Next 2 inch square top

I am reporting on my current project involving scrap 2 inch squares.  I had two shoeboxes full of short and long strips and miscellaneous squares. 

To back up, the shoeboxes looked like this a few weeks ago, overflowing:

I cut strips from old old stash to use it up.  I then made a pattern called Clean Up from Quilted Twins, as outlined in THIS POST.

I used up many of the long 2 inch strips, sewing them together, then cross cutting them.  The (almost) final top looks like this:

I added some more 2 inch squares to the right and left hand sides, to make the quilt top a little wider.

Now the shoe boxes looked like this:

The strips are a little fluffed up, I'll admit.  Still so much fabric!  What to do?  Go back to the Quilted Twins website and find another pattern I guess.  I picked Light and Dark, but, I used leftover backing fabric for my 'darks'.  I had some sage green fabric, not quite wide enough for the quilt projects I do.

(The batting is still attached - I removed it).  I alternated the sage green fabric with my scraps, making strip sets and cross cutting them (right):

On the left: individually cut scraps alternating with the sage green fabric.  

One block, laid out:

And four blocks together:

I am using up the scraps at a slower rate with this pattern.  I now have 6 blocks done, but each block finishes at 15 inches, so I have a ways to go.  How much of those 2 inch scraps will I use up?  Will I run out of sage green fabric?  We shall see.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Hollyhocks: A quilting UFO prevention

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.  Today I am reporting a finish.  It is bound and this prevents this quilt from becoming a UFO - an unfinished object.

I had purchased the pattern for this quilt a long time ago (it's copyrighted 2002!), and it languished in my quilting space.  This year I bought some batik fabrics, and it was time to sew it up.

I blogged about it this summer: https://viridian61.blogspot.com/2024/08/hollyhocks-now-top.html

The finished top was sent to the long armer I use - always a wonderful job - and it's back and bound.

A close up of the quilting pattern:

The pattern is Posy Patch/Hollyhocks. By U Can 2, Quick and Easy quilts by Eileen Sullivan copyright 2002.  Quilt finishes about 50 by 60 inches, I think.

As it is done, it does not carry over into next year.  Remember I play the UFO game as mentioned in my last post. 

It's Thanksgiving week here in the USA.  Hope you have a great one.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

UFO Finish: Half square triangles

 Hello, and welcome to my blog!

I can report on the finish of a UFO (Un-Finished Object).  It is part of a game I play - but more on that below.

A series of half square triangle blocks and shirting fabrics in-between:

It is a pattern from the book Preserving History by Julie Hendrickson.  I decided against borders and it is now 56 by 74 inches in size.

Each shirting square and half square triangle finishes at 2.5 inches square!

I blogged about its progress:  https://viridian61.blogspot.com/2024/06/current-progress-on-reproduction-project.html

and the start of the project in Dec. 2022:  https://viridian61.blogspot.com/2022/12/two-new-starts.html 

A close up of the fabrics, including shirting fabrics used is below.  I have so many reproduction fabrics.  I am imagining a woman using fabrics like these in 1880 - 1890.

Now for the game:  I am part of an online quilting group (all quilting chat, no politics, no religion) called Stashbusters.  We aim to curb new purchases and bust our stash, sharing patterns and finishes.  Some of us sign up for the UFO game.  Each person declares how many UFO's they have, and sends in two fat quarters and $2 as an entry fee.  An intrepid member keeps track of us and our finishes.  As people finish a UFO they drop to the bottom of the list.  Everyone else rises one or more positions.  When your name reaches the top, you are queen of the UFO's and reign for a week, or until you have a finish.  No finish?  A penalty fat quarter is mailed in.  And the fat quarters?  Every time you have a finish your name goes "in the hat", and every quarter and at the end of the year, a random name is drawn to win a subset of the submitted fabric.

I aim to NOT become queen!  I was #4 on the list and so I trimmed and bound this UFO to have a finish, and drop to the bottom of the list.

Would you like to join us?  Check out the home page:  https://groups.io/g/stashbusters

I do have permission from the list owners to post this.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

"Clean up" project: Almost a top

Welcome to my blog.  I was able to find time this past week to continue on this project, that I blogged about previously.

It's almost a top!

What I have, laid out on the brown carpet on my basement floor.  The pattern is called Clean Up, and is found HERE on the Quilted Twins website.

 Each scrap square here finishes at 1.5 inches.

Here you can see the thin white border, then the black border around each big block of little squares.  Then a sashing made of more 1.5 inch blocks.

This pattern uses a lot of scraps, but I have more in the shoe boxes to be used.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

"Clean up" quilt project continues

 Good day and welcome to my blog.

 Despite my full time job, I have been able to get into my quilt room this week, and have moved the Clean Up project forward.

It is a pattern by Quilted Twins, and you can find it HERE.  It uses lots and lots of 2 inch squares of fabric!

