Using ALL the scraps!

Leave no scrap unused!

The offcuts and mini half square triangles that are the inevitable result of some methods of making are always such fun to play with!

These are the result of the 100 block sampler that I've been making - and a great distraction from actually putting that together!

They fell reasonably well into three groups, based on their size.  And yes, I decided to use them even when I could see 'errors' with the layouts!

I make columns with each size to see what happened, and with just one block having a small border added to it (second one up on the right hand side) they were pretty even in length.

Sewn together with a simple sashing added, also from my blue scraps pile.

Shown here ready for quilting.

And here is the finished item.  Simple meander quilting, binding in the same fabric as the sashing.

The backing made from two more scrap pieces joined together - and different scraps for the corner hanging pockets.  Love those giraffes!

Despite making hanging corners, though, I think that this side table might be its new home - plenty of other blues in my living room for it to sing to, and this will help the table not to get scratched, which is something that has happened recently. A win all round!

Now just a small pile of scraps left from this and the last couple of projects, which need to be cut into my 'standard' sizes and added back into my scrap drawers.
 

Something very different!

Ok, ok, it's still using some of the same blues that you've been used to seeing over the last few weeks and months, but the pink and orange really make it sing!

Ten days ago I took a workshop with my Miniature Quilt Group (part of the Quilters Guild) and we made this 12" square wall hanging.

Isn't it fun?

It was run by Abbieanne, who as well as teaching also has a shop - you can see her details here.

She helped us to design the block, talked through the method of creating it, and encouraged us along the way.  Always a great way to spend a day!

This is the back, showing the tiny blanket stitch that I used to hold down all the applique pieces.  After this I finished it with the black binding that you can see above, and a hanging sleeve.  It hasn't made it to the wall yet, but it will do soon!
 

Hurrah! The Last Blocks!

 I do believe that I've made all 100 blocks now!  There is a slight element of doubt, however, as I was bobbing about the book, and I think (hope?) that I might have made a mistake in my record keeping somewhere, as when I finished what I think is the last block of the 100, actually only got me to number 99 on my pencil note underneath the title!

I'm really hoping that somewhere along the way I made a mistake and wrote a number twice!

I will find out later when I lay the blocks out in a 10 x 10 grid whether or not I've hit the right number!

Slowly but surely.....

 I know that I'm working through these very slowly!  But at least I'm still making progress!

These ones with curved piecing (cut from templates) do look a bit wrinkled, don't they?  I struggled to get them as flat as I'd like, to be honest, but not to worry, when they are part of a whole quilt I'm sure that they won't be noticed!

This block here shows the move to English Paper Piecing which is then appliqued onto a plain background.  Quite a nice change to do a little hand work.

Still More!

On ro curved templates for the next few blocks!

Still making slow progress, but I've just broken the 90 block threshold, so I'm into the final furlong.  I think that my blue fabrics are going to hold out just long enough!
 

And another set!

Another set of four blocks!  I'm still making progress and enjoying the (slow) ride!
 

Still More Slow Progress!

Another group of four blocks - you can see that I'm in the section that is interested in flying geese!

Still enjoying making these, even if time for sewing is still limited at the moment! 

A new bag

So it looks like any other shopping bag that I might have made, loosely based on a Mors Bag design.

Do you love the sea gull fabric too?

But this one has a secret - a lovely bright yellow to match the gulls beaks.

This should help to prevent DD1 from losing items out of tote bags when we are travelling and she has overspill from her daysack!

And another secret - so that everything doesn't have to fall right to the bottom, there are two pockets that she can slip a purse or phone into.

We will wait to see if it works for her in practice - I can always refine or change the pattern if it doesn't quite tick all the boxes!

Slow Progress!

 Just another four blocks to add to my pile - it really is slow progress over this summer!

Still, any progress is good progress!

And a few more

Just a few more this week - a set of 4 hand pieced and appliqued blocks.

These take me up to 75 completed blocks out of the 100 in the sampler book.

Happy to be making progress, even if it's summer holiday progress, so a little slower than sometimes!
 

More Sampler

Still working away at my 6.5" blocks!

Summer holidays mean that there isn't quite as much time to sew, but I'm still doing my best!

OK, so not all of them are as accurate as I'd really like, but I'm still loving the overall look of these little fun beings.
 

Back to my sampler quilt

Another little set of sampler quilt blocks!

Still working with blues and slightly off white, and still loving the colourway!

 Moving on from just half square triangles to include quarter square triangles too.

Side Project 2

Paper piecing always looks like a bit of a muddle, doesn't it?

This is my project half way though the sewing, where I have all the fabric pieces cut out ready, and neatly in the piles relating the paper segments they belong with, with just one set 'in progress' by the machine needle.

It's all so much neater when all the segments are trimmed - love them at this stage, with the trimmings about to go into the bin.

Segments sewn together, and the paper removed - now we are getting somewhere!

