The Last Snowbird Stitching

Apparently, I took way more projects to Florida than I could ever possibly accomplish. Really, though, I had no idea how to gauge it. I felt it would be better to have too much than not enough, and with that in mind, I totally overdid things! There were tubs that I never once opened, and projects that I never once touched. I definitely didn’t shirk sewing time, either. Going into this 3-month Florida stay, knowing how much time I'd have for sewing was a total unknown. 

This picture shows 4-patch blocks laid out across the dining table in stacks of 20 (except that bottom yellow and blue stack which has 4). Tally that all up and you get 624 blocks. 

And guess what? I made a couple hundred more after this photo was taken. At vacation's end, I figure I was in the range of 800 4-patch blocks. All from the 2.5-inch scraps. 

And what's more??? I haven' finished them all yet! There is no doubt I will have in the thousands when (if!) I get them all stitched up.

In non-sewing news, I wanted to share this darling picture of a certain granddaughter who was none too interested in snuggling up with the Easter Bunny. She was keeping a safe distance, for sure.

Back to sewing - I am going to take some of the 2.5-inch scraps with me to retreat, just in case the other projects make up faster than I expect. I have 2 projects cut out and ready to begin on Monday morning, so we shall see what sort of success I have working on real projects and not scraps.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Scrappy 4-Patches

Whenever I find a few minutes to sew, I’m working my way through the vast, seemingly bottomless tub of 2.5-inch strips and squares.

Over the past 4-5 years, I've made a concerted effort to "manage" the excess of leftover fabrics from old projects. The best management method I have found has been to cut remnants into typical or standard-sized parts for quilts. The 2.5-inch square and strip are about as standard as it gets in quilt making; consequently I have loads of fabrics cut in these sizes.

Above and below is a tub of completed 4-patches. These were all made with strips that I sewed together and then subcut into 2.5-inch units that I then sewed together for the 4-patch. As a result, I have stacks of 4-patches with the same 2 fabrics which will be very nice for a "controlled scrappy" quilt.

I have some very bright combinations as well as many subdued combinations. I can see some children's/baby quilts for the bright 4-patches; I can see a more traditional scrappy quilts using the darker reproduction fabrics.

Behind my machine is a big pile-up of strip sets. I pair up two fabrics and chain-sew them together one after another. When I get in the mood to subcut them, I stop chaining, and move on to cutting and pressing.

I have plenty of subcuts ready to press and also ready to sew. It seems that whatever I'm in the mood for, I have a stack of that waiting for me. I've got all the bases covered.

Sew long strips? ✅ Cut subunits? ✅ Press subunits? ✅ Sew subunits? ✅ Press finished 4-patch? ✅

I am surely going to be glad to get home to begin sewing on something other than scraps. While this has been a suitable endeavor for me while snowbirding in Florida, it definitely lacks variety. Gratefully, we have been busy doing all the 'fun-and-sun' activities, so dull sewing hasn't been anywhere near burdensome. And, face it -- I will be so glad to have actually made an effort at using these bazillions of bits salvaged from the scraps and remnants from 40+ years of sewing.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

First Stitches

Actually, there are several firsts! First sewing of 2024. First sewing from Florida. First blog from our work-in-progress house. You must keep that last one in mind as you see the sewing room and my makeshift set-up.

Not wanting to set the machine up on the kitchen table and spread the mess around the house, I thought a rather ingenious table could be made from an ironing board lowered to table height. This worked perfectly well, too. I positioned it with my back to the closet and am (sorta') facing toward the door. The pic below is from across the room diagonally, basically in front of that shelf you see above.

In addition to being my sewing space, this room will be our guest room, so you see a corner of the bed. I have no other useful furniture in the room. The previous owner left the bed, the 2 bookshelves, the ironing board and a small chair which I am using while sewing. 

It still needs so much, but most of our efforts this first winter are being put toward bigger, more important tasks - new water heater, new door to utility room, furniture for the family room. I am chomping at the bit to buy all the stuff right now. 

It's hard being patient.

Back to sewing ... Last post I referenced the major sewing plan these next three months - mostly creating units for future projects. I have spent a couple of years being very diligent about organizing scraps, and it looks as if I've had some modicum of success!  I brought with me all the scraps that I'd cut into these specific sizes: 

• 1.5" squares and strips
• 2" squares and strips
• 2.5" squares and strips

I had a boatload of them! It completely filled a large tote. Without a doubt, I have more than enough to keep me busy through March.

My first accomplishment: 19 blue and beige 4-patch blocks made with 2.5" squares. It sure seems like I should try to make one more so that I will have an even 20, but I will have to come across more beige, because that's what made me stop. I have several more blue squares, so we shall see what develops.

I have promised myself that whatever will eventually be made with these units will be scrappy, so I am not allowing myself to get all fussy about everything matching or being exactly a certain number - that sort of thinking will only slow me down. Scrap quilts must be allowed to develop. No overthinking!

