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!

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!