Little Half Square Triangles Quilt

I can't even remember when I started making the blocks for this quilt.  All the half square triangles (HST) are from previous quilts that would have been thrown away, each finishes at 2 inches.  This might be one of my favorite quilts I've made.

I sewed the HST into 9 patches, once I had enough I sewed them into a bigger 9 patch.

I quilted in the ditch.  That is not my favorite way quilt, but I do like that the quilting is hidden in the blocks.

 I've had this fabric for a while, from Cotton and Steel.  I love the color and love the whales.

Another yellow binding.  I'm surprised by how often I use yellow as binding.  It's not even my favorite color, but it seems to work on so many quilts. 

Quilt stats:

Finished size: 59"x76" (washed)

Pattern: no pattern

Fabric  

front: scraps

back: Cotton and Steel-S.S. Bluebird

binding: Cotton and Steel- Panarama Sunrise

Batting:  Warm and White

Scrap Stack Quilt

This is one of my favorite scrap quilt patterns lately...I have another quilt top just like this one I need to finish. The squares are cut 2.5 x 4.5 inches, so my scrap bin had much to contribute to this quilt. Nothing makes me happier than using up scraps.

I think this pattern appeals to me because it is random, but somewhat organized scrappy.  I was inspired by this quilt I found on Pinterest several years ago, but there are many tutorials out there similar to it.

For the binding I used up my leftover bindings from previous quilts.  (I sew them together each time I finish a quilt...once I have a long enough piece I use it as binding). 

It adds to the scrappiness.

For the backing I used my stash...I purchased this stripe on sale years ago, with hopes of using it as a binding...but I didn't realize the stripe was going the wrong way, and not good for binding. (Hate when that happens). 

 I love these bears, added to the backing to make it wide enough.

Quilt stats

Finished size: (forgot to measure)

Pattern: rectangles cut 2.5 x 4.5 in

Fabric: front-scraps ● binding- scraps ● backing-stash

Batting:  Warm and White

New starts

I'm still working my way through my scraps...it's such a slow process!  I should be finishing some of these quilts up, but instead I start something new.  Ashley posted a tutorial on her blog for this first one... I love her solid version A LOT!

Inspiration for this quilt was found on Pinterest.  I cut my rectangles 2.5"x3.5", but as I'm looking at my inspiration, they look longer, 2.5"x4".  Either way, I really like this one.  

Cobblestone Quilt

Just looking at this quilt makes me want to pull out my scraps and start sewing!  They are so satisfying.  I started this quilt this past summer, and didn't stop until it was finished (the quilt top anyway)...which rarely happens.  

 This was a freebie pattern that came in the mail from one of the quilting magazines, trying to get me to subscribe.  I've tried to find it online, but haven't had success.  It's made up of 4.5" x 2.5" rectangles and 2.5" squares, sewn together into a 6.5" x 2.5" rectangle.  I then sewed 3 of them together to get a 6.5" block.  Super simple to cut out and sew together (no triangles!).  I used color for the rectangles and low volume for the squares.  It helps give the eye a place to rest in this quilt.

 I quilted in 8's or S's, and used the squares as my guides. 

 I tried a dozen or so bindings out on this, and ended up going with a classic black and white.  Works so well on scrappy quilts.

Finished size: I forgot to measure before I sent it to it's new owner.

Pattern:  See method above

Fabric: front-scraps ● back- Fantasia (Art Gallery Fabric) ● binding- Timeless Treasures

Batting:  Warm and White

Blue

I guess the great thing about my absence on this blog over the holidays, is that I have LOTS to share. I've been working on this quilt for a while.  I started it because my blue scraps were plentiful...still are.  

I sewed it together in strips, I'd sew about 12 inches of strips together, and then square them up, to make blocks.  Once I had enough blocks, I'd sew them together to form a row. After sewing one or two rows, I decided to add in a few pops of orange.  I like how it worked out.  I love the scrappiness of this quilt.  

This is my backing...if I could change one thing about this quilt, it'd be the backing.  I like the scrappy squares (good use of fat quarters), but I wish I'd used a different color--NOT blue.  With so much blue on the front, I think a different color (yellow or orange, or even just low volume prints) would have worked better.  I'm still happy I used up stash.  

 For the binding I used this white polka dot (see here's another light binding).

 For quilting I sewed vertical and horizontal lines, randomly spaced (2-4 inches apart), and it's a winner.  The quilt is still soft, it blends into this quilt design, and it was super easy! .  I was not excited about this quilt for quite a while, I didn't love much about it, but it's funny how once it's quilted and washed, how that can change.  It's one of my favorite quilts right now. 

Quilt stats:

Finished size: 56" x 66"(after washing and drying)

Pattern: none.  (see method above)  

Fabric  

front: scraps

back: stash

binding: Country Girls by Riley Blakel

Batting:  Warm and White

Scrap busting and planning

I am on a scrap busting mission.  After this quilt and this quilt, I wanted to keep going through my scraps.

 This scrappy rail fence was totally inspired by this quilt by Amanda Jean, and it is a good one.  I can see my bucket of scraps shrinking.  Each square is 3.5 x 3.5, so it uses many of the smallest scraps I keep.  I've been sewing nine 3.5 inch square into one 12.5 inch block.  It keeps me going and keeps my sewing space a little more organized.  

The scrappy rails led to this scrappy log cabin.  Each log finishes at 1 inch in width, and the finished square is 5.5 inches.  I don't love this one as much as the first, but I'm sure as it grows i'll like it better.  

