Scrapping Right Along

Many quilters know about leaders and enders, that technique made famous by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville in which you are always sewing - never cutting the threads at the machine - here is Bonnie's explanation. I'm not a purist about this, but I try to do it as often as possible. For example, when I'm making a Blockheads block or one for the sew along we Frankfort girls are doing, I reach for 2-inch blocks for the scrappy quilt I've been working on.

Consequently, I have a good-size stack of 4-patch blocks piled off to the side of my sewing table. I cut a whole bunch of triangles of red and white, for the first round of the square-in-a-square blocks I'm making. Trimming them is always satisfying; they line up so nicely when sized properly with trimming.

Then I continued with the outer round of triangles. Then, these too, needed to be trimmed. Throughout this month, I have accumulated quite a few blocks and I think it's time to begin sewing rows together.

I have 30+ white blocks and 30+ red blocks. I need a whole lot more. I will make blocks as long as my fabrics hold out. Of course, the 4-patch blocks will be unending. The red is plentiful. The white, though, is running thin. I will either have to buy some (which defeats the purpose of making a scrap quilt) or substitute some likely similar white. I will dig around; there's a good chance I've got some.

So, as the month of scrap quilting comes to an end, I have barely dented the scraps available here. I will have, though, a mighty pretty quilt when all is said and done. Mighty pretty, indeed.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Scrappy Goodness

 Welcome to the first day of spring! Yippee! In the midst of the social distancing and self-quarantining and flattening of the curve, I hope you are able to get outside and take a walk. The songbirds are ready for a weather change, and we have crocuses, daffodils and jonquils in bloom.

Yesterday saw me with some extra time to work on my scrappy blocks. I finally have around 20 of each version - enough for laying out on the bed to see how they look together. I've always known that I am a visual learner; now I think I am a visual crafter, too. Seeing it for real is very different from seeing it in my head.

I really like how it looks. Call it controlled scrappy. And yes, I have barely dented the scrap bins. These 2" squares are not nearly enough to make a difference there, but isn't this going to be a pretty quilt?!

If you stare at it long enough, you can see red stars. Then look away and stare again, you can see white stars. Very cool.

I debated using this picture. It shows all my blocks laid out on a quilt on the bed; the quilt interferes with my design, however. To try to reduce the background interference, I used my editing program to "muddy" the background to more easily see the new blocks. (I'm an amateur.) Hopefully, you see the quilt I intend you to see.

Don't forget that March is National Quilting Month, and Saturday is National Quilting Day. It's a good time to get in on the scrap-busting fun along with a host of other quilters by checking out the Scrap Challenge being sponsored by Meg at Tea and Brie.

And with that, I'm off to make some more scrappy blocks. I hope I am halfway to all I need for a good-sized quilt.

Happy Quilting, Friends!