Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Third Quilt Top from More Orphans

Yes, I am still playing around with my orphan blocks.  So far, I have explored three different approaches to sewing these blocks up.  First, I did a medallion style quilt.  Then I went on to finish a top done improve style - which I hope to share as a finish this Friday.


Now I can share using a third technique - which is just setting the blocks into a background.




I started this quilt top with these four blocks.



 I had a number of 12 1/2" blocks (or blocks that could easily be made into that size by framing) so I started filling up my design wall.  I had two groups of three blocks that I used for the top and bottom row.  I also pulled out some four patches I made from some strip sets and created some fun details to keep this quilt more rectangular.



 I had some colorwash cuttings I had saved and used them to frame some of the blocks in the middle section.  I also used a leftover strip set from a finished quilt to make this block a bit taller.  I thought the purple and blue balanced out the heart block really well.


Then it was just a matter of filling in the background.    I broke up the quilt into six horizontal sections, which made assembly pretty easy.  I used mostly 2.5 and 1.5" wide strips to separate the blocks and the rows.  I did use a directionally striped fabric for my background, which made the finishing a lot harder than it needed to be. (That seems to be how I roll!) 

I tried to focus on using my brightly colored and novelty scraps on this one. 

Yahoo...48 more orphan blocks found a home!
(I think 5 different quilters will see some of their handiwork included in this one.)

The top is now sewn, the backing is together, so all I need to do now is get it quilted up!






Linking Up:

Freemotion by the River (Linky Tuesday)

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Oh Scrap! : A Day with Scraps

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of teaching my Geese Migration quilt to the Emerald Valley Quilters.
Oh what fun we had!



I love to see a table full of scraps!



In no time at all, beautiful blocks were getting finished.  It was so rewarding to see other quilters applying some of my tricks and tips for using scraps to their blocks.  I wanted to steal them all!



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I 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

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!






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Linking Up:

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

Friday, January 27, 2017

A Very Scrappy Finish

I have something to share today which will hopefully inspire you to save a few more "scraps" from the trash bin.  I am ready to share the first finish from my series of quilts made from orphan blocks.



There is so much scrappy goodness in this one!
The finished size is about 58" square.  The only fabrics I added are the orange/green narrow borders, the dotted purple/green background and some black/white frames.  The rest all came out of my little suitcase of orphan blocks.




It all started with that big center block.  A friend gave me that block quite some time ago.  I think it was one she made in a class on sewing curves and then decided she didn't really want to make an entire quilt using that method.  She knew I would eventually find the perfect home for it!





 If you are interested in how this top was constructed, you can read more about that here.  There are very few blocks made by me in this top.  I do see some blocks and components from about 4 different quilters who would have otherwise tossed these in the trash.



I love that there are very few solids in this quilt - so many great prints to look at.  Even small bits like these HRTs found a home.




I added a black and white print to the back.  The piece I had was not quite wide enough so I found a bright yellow fabric to pull some of the bright colors from the front.


I will continue to share more quilts made from my orphan blocks.  Each is very unique and constructed in a different methods.  I hope I am inspiring you so save those bits!







Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)
Craftsy
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