Lines in the Sand Placemats

This set of eight placemats was meant to be a Christmas gift. I'm only a couple of weeks late, so it still counts, right?

I used Alissa Haight Carlton's Lines in the Sand pattern. You can download it for free here. They are really quick to sew up, but a hint if you'd like a fast finish - don't quilt them the way I did. Straight lines, a quarter inch apart, for the quilting took some time. Of course the benefit of dense quilting is amazing texture and a placemat with some body to it. I used grey Aurifil thread on the black Essex linen background and a light green Aurifil thread for the stripes.

I used the same linen for the binding, which was a bit thicker than I'd prefer. I do like the way it lets the stripes shine, though. A gorgeous green Carolyn Friedlander print is perfect for the backs.

After binding all eight by hand, I feel like I've bound a queen sized quilt. I haven't done the math, but the perimeters together might come close. I finally wrapped up that hand sewing late last night. Oh well, being late just means I have any early first finish of the new year!

Scrap It?

Here they are - all 54 scrappy, three quarter log cabin blocks. Now I just have to decide if I want to keep them. I have thoroughly enjoyed making them, and individually they are pretty. The best part of these blocks has been the process. I loved picking strips for each one, playing with colors, and finding old fabric friends in the bin (which is still crammed full somehow).

It's just that together they are ugly - like so ugly I can't bring myself to post a picture of all of them here. It seems odd because I love other people's versions. So what went wrong? I believe it comes down to three things. First, I didn't limit my color palette. Even with scraps, I usually stick to a select few colors to ensure a harmony, as with my Scrappy Trip Along Quilt.

The same calming effect might have been achieved by using more white and low volumes too, to give the colors room to breath. Each block tells a color story I enjoy, but it's just too loud for me when the blocks are together.

My second mistake was giving no thought to color placement for the quilt top as a whole. I don't mind using all the colors, if they are in some sort of color order, like the Therapist Quilt.

Lastly, there is nothing tempering the chaos, as with a background fabric in my Midwest Metro Link. 

So, while I enjoyed the process of this project, which is frankly all I really intended, I'm not sure if I want to put any more time into the blocks or pass them along to someone who might feel differently. Another idea is to reverse engineer a color scheme by selecting blocks that do go together and making a couple of smaller quilts from those. 

Scrappy Log Cabin Blocks

I saw Jacey's blocks on instagram and got an itch to sew with my scraps. My scrap bin of random width strips has been over flowing for a while now, so this project will be good for scrap management.

The blocks (maybe called 3/4 log cabin blocks since they are just missing one side) are sewn improvisationally and trimmed to 9  x 12.

I've got 15 so far. I think I have enough scraps strips to sew a few more, don't you think? The pile wouldn't even fit in the frame, and it doesn't seem to have diminished in the slightest. The magical procreation of scraps.

Memory Pillow

From the scraps of the memory quilt I made last year, I created a simple, 18 x 18 improv pillow for another family member. Strip sets are a great way to use a variety of prints.

I quilted it with straight lines to keep the focus on the fabrics, which were cut from men's dress shirts.

This type of design works just as well oriented in horizontal or vertical stripes. It's a quick project that will be meaningful to the recipient.

Rugby Stripe Baby Quilt

I pulled out my bin of 2 1/2 inch scrap strips to make some Rugby Stripe Blocks on a bit of whim. These blocks are so quick and easy to put together, before I knew it I had enough for a scrappy baby quilt.

The blues, greens, and blacks make this version more masculine than the first, larger iteration of the quilt. I love how fabric choice completely changes the look and feel of a quilt.

I quilted it simply with my Bernina's serpentine stitch. You can play with the width of the wave and the stitch length and use the side of the walking foot to gauge distance between rows of stitching. These are about an inch apart.

The binding is a crisp navy and white stripe that should fit the nautical theme of my friend's nursery, and the flannel back will make this quilt a cozy on for her new little boy. At 41 x 55 it is a nice size to serve him through his preschool years too.

Rainbow Baby Quilt

 

What is it about a rainbow that is so soothing and energizing and happy all at once? Practically speaking, this quilt was born of my overflowing scrap bin of strips. Therapeutically, it is the product of a few happy hours of simple sewing.

This baby quilt is 42 x 49, and quilters will not be surprised to know that my scrap bin somehow looks just a full now as it did before I started. That proves scraps and scrap quilts are magic, right? I love revisiting so many favorite fabrics in my scrap bins.

 

I used white, Aurifil 2021 thread to free motion quilt swirls, paisleys and pebbles. I find this combination of designs compliment each other well, fit into each other's curves, and flow easily under my hands.

I've had the backing fabric for several years, and it makes me happy to find the perfect quilt in which to use it. Raindrops for a rainbow quilt. I think saturated backing prints really balance a super colorful top.

You can find this Rainbow Baby Quilt in my etsy shop.

Candy Coated Christmas Quilt

I've wanted to make a Christmas quilt for several years now but could never settle on a design that I liked, would have the patience to piece, and would look good in my house. I wanted something subtle but festive, simple but not monotonous to make. I discovered the perfect pattern in Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison. The pattern, called Candy Coated, is an improv stripset design that is easy, quick, and perfect for using scrap strips. I made the quilt slightly wider and shorter than the pattern in order to make it a generous throw sized quilt.

 

The limited palette to cream, grey, and red gives the quilt a candy cane effect that isn't overly sweet.

I backed the quilt a soft flannel from Robert Kaufman and bound it with a scalloped stripe.

 

I used a simple loopy quilting design. It was a good choice because the quilt is very heavy because of the flannel. That, together with the large size, made it challenging to get through my tiny machine.

I love my new cozy, winter quilt. Now I'm all set for the holidays.



Scrappy Improv Strip Quilt 2.0

I made a similar strips quilt from scraps about a year ago. In the previous version, I concentrated on value and color progression. This time around, I opted for a random arrangement of the same width strips in a limited color palette. You can see the effect is very different, even while the construction is exactly the same.

I was inspired by the colors in this collage. I used teal, aqua, gray, white, and chartreuse fabrics from my 2 1/2 inch strips bin of scraps. Storing my scraps in this way makes this type of quilt quick and easy to put together. Even the binding is made from leftover scraps of binding.

I quilted it simply with the serpentine stitch on my Bernina. The backing is a gray solid I had in my stash, divided with two leftover strips from the top.

I am donating this quilt to Project Linus, which gives quilts and blankets to children in hospitals or similar situations. It has been on my heart to make a quilt suitable for an older boy or teen, as I hear this is the type of quilt most seldom donated. At 56 x 75 this quilt should be just right.

I also want to encourage other quilters to make quilts to donate. As I hope this quilt proves, the design doesn't need to be complicated, the quilting ornate, or the fabrics a recent purchase for the quilt to be beautiful. The only thing I think is important is that the quilt be something you would be delighted to receive yourself. I hope this quilt makes someone feel loved.

Improv Scrappy Table Runner

Ah, what can scrappy, improv strip sets not accomplish?  Many things, I'm sure, but at the moment they are just what I want for making this rainbow table runner.

I was able to use some of my smallest scraps to create monochromatic strip sets. I added neutral strips sets to each end, trimming and sewing at a 45 degree angle. I staggered the strip sets to make a serpentine like arrangement.

Within each strip set, I tried to work from darkest to lightest value. I really like how this complicates the design slightly, by softening the points at the lightest end of each strip set. I flipped the strips sets around at random, so the values flow erratically across the runner. I think this kind of subtlety adds so much interest to a design.  If the strip sets were made of fabrics, all equal in value, the pointy design would be too stark in my opinion.

I had so much fun making this. I seem to make a lot of rainbow things from my scraps, but that is really part of the joy for me: getting to play with every color and all my favorite bits of fabrics from projects past.

While I love to sew rainbows, I don't actually decorate with them often. So this 16" x 47" table runner is available in my etsy shop.

Table Runner Times Two

These improv, striped table runners were inspired by Laura's hand knit sweater (which she tells me was inspired by the pattern sample for Tanis Fiber Arts' Lifesavers sweater pattern).  I love the random color changes against the constant background of black Essex linen. I chose a variety of shot cottons from my stash, cut them into strips of random lengths and pieced them end to end.  Next, I sew the length of shot cottons into width of fabric strips of the black linen.  Then I chopped the strip sets into 14 1/2" widths.  It was all very casual and fun.  It turns out, I had enough strips to make two runners.

It's always fun to see what quilting does to differentiate two nearly identical items, as I've noted before.  So, I quilted one with straight lines and one with free motion figure eights.  I think the texture of each is so different but equally lovely. 

I chose to finish the edges with a facing, rather than binding, because I like the look of the stripes running right to the edge, with no border.  I referred to several facing tutorials.  I wanted to use a mitered corners, and I mostly followed this tutorial by Susan Brubaker, although there is a great one by Victoria Gertenbach that is even easier and does not require mitering.  It's a little more trouble than a regular double fold binging, but I'm glad I learned something new. I especially love the backing fabric I chose: four different voile prints from Anna Maria Horner's Folks line.  It was so nice to stitch.

 

 

These two 14" x 56" table runners are listed in my etsy shop. Sold out.