Cutting Scraps

 With the price of quilting fabric getting so high in recent years, quilters are protective of their scraps. At least this one is. When cutting out a quilt, I try to conserve as much as possible, and I save pieces that some might consider discarding. Habits like mine, however, soon results in an overflow of scraps. And now, after 30-40 years of sewing and quilting, I have many boxes and tubs of scraps filling too much space in my sewing room.

Time to attack this problem!

It is not a new attack, however. I began 2020 with this same mindset, and I did make good progress. Then I stopped. My method, though, was working for me, so I am continuing it now as I return to scrap-busting.

 Whenever possible, I cut squares. I have determined that I am most likely to use 3 sizes: 2.5 inches, 2 inches, and 1.5 inches. Above is a tub of 2.5-inch squares. Some have already been sewn together in twos; they will eventually all be made into 4-patches for an as yet unknown quilt.

The 2-inch squares fill another bin - some have been stitched together (plus there's a 2-inch strip needing to be cut down).

I likewise have a tub dedicated to only the 1.5-inch squares. They are pretty small, but make a pretty block - I played around last year with these little guys, and came up with this pretty creation.

Now sometimes, the scraps I come across are bigger, and I really don't want all those 2.5-inch squares. When I happen upon larger pieces of scraps, I will cut 2.5-inch strips (like jelly rolls strips) or larger squares - 6" or 5" or 4" or 3".

The pile of strips is becoming quite large, and I really don't have a clue for using them at present. I will have to begin looking for a suitable project.

My bin of larger squares is not too full; I definitely have scraps that will be good candidates for these sizes, and since I am getting a bit overloaded with jelly roll strips. Maybe I should consider doing more of these larger squares as an alternative.

 Here are more jelly roll strips - Yikes! - that's a lot of scraps! And a lot of future quilts as yet untold!

It just so happens that I scrolled upon an Instagram pic from All People Quilt that dealt with fabric storage. I discovered to my delight that I am on the right track with some of my methods of storage. I think you might like to check it out.

I have been making pretty good headway on my newest start of 2021 - Lucy, a pattern by Carrie Nelson from her book Farmhouse Favorites. I plan to bring you up to speed on that soon. I chose a wide variety of floral fabrics for my Lucy; Sharon will be making one with me, and she has chosen French General reds and creams for her version.

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine where you are! After about 11 cloudy, dreary days in a row, we have had a couple of gloriously sunny days - so very welcome to we Ohioans!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Needing Direction

I find myself at that troublesome space between projects when I am filled with indecisiveness as to what to work on next. This very unsettled space sneaks up on me from time to time; it's an uncertain feeling, lacking direction as to what to work on next.

Thankfully, I have several places to which I can turn when this vague feeling presents itself. First, I checked my goals list from the beginning of the year. I also wrote down some goals in my Quilter's Planner, so by looking over both lists, I have some strong ideas taking shape.

I also perused several quilt books and files for some inspiration. I specifically searched 3 of the notebooks shown below - Quilt Patterns; Bags, Baskets, Purses, Pouches; and Block Patterns.

This morning I took yet another stab at inspiration. It seemed a good idea to examine some of the project tubs stored under my cutting table. Looking at all these areas usually culminates in something "clicking" for me.

Seeing this method of organizing projects may give the impression of my being ultra-organized. However, while I considered the contents of some of these tubs, I found it is not foolproof; I discovered an obvious error in storage and labeling.

I had one tub labeled "Larkspur" - a gorgeous line of fabric by 3 Sisters/Moda. I also found another unlabeled tub of the same fabric line. Huh?? How does this happen? Turns out I have a whole bunch of Larkspur! Yay!

I combined the contents into one tub. I found that in one of the tubs, I had also inserted a free Moda pattern for the Larkspur line. Maybe this ought to be something I get started on? I sure do love the fabric, and there appears to be plenty of variety for making the quilt. This is on the list, for sure.

My labeling system is unusual. Several were labeled simply "Pleasing Fabric Combo." Whaaaat? I have a tendency to pull fabrics that work nicely together and if I have no pattern in mind, I store them with the idea that a pattern will eventually present itself for that particular combination.

Well, whadya' know!  This has actually happened!

One quilt I have a strong desire to make is this churn dash quilt called "Feed Sacks: True Blue." (Terry was cutting for this pattern earlier this month, and we talked about sewing it concurrently. Click here and scroll to the very last picture.) Anyway, I think this particular blue and red "pleasing fabric combo," along with more blue fabrics pulled from the stash, will do nicely in this pattern. Now I have another probable upcoming project.

One last idea . . . . Looking through the books last evening, I encountered a quilt I have already made - Plan C by Carrie Nelson. The pattern is in her book, Schnibbles Times Two. Scroll through my 2012 Finishes for my earlier version.

If I used this little collection of Summer Breeze fabric in that precut-friendly pattern, I believe I would have quite a beauty. It is not a big quilt, and as I recall making my first Plan C, it is really fast in how it comes together. I like it, and I think I will do it.

Larkspur, Plan C, and True Blue are very strong possibilities for me in the next few weeks and months. I have some more to tell you about, but they fall into the UFO category. I will share those tomorrow.

I believe I am going to get focused very, very soon!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Playing With a Full Deck

My "full deck" is my full-to-bursting sewing room closet where I have hanging all my quilt tops that are in need of quilting. Curious as to just exactly how many I had accumulated, I made the count, and the magic number is 52. Whaaaat? If I'd dared to estimate, I would have sworn that there couldn't have been more than 30.

I'd better win the lottery if I'm going to have all these tops quilted, as it will cost me a small fortune. Some of these are quite large, some are small-ish, but most fall into the range of full or queen size. A handful of them are hanging with the backing on the same hanger which makes me sound ultra-organized, but no, do not ever accuse me of being organized! I did this so that I wouldn't forget that I had the backing and use it for something else.

The closet has gotten so full that I have 5 quilt tops hanging outside the closet on the sewing room door.

Three of these are baby quilts and have a date at Mendelbrights next Thursday for long-arm quilting. I am looking forward to that! (See item #1 on the to-do list in the last post.) Swoon and Elizabeth are probably headed to the closet to make that door look a little more presentable. If I can squeeze them in, that is.

Happy Quilting, Friends!