Not sure how long these will take, but I have visions of using up all my scraps...haha.  I know it's wishful thinking, but I'm starting to think I want to change the way I store scraps.  Currently I have one larger bin that I keep near my cutting table, as I cut I add the leftovers to it, and as I sew I always sift through it.  When it gets full I sort it into colors and transfer to separate color bins.  

I want to eliminate the color bins.  I rarely use them, because they are put away and they are starting to bother me.  Why keep stuff if I am not using it?  So...I will keep sewing scrappy quilts until my bins are empty (fingers crossed) and then just have one big bin.  When it gets full I'll either make a quilt, or give the scraps away.  That's the plan...we will see if I stick with it.

Pink Plus

I feel such satisfaction in a good scrap quilt.  I started these pink plus blocks because my pink scrap bin was overflowing.  I probably should've kept going, because I've still got too many pink scraps.  

 I paid no attention to shades of pink and put them all in this one quilt...from the purply-pinks to the peachy-pinks, and I'm a little surprised that it worked out so well.  

 Polka dot binding.

 I love Sarah Jane's border prints, and I used this one on the back.  You can also see how I quilted it.  I  basically quilted straight lines, in the ditch along all the pluses.

I thought I'd share the measurements for this block.

each block finishes at 8 inches.

background:  4-3.5" square & 4-2" squares

plus 1-5"x2" rectangle & 2-2" squares

I kept my plus all the same fabric and tried to keep the background similar fabrics.  Some of the pluses pop more than others, and I like the effect.

Quilt Stats:

Finished size:  39.5"x43" (after washing and drying)

Pattern:  See notes above

Fabric:  front: scraps, back:  Let's Pretend by Sarah Jane, binding: Lucy's Crab Shack (Moda)

Batting:  Warm and White

A couple Quilt tops!

I finished up a couple quilt tops this weekend!  Yay!  I'm chipping away at my projects. 

First up, this flying geese quilt.  I was mostly inspired by this quilt, but there are several like this out in the blogosphere.  I used the bloc-loc ruler for this one, and it was better than I thought it would be! I highly recommend it.

 I also finished up this quilt top, a great scrap buster, too.  (And while we are here, the leaves on my maple tree are shrivelling up on the ends, you can kind of see it in the picture.  It happens every year and I haven't figured out what is wrong...any tree experts out there?)

Pineapple Quilt

 This is another quilt I photographed in The Smoky Mountains. 

I love this quilt, one of my very favorites.  It plays with your eyes.  Almost feels like it's moving. 

Amanda-Jean posted a tutorial, a year or so ago, and I couldn't resist trying it.  I love the pineapple block and this tutorial doesn't use paper piecing!  These blocks are labor intensive, lots of sewing and lots of trimming.  I cannot remember how long each block took to make, but I could really only get one block done per sitting.

I used all scraps and stash, but went with a specific color palette, plums and teals and fuchsias and grass green and orange.  I used this image as my inspiration.

I had the hardest time deciding on a pattern for quilting.  I ended up quilting lines, so they intersected in the middle of the block, and went through every "pineapple".  I also stitched in the ditch around every block.  I'm still not certain I picked the right pattern, I feel like it might need more quilting.  On the plus side, it's a very soft quilt.

Bound in a pink stripe.  Can you see there are two pink stripes?  That was a make-do moment.  (As was the backing, I used larger pieces of orange, green, and fuchsia from my stash!)

Stats:

Pattern:  Pineapple block Tutorial by Amanda Jean (I made 20 blocks--4 x 5) 

Size:  61.5in x 77in (after washing)

Batting:  Warm and White

Fabric:  Stash and scraps.  Background is all low volume.  Binding is mostly Monokeros Stripe Candy by Sara Lawson.

scrappy strips

I finished another quilt top this week, I'm making up for lost time this summer.  It's amazing how much time I get back when my kids are in school.  

What I really need to do is baste some quilt tops, but since I do it in my garage, and it's still HOT, it's going to have to wait.

Tutorial found here.  (I used all scraps, no strips.)

Scrap Busting

I have a serious love-hate relationship with scraps.  I really love scrappy quilts, but the actual scraps kinda stress me out.  I think because they never go away.  As hard as I try, I never feel like I have them under control.  I know I should just get rid of them--give them away, sell them, but then I really don't want to part with them.  When I sew with scraps, I would rather be cutting into stash.  When I sew with stash, I feel that guilt of adding to my scraps pile.  It's really kind of ridiculous and almost embarrassing.  I have started buying smaller cuts of fabric, fat quarters or quarter yards.  That seems to help my guilt.  

Inspiration for these blocks was found here.  Modified a little.  

sherbet quilt

My daughter's sunday school teacher just had her first baby, and the girls wanted to do something for her, so I made a quilt top and the girls got together and tied it.

I think it turned out so cute, and it is so soft and cuddly.  Plus, the girls had such a fun time together tying it, they wanted to do another one right away.  (I do think it could use a few more ties, maybe on the corners, the fabric/batting shifts a little...not terribly though.)

It almost feels like tying quilts has become a lost art. You don't see it much anymore...or maybe it's just because I don't do it anymore.  

It was so fun to listen to the girls chatter away as they tied each thread.  Nine year old girls are a very chattery bunch.

We didn't even use a frame for for this, I don't have one and it was small enough that I basted the quilt and sewed the binding on it, then had the girls tie it.  It worked out great.

I very happily used all fabric from my scraps and stash.  I should be doing more of these.  I love these squares.