Previously I blogged about building the big blocks of 10 by 10 squares.  Now I am putting them together:

Three blocks with sashing of more little squares of fabric.  I now have 6 blocks done, and here is my current situation:

There will be vertical sashing between the  columns of more small squares, to be sewn together and inserted.  The pattern calls for for 4 by 4 blocks and border for a finished size of 95 inches square.  I think mine will be a little narrower.

And my box of 2 inch strips and 2 inch squares is not noticeably depleted.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

A New Start: Clean Up pattern

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.

I recently pulled out all sorts of scraps and cut pieces for potato chip blocks, and also cut 2 inch strips and pieces.  Last week I sewed potato chip blocks, and this week it's time for the pattern I picked from the Quilted Twins website, under their free patterns section.  It's called Clean Up, and you need 2 inch strips, sewn together, cross cut, sewn together randomly to make a central block of 10 by 10 squares, 15.5 inches unfinished, and 15 inches, finished.

My block is about 15 to 15.25 inches now, which tells me my seam allowance is a little wide.  Normally this doesn't make a difference, but adds up over 9 seams.

You also need border units of more 1.5 inch squares, and I have started on those too.  But I am concentrating on those big blocks.

Three down, many more to go!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Potato chip blocks

 Good day and welcome to my blog.  You may have heard of the potato chip quilt pattern?  You can't make just one block!  Well this past weekend and early this week I cut pieces and started piecing these blocks.  It was fun!

I used 2.5 inch by 4.5 inch fabric pieces, finishing at 2 by 4 inches.  This is a common size.  You can cut your fabrics in other sizes - but you must keep the proportion of 2:1 the same (plus seam allowances!).  So 3 inch by 6 inch blocks (finished) - cut pieces 3.5 by 6.5 inches.

Start with two pieces side by side.  I used old dark stash and some newer brighter fabrics.

Sew along the long side, and press seams to one side - it doesn't matter which side.

Add fabrics to top and bottom:

This is before sewing.  Press seams outwards.  Now prepare 2 sets of 2 fabric pieces sewn end to end, and add those to the sides of the unit shown above.

It should look like this, before sewing.  Sew on the side units, and press seams outwards.

Prepare 2 more sets of two fabric pieces sewn end to end.  These will be added to the top and bottom of the unit you have sewn.

Oops flipped my block piece upside down.  Well you can see how I am proceeding.  This looks long and rectangular, but there is one more step.

Sew 2 sets of THREE fabric pieces end to end.  Press seams (it doesn't matter which way, no corners are meeting).  Place these sets to either side of the unit you have sewn together.

See how the set of three fabric pieces is just the right length?  Sew these sets on and you have a potato chip block, and it should be 12.5 inches square if you are using 2.5 by 4.5 inch fabric pieces.

I stopped here, but some quilters sew another round on to the block.

I have 20 blocks now, and set them 4 by 5 on the floor to see how it looks.  The blocks are not sewn together yet.

Thoughts:

-- Chain sew your blocks in sets of 4, 6, 8 or however many you want, to decrease stops and starts.

-- You could use a controlled color scheme, or have the center one color, the first round of pieces another color, and the last round a third color.  Diagram the block out on graph paper, or do a google/Pinterest search to see what other quilters have done.

-- You could put sashing between the blocks, if setting the blocks together looks like too much of a mish mash to you.

-- Set the blocks with the center 2 fabric pieces vertical, and then horizontal, then vertical in a alternating fashion. (suggested by other web pages).  Then no seams meet.  You just have to line up the corners of the blocks.

Here is my starting stacks of fabric pieces, in a clear plastic bag that used to hold a sheet set:

And here it is after making 20 blocks for a throw quilt:

Yes I cut with abandon, without counting, and I think I have enough pieces for another quilt in there!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Woven: Over and Down Under Pattern top finished

 Good day, or should I say good evening.  I am busy in my day job and just now getting around to updating my blog.

My last entry was about a project, using the pattern Over and Down Under, and a fabric line called Georgia.  It's a line of pretty pastel fabrics and I was afraid the woven look would not develop.

Well I am now done with top, and you know, I rather like it.  It's like a Monet painting.  Up close, his paintings have blotches and swirls of paint.  But step back, and you see waterlilies.

My project:  up close you see squares of fabrics:

But overall, the woven look is there, if a bit subtly.

The top finishes at 56 inches square.  I like the deep purple fabric used in the border, and I saved some for the binding.  

Next: I may try this pattern again with a jelly roll of bright batiks.  Or I may cut scraps for some other projects I have in mind.  All balanced with day job and family of course.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Mom was right!

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.

I have started a new project, using a jelly roll of fabric from a line called Georgia by Moda Fabrics.  I was at the local quilt store and felt a jelly roll was a more economical purchase than a half yard each of the entire fabric line, looking so wonderful on the shelf.  😊

So, what jelly roll pattern to use?  I have a pattern called Over and Down Under, purchased a few years ago:

You need one jelly roll of 40 strips, and a background fabric.  I bought a deep purple for the background.

I ran this idea past my mom: sending her the image above of the pattern, and sending her to the website by Moda of the Georgia fabric line.  (You can click and see it too.)

