, I knew two things: 1) my blue, green and purple scrap bins were over-flowing and needed some attention and 2) I wanted the quilt to be a sampler of 12" blocks.  And to add a bit of challenge, I wanted each block to form an X of some kind and everything for the quilt top had to come from a scrap bin.

Easy Peasy!

I started with the center block of the quilt and framed it with four very defined X blocks.

The next post showed the progress I had made on the quilt top.  I made blocks from my teal scraps and was back to more chain blocks in blues and purples.  My goal is to have every block different.  And as you can see, I am having a good ole time playing with color.

Some purple blocks were made next.  Like the teal blocks earlier, I wanted these blocks to have some "beefiness" to them to balance with the thinner chain blocks.

And finally, I finished the top with four green blocks that pulled the color from the center block.  Every bit of this came from a scrap bin - even the background is low volume bits.

This week, I found some time to quilt it up.  I quilted it with a maze design in a white thread.

And in the very bottom drawer, I found an ancient batik fabric to use for the backing.  

Woo Hoo, happy it is gone!

 I really enjoyed putting this sampler quilt together.  It just shows you another way to sew up those great scraps hiding in your sewing room!

If you want to see more of my Scrap-A-Palooza Quilts, you can view them all on the gallery page.   If you have scraps, it is a great place to start for some inspiration!

Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

TGIFF

Fabric Frenzy Friday

Richard and Tanya Quilts

Crazy Mom Quilts
A Quilted Passion

Oh Scrap! : Scrap-A-Palooza Flimsy

Due to a nice quiet Thanksgiving, I found myself with a lot of free time - time I spent in my sewing room!  One of the projects I worked on was to complete the last four blocks for my Scrap-A-Palooza sampler quilt.  

These last four blocks are for the corners of my sampler so I thought some pinwheel shaped blocks would fill the spaces nicely. I decided to use the same color as I used in the center block of the sampler.  I thought it would balance the colors nicely.

 And here is the finished quilt top!  All of the pieces were pulled from my scrap bins.  Even the background fabrics are various low volume scraps.  I love all of the color play and the fact that every block is different.

So that is how I used my scraps, what about you!

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Now it is time to link up and share what scrappy projects you have worked on this week.  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

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt
Patchwork Times
Cooking Up Quilts

Freemotion by the River

Blossom Heart Quilts

QuiltStory

Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced  

Scrap-A-Palooza! Purple Sampler Blocks

I have finally been able to spend a bit of time in my sewing room so lots of progress has been made.  One of the projects I am working on is my Scrap-A-Palooza sampler.  This has really been a great project for both using up scraps and playing with color.

I finished up my four purple blocks.  I really wanted to choose some block designs without a lot of background to them.  Once again, I used the darker fabrics in the center of the blocks and worked out to lighter tones to the outside.

 And here they are in the quilt layout.  Only four more corner blocks to go and the quilt top will be finished.  My plans are for these last blocks to be made in greens like the center block.

I am hoping to have this one finished by the end of the month!

Linking Up:

Blossom Heart Quilts

QuiltStory

Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced  

My Quilt Infatuation

Scrap-A-Palooza! Quilt # 18 Part Four

One of the things I love about scraps is they really lend themselves to playing with color.  And the current Scrap-A-Palooza is definitely an exercise in color!

 The last time I shared my progress, I had just finished the center nine blocks.  The thinner chain blocks all fade from dark blue to a medium blue and the fatter teal blocks in the corners all have the darkest shade to the outside.

I decided I needed 4 more chain blocks - but for colors, I faded these from a medium blue to a dark plummy purple.

 The first was a straight forward chain block but I changed up the sizes of the squares - largest to the outside and getting smaller at the center..

For the second block, I went with bigger squares and strategically placed some low volume prints to give a stronger illusion of an X.

This one was made from four patches in the corners and a larger center square.

 And finally, I went with a smaller scale for these squares.

The next four blocks I made are a lot more interesting! 

For these blocks, I gave them a bit more sparkle by ending with a brighter purple.

 The first block was a combination of shapes.

In this one, I just played around with smaller squares.  It is by far the scrappiest block. 

I wanted to add in some interest with this block - visually very different than the rest.

And another block using triangles - just because I liked the first one so much!

 This is how it looks on my design wall right now.  I have really enjoyed making each block and seeing it grow.  All of the fabrics were in my scrap bins - some blocks coming together easily and some really requiring some digging.

 Next, I think I will tackle the four center sides.  I have loads of purple scraps that I think will work nicely.  It is my favorite color so I look forward to playing with them!

Linking Up:

Love Laugh Quilt
Patchwork Times
Cooking Up Quilts

Freemotion by the River

Blossom Heart Quilts

QuiltStory

Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced  

Scrap-A-Palooza! Sampler Progress

On last Sunday's Oh Scrap!, I shared a photo of a few of the blocks I made for my Scrap-A-Palooza scrap sampler.  I thought I would share some additional photos today along with some thoughts on my process as I choose blocks for this project.

I want my sampler to have the feel of an irish chain quilt.  So each of the blocks I will be choosing need to have the look of an X.  And the scrap colors I decided on are blue, turquoise, lime green and purple.

 So, of course the very first block I chose broke all the rules!

 This little Rosebud block was too tempting however.  I did use a print in the center square rather than a background fabric to give the illusion of an X.  But in doing so, I brought in a bit of pink.

I have already decided to make my quilt 5 x 5 blocks so there will be a center square.  So if I use this block for the center, not being like all the other squares won't matter.

See...where there is a will, there is a way!

 In my mind, I envisioned my center square framed in by very dark blue chains.  So I went about finding simple chain blocks and sewing them up.

I also wanted the colors to fade on each block from a dark black/blue to a medium blue.  For the first block, I chose this simple block with a larger center square.

The next one is made from a bunch of squares except I replaced the outside corners with 4 patches.

For the third block, I went with 4 patches in the corner again but in a 9 patch grid.  The larger center will balance the first block I made.

 For the last blue chain block, I used the same layout as the second block but just changed the placement of the 4 patches.  This simple change really changes the look of the block.

Here they are all laid out on the floor.  In this photo, you can see the color change in the blocks and the nice dark framing around the center block.  

I am now working on the next four blocks.  They will fill out the corners in the photo above.  I will be looking for designs that fill the blocks a bit more and I am thinking I will pull the turquoise color from the center blocks into those spaces.

I hope to have more to share soon!

Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation