Sunday, September 4, 2016

Busy Hands...

That old adage about busy hands and happy hearts holds true for me. Few things are more relaxing as far as I'm concerned than to have a little box of stitching in my lap while I watch sports. With the onset of football season and a very talented OSU Buckeyes team to follow every Saturday, I need to have my stitching ready for use.

The stack above represents the sum total of my stitching for yesterday - 16 4-patch blocks.

These are fast and easy to do. I have a box where I keep all leftover 2.5" squares. Every project, it seems, leaves you with leftovers, and while I cannot claim to be an organization queen (ha!), I can claim to have a successfully working system for keeping 2.5" squares under control.

So I have this nifty little box of 2.5" squares which had been stirred and blended and folded and tossed - it was quite a mess, and I should have taken a picture. Since I didn't, I will point out that every block is quite fuzzy and raggedy - because of how smooshed they'd all become in that box. First I felt obligated to sort things out. Below you can see what I found.

I separated like items: I'd thrown some large hexies in, so they are stacked at the top; I had a good-sized stack of 2" squares (need a different box for those) which are there beside the spool; below the 2" squares are fabric bits that need to be cut down to size (shoulda' done that before putting them in the box); under the scissors handle is a small stack of KF squares; cut off on the left side of the picture is a gift of leftover scraps from one of the Frankfort girls; at the bottom of the picture is a partial 9-patch block and a few remaining squares from my Snowbird fabric - my intent is to get back to the larger stash and see if I can come up with one more light dot fabric to finish the 9-patch; and finally, on the right of the picture is the tall stack of miscellaneous 2.5" squares which I have pictured below.

What a ravelly mess.  I cleaned them up as I selected them to use. During the course of the ballgame - which the Buckeyes won 77-10 - I made 16 blocks, tidying and neatening along the way.

Above are all 16 4-patch blocks laid out side by side. I really have no plan for how I will use these; I like how this little section looks, so maybe I will just attach them like this and have a big, old-fashioned scrap quilt. Maybe? Something to consider, for sure. Other possibilities exist, too, so I won't rush to decide. For now I will just make 4-patch blocks all through the fall and winter. For an entire quilt, I will need a couple hundred more, right?

I must add neutrals to my little box of squares to be ready for next week's game.

I will be linking to Slow Stitching Sunday today, and I invite you to pop on over there to have a look around.

Happy Quilting, Friends!


6 comments:

  1. Nice results from sorting, sewing and sports! :)

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  2. I need to sew while I watch tv or I fall asleep! Nice little four patches!

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  3. squares are my favorite shape when it comes to quilting and there is something about little four patches that always catches my eye. I am sure you will come up something great. Scrap quilts always seem to turn out great!

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  4. Love your 4-patches!! Do you make a stitching line on them? Use 1/4" tape, or are you one of those who can just eyeball and sew a 1/4" seam? :) Simple, basic, timeless blocks/quilts are always my favorites.

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  5. Wonderful results from your sorting and stacking, stitching and sports viewing. I love 4-patch blocks almost as much as the 9-patch and your post has inspried me to sort my own scraps today.

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  6. I haven't done any hand piecing for a long while. Thanks for the reminder that it can be so satisfying. I have been working on that 1857 applique quilt all year - applique makes me so nervous. I'm going to have to prep some pieces so I can do something less tense. I think this is just the ticket. Also, thanks for commenting on my blog yesterday. Yes, we quilters seen to work on a multitude of different projects all at the same time.

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Feedback on my posts is always welcome!