Mom is a retired art teacher, and knows color, hues, tints, shade, contrast etc.  She gently pointed out, that although a set of beautiful fabrics, the pastels would not have much contrast, and the 'woven' look may not develop.

I cut the fabric, and started anyway.  Here is part of the border:

And here is the top left corner, partially sewn together:

Mom Was Right!  6 rows together and the fabric blends together!  Well except for one strong lavender column on the right.

I will persevere and continue... (the fabric is cut) ... but this top may never be quilted.

I still like this pattern.  I have a jelly roll of bright batiks (no pastels) in a rainbow of colors, and yardage in a charcoal color for background.  That will be my next project, and I'll share it to this blog when I have some progress.

Linking up with Midweek Makers (she featured my log cabin project - thank you!), Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Teal log cabin quilt - a finish

 A finish - and it's one of my oldest UFO's!

I was living in Chicago in 1993, and a local church had a quilt show, and would allow you to display (over church pews) unfinished as well as finished items.  This project dates from that time period, and has a label on the back to prove it.

I had started hand quilting much of the quilt, so that needed to be finished up.

Note: logs in the log cabin pattern finish at 0.5 inches.

Next: how to bind the quilt?  Did I have any of the teal fabric in my stash?  Amazingly, I did.  Pieces of the border fabric (on upper right) and other fabric used in the quilt:

The final quilt, about 41 by 41 inches square:

And the backing:  a cotton -poly blend fabric that I loved at the time, and still like.  Made in the USA it said on the selvage.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday (she featured by blog entry - thank you!), Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery (she shared my hollyhocks project oo - thank you!), Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Hollyhocks: Now a top

 Good day, and welcome to my blog.  I've been getting a lot done in my sewing nook this summer.

I unearthed an old pattern - yes it's copyrighted 2002.

I purchased a range of batik fabrics in pinks, raspberry, and greens, and started.  Instructions are given for templates, rotary cutting, and foundation piecing.  One block done was not very exciting.

And hollyhocks have five petals, not 4.  But I continued on.

Laid out on my design floor.  Dark green background at the bottom, for foliage and shadows, and blue/white batik for sky and clouds above.

I am almost done!  I added a 5 inch border in medium green all around.  It does look like hollyhocks, and I am quite pleased with how this turned out.

I will send this to the long arm quilter I use, once I pick out a quilting pattern, and find some backing fabric.  My older sewing machine did not like sewing on batik fabric with its high thread count - tension troubles!

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

County Clare blocks

 Good Day, and welcome to my blog.

I decided to try a few of the Leaders and Enders blocks designed by Bonnie Hunter - the County Clare pattern.  See her blog for more information.

I am working in 30's reproduction fabrics as I have a good number of scraps and pieces laying around.  The background fabric is leftover quilt backing fabric.  I am making chains of blue fabrics, and the small squares are of all kinds of colors.

Soon, I had a small pile of blocks.

And sometimes, I centered a dog or cat or child seen in the fabric used.

As in the two Scotty dogs above.  Although Bonnie cautioned readers not to go too fast, but use the block as a leader and ender, I now have almost enough for a small baby quilt:

I still need some blocks.  The "chains" of blue are not as prominent as I would like.  It may looks better once it is sewn together.  But, these blocks are packed away for now.  A new shiny object - a new pattern - has caught my eye.  But more on that next week.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss (she featured my Cups and Saucers top - thank you!), Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Cups and Saucers project advances to a top

Good day, and welcome to my blog.  It's a warm morning in the American Midwest.

I am reporting today on progress on my Cups and Saucers project.   The pattern is found HERE on Patchworksquare.  Great instructions, usually instructions for several sizes given.

The overall top (minus borders) looks like this:

And some closer views of the blocks, in feedsack fabrics and vintage fabrics:

Each block here finishes at 12 inches square.  A constant background fabric of Kona Snow was used.  Do I need a border?  I will think about that.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian

Starlight geese now a top

 Good Day, and welcome to my blog on quilts and quilty happenings.

I have a project that I have moved forward from blocks to a top minus a border.  I described the beginning of this Starry Geese project in This Post from June 2022,  using This Pattern from Patchwork Pieces.

I used these instructions for no-waste flying geese, making 4 at a time:

https://www.patchpieces.com/files/flyinggeese.pdf

Here are the blocks, sashed and laid out on the floor.

In the midst of assembly.  I am using Kona snow as a constant background, and the "geese" are vintage fabrics and feedsack fabrics.

A close up, with a feedsack laid out as a possible border fabric:

Except this feedsack has a big rip in it, as many do.  I'll find something suitable in my collection.  This top is folded up for now, awaiting further inspiration.

Linking up with Midweek Makers, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday, Put your Foot Down at the Quiltery, Nina-Marie, Finished or Not at Alycia Quilts, Oh Scrap at Quilting is more Fun than Housework.

I have a page on Facebook: keep up with my infrequent quilt and stamp posts at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Viridian61/347674418583948?ref=hl

Viridian