Scrap Basket Progress January 30, 2010
Posted by Pam in KC in goals, scraps.comments closed
I love Bonnie Hunter‘s patterns. So scrappy, anything goes. I found her site several years ago. Her Scrap User’s System, along with leader/enders has enabled me to make more quilt tops (I’m still working on the getting them quilted).
About 2 years ago, when I was running out of space in my fabric boxes, I pulled fabric scrap smaller than a fat eighth out and tossed them into a scrap box. I’ve been pre-cutting strips, bricks and blocks from that pile ever since.
Last summer was down to half a basket of scraps — primarily pinks, purples and blues.
Since then, when I finish a quilt top, the binding prepared and fabric set aside for a pillowcase if I’m going to make one, I follow my pre-cutting plan and put all the fabric up. I promise I really do – but if you look at my scrap basket now, no one would believe me.
A friend started cleaning her sewing room last fall. Part of her solution was to pass her scraps to me. I love it — her choices in fabric are not necessarily things I would buy (nor the other way around) but it adds sparkle to my scrap quilts. It also filled my scrap basket. This is what it looked like on January 13th:
I’ve set a personal goal to have the basket empty by July 18th. That’s the day we reveal the progress on our goals at the quilt guild meeting. I suspect, I’ll have to spend one or two weeks between now and then doing nothing but pressing and cutting to get the basket empty, but in the meantime, I’m going to do a 15 minute pressing session each week.
However, I can tell you it takes more than 15 minutes to cut up the 15 minutes of pressing. Today I have two pictures. The first is what I got pressed in 15 minutes and the second is the end results.
Here’s the tour: top left are pairs of 5 1/2″ squares I’ll use to make jumbo yo-yos for key rings. moving to the right are 3 1/2″, 2 1/2″, 2″, 1 1/2″ strips and then strings. The letters and the fussy cut bird will end up in my panel box. Below the strips are 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ and 2″ x 3 1/2″ bricks and 2 1/2″ and 2″ blocks. The first pile next to the bricks and blocks are bits and pieces which don’t pre-cut nicely. They’ll end up in my crumb bucket either used in a Bonnie Hunter class in May, or sent to a quilter who does crumb quilting. Frankly, they are too small for me. That final pile is the stuff I’m going to toss out. It’s too small to even qualify as crumbs.
I know there are quilters, and I was one of them, who didn’t want to pre-cut their fabric because they might need it for something, but I wasn’t using my scraps. As a general rule I don’t applique or paper piece, so this works for me. And yes, I do make quilts using my pre-cuts. Currently I’m working on Oklahoma Backroads using the fabric from my pre-cut boxes.
Check back with me in July to see if I’m able to empty my basket.
It’s an Empty Project Box! January 21, 2010
Posted by Pam in KC in scraps.comments closed
No, this does not mean I’ve finished anything new. It does however mean, I’ve moved a quilt from the pieces stage to the top stage and more importantly dealt with the left over fabric. Last night after I cut up my 15 minutes of pressed scraps, I pulled down the project box for Ladder to the Stars. I have left over red, gold and blue fabric — well the blue wasn’t totally leftover — part of it was for the binding. So, I cut, seamed and pressed the binding, then put it with the quilt top in my quilt top box. I’ll get it quilted eventually, but it’s not on the list at the moment. Once that was taken care of I put the larger pieces (anything bigger than a FQ) in the appropriate color box and chopped up the rest for my pre-cut boxes.
I’m sure the box won’t be empty long. Once I finish Part 4 of Carolina Christmas, it won’t fit in the shoe box. That box won’t stay empty long either — several of my pre-cut boxes are stuffed so it will become an overflow box.
For the record, this is a ArtBin Deep Super Satchel One Compartment # 9000AB. I have a dozen of them and they are great keeping projects together. They stack neatly and with the handle, I can just grab the box and go. They are pricey, but I bought mine with 40% or 50% coupons or when they were on sale at Jo-Ann’s and Hobby Lobby – one or two at a time.
Review of September 2009 Quilting Goals September 29, 2009
Posted by Pam in KC in block swaps, dwr, hand quilting, Josh's Quilt, KTS, monthly goals, SBS, scraps.comments closed
Another month has gone by, so it’s time to review what I accomplished this month.
- * Complete remaining 2 sets of blocks for the SBS Brown/Blue Swap
- Finished and in the mail by 9/8
- * Keep up with the SBS BOW
- It was close, but all blocks were made and turned in on time.
