Scrappy Log Cabins

Awhile back I made another attempt to get my string box under control. Previously I've gone on string quilt binges, like the one two years ago that resulted in these four quilts: one two three four.  Every time I knock the strings back down so I can close the box they slowly creep back until they're spilling out everywhere again.

This time I cut strings down to 2.5" widths for binding and 1.5" widths for making string blocks.  First up with the narrower strings is this wild, scrappy log cabin with the strings built up around charm square centers.

The quilt got a bright red back, orange (scrap) binding, and a medium sized stipple to hold it all together.

I'm really tickled with how this scrap quilt came together! It will be going toward Covered in Love to provide comfort to a family who has lost a loved one.  CiL has a block drive going from now until the end of the year making Hot and Cold Flip Corner blocks if you want to participate. Check out the drive post for more info.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Cozy Flannel Quilts

You may remember a while back I was playing on the design wall with flannel scraps that I cut to standard sizes a long long time ago.  Rather than make one bigger quilt I opted to turn those into one medium and one baby quilt, which are finally done! 

The baby quilt is 32" square. Rather than traditional binding I folded the backing over to the front and sewed it down with a decorative stitch.  Both these quilts are exceptionally cozy due to the flannel.

The larger quilt measures 64" square.  I stippled them both, the larger one with a tighter stipple.  Even though I used a fatter-than-usual seam allowance I still worry about the flannel fraying so the heavier quilting will provide support to the fabrics.

I think my mom has her eye on this bigger quilt for a little girl undergoing treatment for leukemia.  That's going to mean a lot of trips through industrial washer-dryers at high heat so the extra quilting is important for that reason, too.

There are lots of fun kid-friendly print in these quilts, some are ooooold.  The Tasmanian devil flannel dates from when my mom made me some pajama pants when I was about 6 and I got to pick my fabric.

No feeling better than cleaning out a box of scraps and turning them into a quilt or two!  I hope you're all having a productive week and a great weekend.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Flannel Scraps Quilted for Covered in Love

So remember back ages ago when I cut up my flannel scraps into 2.5", 4.5", and 8.5" squares to make scrap quilts?  Well the first one is finally done. This is the one that had more manly colors.

The scrap quilt finished at 56"x72" and it's super cuddly with a flannel back and everything.  I used a slightly fat seam allowance to make sure my seams wouldn't ravel.

This is another quilt to be donated to Covered in Love.  With the latest batch of quilts we are up to over 20 donated!

20 families who had to walk out of the hospital for the first time without the loved one they came in there with carried a comforting quilt made with love.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed, please keep sending in those quilts, tops, and blocks! Everything you contribute helps.

Rory quality tests every quilt before it leaves the house.

If you aren't up for a whole quilt, remember for September you can contribute by making patchwork mosaic blocks. The tutorial post is here.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

String Braid (Scrappy String Quilt #2)

My string braid quilt is done! I talked about this quilt and shared a tutorial for making the blocks back in this post.  I have been working on string quilts ever since I sorted my strings back in November. This first finish was the brown and blue traditional quilt, and this is the second.

This quilt finished at 56"x70".  I still have a stack of these spring colored 60 degree triangles left, so there will be another similar quilt to come. The satisfaction of reducing a pile of string scraps into useful quilts is right up there for my favorite part of quilting.

I quilted it with a stipple using a variety of thread colors that match the colors in the top. Not only did the quilt use up scraps, it used up several partial spools of thread, too!

For the backing I used a bright pink polka dot I've had for years.

The bright happy quilt is a perfect antidote for the weather we've been having. Don't let the bright sunshine fool you, it was below freezing when I took these pictures and the wind was literally whipping the quilt around.  As you can see by our dwindling wood stack we've been making lots of fires to cope!

Elvis says "Stay Warm Folks!"

Linking to Finish it Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.

String Braid Top Finished (and a tutorial)

The first string braid top is done. I say "first" because I still have plenty of triangles left, so there will be at least one more quilt to come.  This top measures 70" x 56".

(It''s wider than shown. At the time I still had light for the pic one column was not yet in place)

This is still part of the series of string quilts I am making after sorting my strips a few month ago. The first was the blur and brown string quilt here.  Organized scraps are so inspiring!

This design comes from the blog American Quilting. Several commenters asked her for the pattern but I don't think she was able to find one. There may not be one. It's a simple enough design to make and perfect for eating through scraps.

The triangles can be made in two ways. You can piece together shorter scraps into a rough triangle shape. Lay your ruler over them as you go to make sure all the pieces are long enough.

Press, with STARCH (I have never used starch before, but it was a lifesaver this project. There are plenty of recipes to make your own on google). Then cut out using a 60 degree triangle ruler.

For the longer strings, piece them into strip sets that are just wider than your ruler and press, again with starch.

Then cut triangles, alternating the direction of your ruler as you go.  And that's how you make 60 degree triangles from your scraps. Arranging them in columns as I did in the first picture make a braid effect. I am planning to experiment with some other layouts in the next quilt(s).

I hope this tells you what you need to know to make your own string braid, please email or comment with any questions!

Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced and Oh SCRAP! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.

Strings in Action

If you remember last post I had sorted my overflowing string scraps by color. I decided to start tackling them by taking the two largest piles and making a traditional style string quilt.

I am foundation piecing on top of phone book pages to make 6.5" blocks of my true-blue (not teal) and brown scraps.  I had really hope for bigger blocks, more like 8.5", but I live in a rather rural area and even by bumming a phone book from the nearest city I was only able to get a book just under 7" wide. So far 46 of a hoped-for 130 blocks are done.

The fun part of a quilt like this is deciding on the layout. From the traditional diamonds in the top picture to zig zags or a growing echo-diamond.

At this point I think I like the traditional small diamonds best, but I am reserving judgement until I have more blocks to rearrange and look at. 

Linking to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Autumn, Eventually {a scrappy batik quilt}

I was being rather optimistic when I made this fall-colored quilt.  A couple weeks ago we were still in the depths of 98 degrees every day, drought, dusty, dripping sweaty summer!  I named the quilt "Autumn, Eventually" because autumn will come, eventually, we hope!

Well, here we are at the end of September and the days are finally turning cool and breezy! Not all of them, mind you, but more and more.  Maybe we won't have too many more sweltering days til summer comes again next year.

This quilt was made from some of the scraps Judy sent me.  When I made me initial sort of the fabrics I pulled out several groups that immediately seemed to go together and this was one of those.  I cut them all to 5" tall and pieced them together, a la my Scrappy Strip Quilt tutorial and the Scrap Palooza Brick Quilt.  I decided to sash between the rows to separate them a little bit and ta-da, a quilt!

I have several favorite fabrics in these but this oak leaf is one.  Theses colors are just delicious and the majority of the fabrics have nature-themed designs.

I did a new-to-me FMQ design, leaves and loops from Natalia Bonner's Free Motion Quilting book.  Much easier to see from the back. I used a golden/tan colored thread in the top and bobbin.

Speaking of the back, I pulled together a pieced back from my stash of nice fall-ish colors, a mix of prints and solids, and bound it in a soft yellow solid.

The quilt finished at 63" x 51", a perfect size for a couch, or a swing :)

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Scrappy Crumb Paint Box

Well, this one took waaay too long to finish, but finally the scrappy crumb jar paint box quilt is done! What got me motivated? Starting my next crumb project, of course! I only wanted to have one going at a time :)

All these little scraps measured 2" x less than 2" to start. I grouped them by color and sewed them in to long chains which I turned in to blocks.

The blocks are sashed in half an inch of white fabric and set in a black and white crossweave that reads as a grey. For me that cross weave makes the quilt. It is so soft! It gives the quilt such lovely texture and depth.

I quilted it was oddly spaced straight lines in various colors. This is the first time I have tried straight line quilting in a while. Ever since I learned to FMQ and realized how much easier it is I haven't looked back! That said, it worked out pretty well. Minimal puckering at the intersections of seams.

I did squeeze in some FMQ; I did a stipple inside of all the scrappy squares in a matching color.

For the backing I used some more of the IKEA numbers print that I love so much. I think the black and white contrasts really nicely with the bright colored scraps.

The quilt finished at 45"x60", a good size for a baby or toddler.  I don't have any plans for it yet, here's hoping it finds a good home soon!

Linking to Finish it Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Still working on Texas

Design wall Monday snuck up in me again. Those 3 day weekends always seem to go so fast! I have still been working on Texas for the Texas Quilt Along.  The entire West half of the state is done and the final quadrant, south-central Texas, is begun.

The first city block for this last quadrant will be posted tomorrow.

I have also been working on more crumb blocks.  These are the crumbs that weren't big enough to make the cut for the Crumb Jar Nines quilt.  Not sure what I'll do with these yet... I'm just enjoying looking at them.

Happy Monday y'all! I'm linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Strings and Robots baby quilt

A fun small finish to show this week!  This quilt was made from the leftovers bits of strings from the Sidewalk Puddles quilt.  I shared a WIP shot of this quilt when it was a top and I hadn't added the red yet. I decided to tear it apart and added the 1/4" red strips and I am sooo glad, because I LOVE it!

The quilt measures 31"x36" and uses the same aqua string scraps and Moda grey as the Sidewalk Puddles quilt.  I'm not sure of the name of the red solid I used, but I adore the modern look it gives this little quilt.

I quilted a stipple in the string sections, stitch in the ditch, and a ribbon candy wave in a couple of the grey areas.

The little red lines are just a quarter inch wide, but add a major punch.

The backing is this fun robot fleece I got on sale ages ago that's been waiting for just the right quilt. I used batting AND fleece, so the quilt is extra soft and cuddly.  It's machine bound with the same red solid used in the top.

I haven't ever used fleece as a quilt backing before (at least that  I can remember) so I was afraid quilting it too densely would make the back not as soft. Turns out I didn't need to worry, the backing stayed nice and fluffy.

Label in place and all ready for a little one to love.  This quilt is listed in my Etsy shop.

Linking up to Finish it Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.