I May Have a Scrap Problem... Using Up The Scraps!

Hi, all!

Drum roll please...... 

I actually did some scrappy sewing this week!! 

You may remember this quilt that I made earlier this year...

This was a memory quilt for a customer, made from a well-loved comforter for her daughter.  Well, she decided she wanted one for her other daughter...

...so this quilt, also made using fabric from a well-loved comforter, went on the frame today.  I'll share more pictures of it Friday!

But making a quilt like this - a snowball design - results in bonus half-square triangles when you make the snowball corners.   And I just can't let those little bonus HSTs go to waste!  So I made this cute little pillow to go with the quilt...

Isn't that fun?  

So remember, it pays to hang on to those little cut-off triangles!  There's no limit to the adorable designs you can come up with using HSTs, and pillow covers make GREAT Christmas gifts!  

Sorry about saying the dreaded "C" word...

Instead, I'll wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings, filled with family, food, and all wonderful things!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Playing With Triangles!

Hi, all!

I've been spending a lot of time recently starting new projects, and most of them with new fabric - but I have been working on a collaborative project over the last few days...

...which is a scrappy project!  A simple signature quilt, made using black and red corners.  And of course, making those corners left me with some bonus HSTs - so today I decided to play with some arrangements to make a matching pillow cover.  

There's this basic layout...

Or this one, made a little punchier by alternating the red and black in the colored bands.

Then I decided to try it a little off center...

...but it felt too off center, so I shifted the center a little further in.  I think I'm happy with this layout, so the next step will be to trim all the HSTs to 2.5" and put it together!  This will be a quick project, and I usually would have had it finished, but it was my day to spend a few hours with my eldest granddaughter Lilli, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow!  

What have you been doing with your scraps this week?  Enquiring minds want to know!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have a Scrap Problem.. April Finishes and May Goal!

Hi, all!

Well, April isn't quite over yet, but since this is the last Wednesday, it's time to share what I've been working on this month for the Scrap Attack challenge!

Now, I will be the first to admit that I have a LOT of bonus HSTs - and while I was productive, it didn't make much much of a dent in the box.  But it was a lot of fun, and I've got plenty more to play with when I get inspired!

This little bear quilt was the first thing I made with my bonus HSTs. These particular HSTs were from the quilt I made for my oldest granddaughter this year for Christmas, and I didn't have enough to complete the design as they were.  Bummer!  But I turned them into 3/4 triangle blocks by pairing each with a white square and turning it into two "new" HSTs - and then there were plenty!  

And then I took some of the smallest bonus HSTs and turned them into seven pretty pincushions!  There's something so satisfying about a pretty pile of pincushions - I'm always jealous of Crazy Mom Quilts and hers!  These may or may not be giveaway items for Hands2Help this year....

And while that's all I made with my bonus HSTs this month, I did also do some more scrap sewing...

This quilt, made using the "Have Faith" block that Jamie Elbert shared with us for H2H, used up 50 10" squares and 25 stray fat quarters!  I'll be sharing more pics of this on Friday.  

So it's been a good month for scrappy sewing!  I'm finding I like sewing with scraps more and more - which is a good thing because I'm still drowning in them!  

I may keep working on bonus HSTs until the end of April, but I went ahead and drew my May goal...

...and this is what I drew out.  I started to draw again, because I've already cut the denim scraps up, and turned them into the background for my Wedge Play quilt.  But then I thought that this might be a great opportunity to finish that quilt - which has been languishing in a corner because I had other things that took priority!  So that will be my goal for May - to finish that quilt (which is going to be gorgeous, I think!) and that will give me the push to get it done!

Thank you all for keeping me on track and accountable - it's really helping!  Are you having fun playing with your scraps?  Link up below to share what's going on in your scrappy world!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Meet Blu the Bear...

Hi, all!

As I write this, I am gazing out over the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, looking at the dolphins swim by.  The sun is shining, it's 75 degrees, and there's a soft wind blowing.  I may stay here forever, because it's definitely whoop-whoop worthy!!  Unfortunately, there's only a couple more days before I have to go back to the real world - but for now, a girl can dream!  I'm obviously ready to whoop it up - are you?  Let's get started!