- * Work on Josh’s Quilt – needs to be off the frame by 10/15
- 3 1/2 blocks hand quilted — 1 1/2 blocks to go!
- * Work on DWR – top needs to be done by 10/15
- 12 rings added to the quilt and 6 more are partially pieced
- * Complete Finishing Instructions for both sizes of Kansas Spirit BOM
- Small quilt needs one more correction. Large quilt about 50% done. (the easy 50%) 🙂
- * Quilt a baby quilt
- Ran out of time.
- * Keep Scraps Cut Up
- Well my scraps were cut up, but my friend’s scraps have filled the basket back up!
I also cut the gold fabric for my Ladder to the Stars quilt and I managed to not start anything new. What more can a girl ask for who has more UFOs and Quilt Tops than she can count on her fingers and toes?
Next month will be more of the same. I’ve got my list ready to go.
August 2009 Quilting Goals August 3, 2009
Posted by Pam in KC in block swaps, dwr, Josh's Quilt, monthly goals, SBS, scraps.comments closed
When it comes to quilting, I’m all over the place as far as getting things done. I’ll say I want to finish XYZ, but then I’ll get distracted by something else — and it’s not always new fabric or a new quilt.
So, I think I’m going to start listing my goals here on my blog, as well as a large printout by my computer, to see if it helps.
So, in no particular order, here are my August 2009 Quilting Goals
(5 sets are needed by mid-Octber, 1 set is already done)
(10 done, 10 more needed-block kits already cut)
(5 1/2 blocks to hand quilt, and machine quilt the borders)
Strings, Strips, Bricks and Blocks July 2, 2009
Posted by Pam in KC in log cabin, scraps.comments closed
I have no idea what has gotten into me. For the last couple of days I’ve been tackling the scrap basket. As you can see, great progress has been made. With the exception of the pile of pressed scraps, all that is left is the red, pink, purple and blue scraps.
My boxes are getting full. I’ve got 1 1/2″, 2″, 2 1/2″ strips, strings, 2″ x 3 1/2″ bricks and 2″ blocks and 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ bricks & 2 1/2″ blocks.
One of these days I’m going to make a log cabin quilt with the 1 1/2″ strips. Believe it or not, I haven’t made a traditional log cabin quilt. As for the rest of the pieces, who knows what they’ll end up in.
Green Scraps! July 1, 2009
Posted by Pam in KC in scraps.comments closed
Last week I pulled most, if not all of my green scraps from my scrap basket to cut them up into usable pieces.
I just finished cutting the last of them up.
The pile at the top are the slivers which will be tossed out, then there were 3 pieces which were too big to get sliced up. The pile at the bottom are crumbs. I’m not into crumbs, but I know there are those who are, so one of these days, I’m going to box all the crumbs up and send them to someone.
The stack of 2 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 bricks is about 1 inch tall, the 2 1/2 inch squares about 3/4 of an inch tall. The 2 x 3 1/2 inch bricks and 2 inch squares are about 1 3/4 inches high. I’m not sure how many bricks and squares that works out to.
Then there is are the strips and strings. 2 1/2 inches, 2 inches, 1 1/2 inches and finally strings.
I think I’ll dig through my basket and find another color to work on now.
Scraps! June 24, 2009
Posted by Pam in KC in scraps.comments closed
Over the past year, I’ve managed to get my scraps into this single laundry basket. It’s about 18 inches square and 11 inches tall. It fits nicely under my fabric shelves. As you can see it’s rather full – but I can’t bring myself to toss out usable fabric. So, this week, instead of doing any number of other things around the house which need to be done, I’ve been working on my scraps.
I follow Bonnie Hunter’s Scrap User’s System with some variation. I’ve got shoe boxes on my shelves with squares, bricks, strips and strings. I’ve even been known to pull pieces from these boxes for quilts I’m making.
My goal is to clear the laundry basket — some day — but more importantly not add to it. So, moving forward whenever I finish a project I’m going to cut up my scraps if they are smaller than a fat eighth.
This week I’ve pulled a couple of handfuls of fabric out of the basket and cut it up, but I could hardly tell looking at the scrap basket. So, tonight I pulled most of the green out of the basket. I won’t call it all, because I didn’t do a complete search. There could still be some hidden in the middle.
I’m curious to see how many pieces I can get out of this. When I get this pile done, it will be back to something more pressing I’m sure.
Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid 