Scrappy Accidents

One goal for this year is to seriously pare down my scrap bins. The sewing space is full to bursting with years of scraps -- too valuable to throw away, don't you know.

That is how I happened across these little 4-patches that ended up taking me on a tangent. I was digging in the scraps and uncovered the 4-patches. In true squirrel-like fashion, I now nearly have an entire new quilt top finished - all because I found those blocks. This, then, is definitely a scrappy accident. *smiles*

Now that the Peachy Surprise is nearly finished, I will return my attention to the scraps.

My main focus has been the 2-inch squares. While I am still cutting two other sizes (2.5-inch and 1.5-inch), I have a cool project going with the 2-inch squares, and I'm rather jazzed to get back to it.

The first step is to create scrappy 4-patch blocks. Easy-peasy. Then I make square-in-a-square blocks by surrounding them with triangles.

 It will end up being what is referred to as controlled scrappy because the triangles are all planned to be uniform, while the 4-patch centers are scrappy. The red and neutral for the  triangles are from my stash; I consider that to be an extension of scrap-busting.

I joined the fun sew-along sponsored by Tea and Brie called Sew the Scrap out of March. Here are l links to her blog and Instagram.

I will share the final Peachy Surprise in tomorrow's post. It took me awhile to decide how to border it; now it's just a matter of sewing on the final piece or two.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Scrappy Business

Gah! I have totally been occupied elsewhere this week. I have just completed what I consider to be my most labor-intense week of the semester - the grading of rough drafts. The assignment is the biggest/hardest of the semester. Whew! I devote an unbelievable amount of time on each essay providing very specific feedback. All is done online - no red pens! I psych myself out about it, then procrastinate a bit, but I eventually finished them off. And so,

WHEW!

Time to return to fun stuff - blog posting, stitching, quilting, and related activities. *smile*

I have been wanting to share a fun month-long challenge I learned about through an account I follow on Instagram. March is National Quilting Month, so many shops, designers, and 'influencers' (catch-word of the day!) sponsor fun activities. One that appealed to me is being sponsored by Tea and Brie; it's called Sew the Scrap Out of March  - Hey, I can do that! Happily!

 

Back in January, I began the daunting task of taming my mounting scrap accumulation. Forty years' worth of scraps that I have saved from the trashcan are taking up valuable space in my sewing room. My start has been small, but a small step is better than no step at all, and I do find that I am eager to continue - a very good sign.

This challenge will motivate met to stay the course! Yay! And, if you click here to view my 2020 goals, I direct your attention to item # 18. Yes, scrap-busting is a major focus for me. 

I am still cutting scraps into squares - three sizes: 2.5 inches, 2 inches, and 1 inch. And as I cut, I sometimes get the urge to try one idea or another, so I don't get burned out with only cutting squares. That earlier post shows a couple of little bits of experimenting.

I am currently focusing on the 2-inch squares. I turn them into 4-patch blocks, and then create a square-in-a-square block which measures 6.5 inches (unfinished). I will provide my cutting dimensions so that you can make some, too, if you like.

Start with a 4-patch made with 2-inch squares. That 4-patch should measure 3.5 inches. Out of the neutral fabric, cut two squares 3.25-inches; cut once diagonally. Attach to the 4-patch. Trim to measure 4.75 inches. Yes, I cut a bit on the large side and trim to size.

The outer fabric (red, in my case) is made from two 4-inch squares, cut once diagonally. Attach them and trim to 6.5 inches. Press and voila! A gorgeous block from the scrap pile! Yay!

I have used just about all of the first red (scrap-busting!), and have moved on to a second red for my outer triangles. While I work on these, I wonder about how I will eventually set them together. Will I need to reverse the colors? Setting those together will give me a secondary design of an hourglass block. I was also thinking about plain setting blocks. I have also considered doing a vertical strippy design. It will just depend on what strikes me when I have enough blocks made to move on to the next step.

Until then, it's a mystery. And I don't mind that at all.

Hope you have fun with your scraps this month! It will be fun to see how much headway I make with mine. You can find me on Instagram (@jaynehonnold) to see my progress and to check out the hashtags for other creative ideas for scrap-busting.

Happy Quilting, Friends!