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Since our week started out cool, I was able to get in some sewing time earlier this week.  You've probably seen this quilt already, but I'm happy to say now that it is finished!

I've decided to name this little guy Blu the Bear.  He's so absolutely adorable - I was a little perplexed with what I would do with him when he arrived in my Stash Builder Box a few months ago, but I think he's found the perfect home!

If you'll recall, this month my Scrap Attack goal was to use up some of the bonus HSTs I had stuffed into a plastic shoebox.  Well, this didn't make a big dent, but it did use up almost all of the bonus HSTs I had left over from Lilli's dolphin quilt that I made before Christmas.

I did straight line quilting in the white diagonal lines, extending it through the center square for interest and to stabilize the center.  It still seemed a little bit "unattached", so I also stitched around Blu.  That should make him stand out a little more once this is washed.  I'm really happy that the diagonal quilting framed him without cutting into his lines - a happy accident!

The back is really cute, too - two more pieces that came with Blu.  I added a strip of the black checkerboard to make the paw print fabric wide enough, and also used that black checkerboard for binding.  

Blu will be heading to the Little Lambs Foundation for Kids as part of this year's Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge.  I'm hoping some little boy or girl will find him to be a good friend when they need one!  

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

via GIPHY

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you - 

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - I'm looking for bloggers who want to participate in this year's 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop - if you've got a great Christmas idea you've been itching to share, drop me a line (salliesue57 at gmail dot com) and let's get together!

I May Have a Scrap Problem... A Little Beach Sewing!

Hi, all!

Well, I'm behind a little bit on writing this post, because my husband and I went out on an evening "dinner and a movie" date - something we don't do very often!  Usually our movies are in the afternoon and we are vegging out in front of the TV by 7 - but tonight I'm getting a late start!  

I don't have a huge amount to share today - just the finished HST top...

...and I finished my "Have Faith" top using Jamie's tutorial from 4/8/18!  I love this pattern - so quick and easy, and it uses up a lot of scraps!  I meant to take beach pictures of the finished top today, but I was so excited by the sunshine I completely forgot!  So I'll get them tomorrow... which is supposed to be another beautiful day.  Hooray!!

So that's what I've been doing on the scrappy front.  On other fronts, I've been contacting last year's 12 Days of Christmas in July bloggers to see if there is any interest in doing it again this year - and I've had good response!  But some of them are unable to do it this year, so I've got some open slots - if you are interested in being one of this year's stops on the blog hop, leave a comment with your email address and I'll get in touch with you about it!  It's always fun to see what everyone comes up with, and I'm already working on another quilt for the 12-day quilt-along... oh the things we do on vacation!

Sorry for the short post - see you on Friday!

Hugs!

Sarah 

I May Have A Scrap Problem... HST Progress!

Hi, all!

I have been having so. much. fun. this week!  After finishing my commission quilt, I have time to play with my HSTs and boy have I been playing!

I started out with these HSTs that needed trimming...

...and started creating sweet little blocks for pincushions!  I'll probably hand quilt these in the car while we're driving to the beach later this week.  Hopefully I'll get some more made before we leave!

Then I grabbed some blue HSTs that were bonus blocks from Lilli's annual quilt a few months ago.  I knew what I wanted to make, but didn't have enough of the HSTs to work, so I turned them into 3/4 triangle blocks, which gave me twice as many...

...and this is what I'm working on right now!  This will eventually go to Little Lambs Foundation of Utah as part of Hands2Help.  It's pretty small - about 36" square - so I think I'll straight line quilt it on vacation.  Isn't that little bear the cutest?

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There's still a lot of HSTs in that tub, but I'm having a great time dreaming up ways to use them.  Some of them are tiny - only 1.25" - but those are great for pincushions or mug rugs, so that's what I'm making right now.  We'll see what else comes out of that tub soon!

How's your little scrap monster doing these days?

Hugs!

Sarah