Scrap-Happy Works in Progress

This is how scrappy projects begin at my house, with my sorted-by-color scrap bins. They go from neatly folded 5 inch squares, stacked on end with everything visible, to this messy (non) arrangement ...

The bins are re-used produce containers which once contained spinach or mixed lettuces.

In this case, I used some of these fabrics to make a couple of Sunrise blocks (from last year's Block Lotto).


Some friends from the Modern-ish mini group asked me to demonstrate Dale Fleming's 6-minute circle technique and I was working on some samples to use in my demo–hint, it's a great technique for other kinds of curves besides those perfect circles :-)

As someone who already has more orphan blocks and UFOs than any sane quilter should, I didn't want to produce more, so I'll be using my demo-samples to make placemats for the guild's community service group's annual effort.  The placemats go to Kitchen Angels.

A couple of days ago, I had a little idea about how to use this month's Block Lotto pattern and so yesterday, pulled out the purple bin of scraps and made these five scraptastic Tulip blocks.

There are 25 different purple fabrics used in these 5 blocks. I like them, but not for the original project idea, so I'll be pulling out some more of the scrap bins and making more for my new idea :-) 

My quilting mojo must be coming back in a fashion, because I also had a new idea for some 1 1/2 inch strips gifted to me by someone in the guild's QOV mini-group.  At our meeting last week, I created some test blocks. 

Here are the first two. I think it has possibilities and plan to make many more.

The foundation pattern I used was drawn with paper and pencil. Now I am struggling playing with EQ to create a more precise version. It looks like it should be so easily done, but for me ... not so much.

I am amazed at this group, not only for the beautiful QOV quilts they create, but how they all show up SO organized and focused and ready to sew for three hours before they pack it all up and take everything home again.

I am a lot LESS organized.  Here's a peek at my work area last week. I usually take Isaac, my trusty workhorse of a sewing machine (AKA a Singer 301).

Now that I've decided to move forward with this block idea, maybe I can get things a little more organized for next time. 

As you can see the mojo's coming back, but maybe I could use a bit more focus ... 

I am joining the lists for Scraptastic Tuesday and WIP Wednesday. 

In-Progress

I've made progress on a couple of projects and started something new.  Here's my in-progress report.

12 more scrappy green blocks made. I've decided to pull out a new color each time I pick this up and keep circling around the color wheel until I have enough for a rainbow for my bed.

Backing and batting prepared for the Holiday Baskets table topper–you can see it in this post.

Another last minute holiday decorating idea took me on a thrifting adventure today, looking for interesting frames. The good news is that I found lots of them.  Here are some of them lined up at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

The not so good news is that in the art center that Santa Fe is, a lot of them were priced based on the thing that was being frames–too pricey for the project I have in mind.

I came home with four, half-price at the Salvation Army today.

The sweet Christmas cross stitch in the frame on top was a bonus. I thought it deserved a new life in my house at Christmas.

I'm going to start with these four and if it looks like my idea will work, I'll be on the road looking for a few more ...

...  and then there was this hat that flew off the rack into my hands.  I liked the soft gray color and think it will be a great hat for summer ... after I deconstruct and remake it into something much more casual and more me–another project for the future.

I'm joining the link lists on Lee's WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced, Esther's WIPS on Wednesday (WOW), and Angela's Scrap Happy Saturday.

More of the Same

On my design wall today, more of the scrappy broken-dishes blocks.

I've left the red scraps behind for the moment and am now working on making more green blocks.



I realized last night that I probably pulled out this old project and decided to make more blocks as an alternative to jumping on the bandwagon and joining Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery.

Pulling out these old blocks and playing with them on my design wall has motivated me to make another pass through my scrap bins and see how many more blocks I can make.

October's Theme: Leaves

Whether it's the season or a bit of synchronicity, October is here and, for me, it's all about LEAVES.

Almost four years ago, I sent this little journal quilt to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Iniative. It was chosen to be part of their traveling exhibition, Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope, and is now part of their October auction.  Here's the link to my quilt's page on the AAQI site and you can bid on it here.

The design was inspired by a real tree with a real last leaf that hung on through winter behind the little house where I lived in Lansing, Michigan.  The completed quilt moved with me to Dallas, Texas, where I was living when I sent it to AAQI (back in Michigan).

You can see all the quilts in the October auction here. These are half of the little quilts from the traveling exhibit; the rest (along with some celebrity quilts) will be part of the last AAQI auction next month.

Because of some other projects going on this month, I set another modest goal for October's Lovely Finish: to finally quilt and finish and hang ("done done") this small quilt.

The maple leaf blocks measure 3 inches and were received as part of an exchange years ago.

Of course, the fact that I haven't managed to finish it for YEARS may indicate that, for some reason, it really isn't such modest of a goal for me ... I think I have been afraid of not being able to do it justice until now.

The last of October's Leaves are these Oak Leaf blocks, made for this month's Block Lotto.  This is the virtual quilt that I put together from photos of early blocks.

If you like the Oak Leaf block, you can find my  free block pattern the Block Patterns page.  Click over the Block Lotto, if you like it enough to join in this month's lotto.

When I was working on the block pattern for the Oak Leaf, I saw that it could be constructed from half-square triangle units ... and thought it might be a good choice for scrap-busting.

The directions for making this version of the leaf is included in the Oak Leaf Block pattern as a bonus.

I can definitely see a rainbow of scrappy oak leaves in my future. rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014?