I left it for a while to see if I wanted to move from a square block to a rectangle, which I decided would be better for my giraffes.

Each block finished at about 2" x 3".

And here is my 'Stand out from the Crowd - Giraffe Herd' piece.  Overall if it is about 9" tall and 7.5" wide.

Nothing like perfect, but charming enough to make me smile!

 

Side Project 1

Something a bit different - as I tried out an idea for showing tessellation in an easy way for me to handle - I originally thought about  cutting out multiple cats from different fabrics, but decided that my skills weren't accurate enough to attempt that!

I couldn't find a textured background that I wanted for this pink kitty, so ended up using silk, off cuts inherited from my MiL

This is my finished piece.

The design (errors in it all mine!) is based on an image of a wooden puzzle that I found on the internet, by Suekatcook in 2020.

However, when I went back to check the source, I found that Julie Fukuda has a blog post in 2012 where she shows how she designed the pattern, based on her cat, Pearl, which she was making as a mini quilt!  
 

Isn't it fabulous?  I think that the design of tessellating shapes is really interesting.

And Again!

Yup!  Still more on my sampler quilt!

These are paper pieced.  I'm not a fan of having to trace all the papers, it turns out, as I never think that they are particularly accurate.  However, there isn't an option not to if I want to make the blocks, so I've made them, then ironed them as flat as I can get them!

Then I was on to a batch of raw edge applique ones.  I have to confess that these only got finished after the first one (the tulips, top left here) got cut when the pile got caught under something else.  

Oops!

I wondered about re-making it, but decided that it told more of a story of this being made between other projects if I owned the error - so it now has a chunk of iron on interfacing supporting it from behind, and a tiny satin stitch over the cut lines on the front.

I managed to keep the rest of the blocks whole!

And these conclude all the raw edge applique blocks in the book, so I've finished the set with another paper pieced one.

I've made a total of 51 blocks now, out of a planned 100.

I just hope that my blue fabrics scraps hold out - they are looking much more meagre than when I started, I have to say.
 

Still Sampling!

Yup!  Still working on these sampler blocks!

Still enjoying the blue and white!

Lots using half square triangles in this batch.

See what I mean?

And by way of a change, a raw edge applique block and an EPP block!
 

Back to my sampler blocks

More sampler blocks!

These are the first four that look at using paper piecing.  

Then I moved on to raw edge applique, with machine stitching on the edges.

There are some pretty blocks there, aren't there?

And I'm really enjoying all the blues together!

Still having lots of fun with these!
 

A Quilt Finish

Hurrah!  At last, a 'proper' quilt finish!

Approximately 63" square, from a free pattern called Layer Cake Custard Quilt Pattern - available here from FatQuarterShop.

I adjusted the pattern slightly - their version is 63" x 88" - but it was a very straightforward pattern to make, and has made me take a long hard look at my (now depleted!) stash of blues!

 It's fun, isn't it?

I enjoyed the quilting too - adding different flowers and some hearts to the quilting.

Here's one of them.

And another.

And another really simple one.

And a heart (on this fun cat print!)

Backed with a floral print, with a green inset strip.

And bound in a dark blue batik.  I'm due to give it to the intended recipient on Friday - fingers crossed that she likes it!

 

More Sampler Blocks

I have to say that it is very relaxing to just putter along, making single blocks for a sampler quilt from someone else's patterns and measurements!

These were the next three blocks that I made.

And the next four - but can you spot the mistake?  I forgot to note that I'd made the first block of this set, so, as sometimes happens with 'pick up and put down' projects (for me at least) was that I didn't remember, and cut the same block out again!

Now I've got a spare block, but also, from photographing them like this, an idea of how a full quilt of these blocks would look, which might well be something that I come back to!

The final set that I worked on, starting to incorporate half square triangles as the next learning point.

As I said, very relaxing!
 

So, I started a thing.

A couple of weeks ago I showed you the cover of a book - Alice's Wonderland Sampler Quilt.

When I'd been working through my stash of blue fabrics, finding which one's I could cut out a 10" square from, I ended up with this (rather untidy) pile of fabrics.  Almost all had started life as Fat Quarters, most had parts missing already.

Rather than put them back into the FQ stack, I decided that it was time to cut them into my 'scrap storage' sizes, ready to use.

Then I saw the book, and had an idea.  Instead of cutting them down into my standard sizes, perhaps it would be more fun to make a blue and white (ish) sampler quilt, using my new book.

So, that's what I'm planning to do!

I still have the quilt to make that I was originally cutting 10" squares for, of course, but also I run this project alongside it, and later decide whether it remains an 'as and when' project that's easy to pick up and put down, or whether it gets some dedicated time.

I'm so pleased that I thought of doing this before either putting the fabrics away or cutting them up any further!

Here are the first three blocks - they start simple, and I'm expecting them to get slightly more complex.