Humble as it is, that's my beginning for 2024. Let's see where it takes me.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

4-Patch Delight

Here we are ending January, and even with all the travel time, I am sharing a finish for the month. And - bonus - it fits the last and very loosely defined goal on my '22 Goals List - "Numerous TBA Quilts." In this post I delve into many possibilities for gorgeous yet simple quilts that would fulfill this particular goal, and share appealing inspiration pics from my Pinterest boards.

Simple. Straightforward. Easy. Fast. Satisfying. Stash-busting.

Yes, this little cutie ticks all the boxes. I had the 2.5-inch squares prepared and on hand. I took my time enjoying the process of matching up light and dark combinations. The fact that I made enough for this quilt was a pleasant surprise - I guessed pretty accurately - only 2 4-patches left over.

I was winging it, for sure, and it just all worked out as if it were meant to be. Here are the most basic instructions; while I used 2.5-inch squares, this, of course, one could work with whatever size happens to be on hand.

1. Make a whole bunch of 4-patch blocks.

2. Attach 4-patches to make  4 16-patch units.

3. Attach 16-patches, then add inner border.

4. Attach two rows of 4-patches to the top and bottom.

5. Add two rows of 4-patches to the sides.

DONE! This measures 42.5 inches, and at present I intend to leave it as is. The possibility of adding to it appeals to me, but not as much as considering this particular piece FINISHED. I can use it as a table cloth, or drape it on the back of a chair. 

I don't mind square quilts, but if I were to make another one just to see what it would look like in a larger size, I believe I would play around with ways to make it rectangular for use on a bed. Six center blocks? That seems a likely place to begin.

And look - the bag is still full. I've barely touched the contents. The oft-heard cry from quilters about never running out of scraps is true! The more we use, the more the scrap bins/bags/baskets overflow.

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday. I need to take care of lots of loose ends today, chief among them - a massive grocery haul. 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Scrappy Finish

After the busy stuff of last week preparing to host two different "events," I find myself this week with tons of free time for sewing. 

Yay!

It helps when I have a good audiobook, too. This week I have been sewing in the court of the York King Edward IV, at the beginning of the War of the Roses. His sons were the famous "lost princes in the tower." What fascinating, yet tragic history. The book is The White Queen by Philippa Gregory, and the story is told from his wife's point of view. Elizabeth Woodville saw much tragedy in her life.

from Goodreads.com

 

All that listening has provided me time for finishing my long-term WIP, the 4-patch scrappy quilt top. Over a year ago I was gung-ho on this quilt, and worked furiously to make these blocks and stitch them into a quilt top. I didn't have a pattern, and had no ideas sketched out for how many I would need, but I felt confident that 80 blocks would be plenty.

Ahem.

Thirty-five blocks cover about a quarter of the bed.

 

If I wanted a bed quilt, eighty blocks would not be nearly enough! Why, I needed at least 80 more!  Goodness gracious; that really demoralized me. So I put it aside and worked on other things. A whole year's worth of other things, actually. (Have you seen previous examples of my skill with avoidance??)

Blocks made at quilt retreat.

As I prepared for the Quilt Retreat last month, this came out of its year-long 'time out,' and ever since, I have been steadily whittling away on the additional blocks, and finally, this week have completing a full quilt top.

I call my scrappy quilt an example of "controlled scrappy." The 4-patches are 100% from my scrap baskets. I pretty much pieced them as randomly as possible. The shirtings (white) are not necessarily scraps, although some are. I used fat quarters from my stash and tried to keep them all as consistent in their coloration as possible. The red started out as scrap red and was intended to be consistently one particular fabric. But I needed a lot and I forbid myself from buying more, so I searched the stash for a suitable matching red. As I look at this quilt on the bed, I have a hard time finding differences, although they are quite evident, if one studies it.

I had a helper when I laid the quilt top out on the bed; Rocky is here for a visit.

Now I am pondering whether to add borders or not. I suppose what I will do is check the stash for ample reds that would suit. If I don't find anything, I will just leave it borderless. I am ready to move on to the next quilt!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Returning To Scrappy Work

 I took a lot of time off from working on this quilt. Click here to see the previous effort, from way back in March of last year. At that point, I thought I was so close to having a finish, yet when I laid it out and saw that it barely covered half of the bed, I was a bit crestfallen. I promptly put that bad boy aside and began working on other projects.

Lately, the urge to return to this scrappy 4-patch has been niggling at me. So here are some snippets of recent process.

From the Nelsonville retreat.

From Wednesday; sewing with Sharon.

A plentiful supply of triangles.

Today I am sewing over at Terry's with some of the Frankfort Girls. I will take my Scrappy 4-Patch and all the parts to see what sort of progress I can make. I figure I need at least 70-80 more blocks, so I have a stretch of work ahead of me.

I should mention that with each stage of triangles, I am trimming to size. This has proved time-consuming, yet very necessary. It is surprising that even when you think you are sewing everything exactly the same, the edges are off, almost every time. The nature of triangles, I suppose. Plus, I think my triangles start out a fraction larger than necessary, which is another consideration. I know every block must be trimmed. I've resigned myself to it, and it's really not so bad.

I need to be getting out of here!

Happy Quilting, Friends!