Table Scraps - A Table Topper

My "liberated quilting"  table topper is complete.  Because the top and the backing would need different thread colors for the binding,  I chose to hand sew the binding to the back. 

I have to say that the binding looks a lot better than if I machine stitched it in place. This little quilted topper makes me really happy.  It ticks all the boxes.   

Scrappy/using up scraps ✅ 

Fun and random piecing ✅
Colorful  ✅

Random quilting designs  ✅

Finished!  ✅

Here is the finished piece, although it has not been in the wash yet.  That is my final step before I consider it "really finished."  

In the borders, I used two different styles of triangular design.    Both were inspired by the quilting I saw in a photo from the Liberated Quiltmaking II  book by Gwen Marston.   Here are some closeups. 

In the skinny insertions in the borders,  I did pebbles. In the one wider blue insertion, I quilted swirls.  All of that shows up well in the above three photos.  

My next project????? I haven't decided.   I suppose I should spend more time learning my lines for the play I will be in in September - unless we have another quarantine lockdown. 

I am linking up with the July 2021 Table Scraps Runner Topper Challenge.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

First September Finish

In the last post, I told you about preparing a binding.  Thanks to that binding, I have the first finish of September.  I am loving it!   One of my favorite things is how the corners mitered perfectly including the flange!

I confess I slowed down a lot when I got to the corners to be sure it lined up nicely.  I got my needle to drop precisely in the corner.  Yaay me!

I took this quilt to the park, along with another that you will see in a couple of days.  I put this one on the bench  in the shade - it was over 90F outside and little or no breeze.

You can see in the above photo that the backing matches the outer binding.  It was super easy to make that decision.  And the front has so many fabrics that anything would have been okay there.  I do wish I had added borders so the flanged binding would show up more.

It would have been really great if the bright green that was used for the diamond had been in my stash for the flange.  But this is a true scrap quilt and I had used most of that green in the string blocks. The diamond focal point was a last minute decision while I was laying out the blocks.

I hope you are putting your scraps to good use. They can add up to a really fun quilt.

Until Next Time,  

Stay Creative 

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

String Along - A Top is Born

After sewing ninety of the 6 1/2 inch string blocks, it was time to decide on a layout and just go with it.  I really liked the Four-patch that I had auditioned with the four similar blocks. So, I decided to use it as part of the design.  It is the only part that is different from the diagonal layout of the quilt.

I really love the way it looks.  There are so many different fabrics with only a few that repeat in a fairly consistent manner.

One fabric that is only in the quilt once showed up in the perfect place.  I promise that I didn't play this at all.

Can you see the yellow with the spider in it to the right of the diamond?  It is like the spider is crawling to the "web" created by the diamond.  That made me grin a lot when I saw it.

*** Cool hint: Save those triangles that you trim off when doing corners....they are  perfect for this type of block!

Now I have two quilts that need quilted pretty soon.
Have a great week.
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

String Block Update

Even though I have a cruddy little cold,  I have been making a few string blocks.

Those are stacks of 10 but there are more than that now.  My best guess is about 85 at this point.

I tried making four that are very similar but not identical.

The color is truer in the top photo.  

The lower one has all the matching corners turned in. While the upper one has two in and two out. I am thinking that these would make a great pillow cover - or at least the center for one.




Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in comments will result in the entire comment being deleted.

Crumb Block Top Completed

It took a lot of pinning and sewing  and refilling a bobbin - they always seem run out on a long seam - but the Crumb Quilt top is complete.  After pressing the last seam, I took it outside to hang in the sun for a photoshoot.   Of course there was wind.

 But I managed to get a few shots anyway.  If you see the dirt on my car in the background - that is pollen.  We are having a rather early pollen season I think.  And in other photos you may see grass/weeds that haven't been dealt with - If the ground ever gets dry enough during what is apparently this Alabama monsoon, I will get that fixed.

Believe it or not this top was pressed but the humidity and the wind seemed to magically make the wrinkles reappear. 

Nevertheless, I love the bright colors and happy design - I also love that most of my points match thanks to a lot of pins.

Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

64 Blocks and Decisions to be made

Sunday evening, after just a few minutes of making more crumb blocks, I decided to rest a bit.  Gathering all the crumb blocks I counted them to see just how close I had gotten.

Would you believe there are exactly 64 in that stack.  Yes, I stopped at just the right spot.  I need exactly 64.  Aren't our brains interesting?  I thought I had no clue how many I had made, but I was right on target.

So why is the scrap drawer still overflowing?

And I also have these pieces neatly laid out for working with:

And strips and pieces too

Sheesh!  Do the scraps multiply when you use them? I will have to fit some of those stacks back in the scrap drawer.  Wish me luck!

Now I have a decision to make.  What color or colors will I use for the background on my Crumb quilt?  This will require an expedition into the wild stash area  of the house to see which I may have in the required amounts.  If all else fails, I can just go "solid scrappy" and use two or more colors for the background.  According to Electric Quilt- depending on the width of the fabric it can take from 2 1/8 to 2 3/8 yards of fabric for the background. So for practical purposes, I will find 2 1/2 yards total for it.
I also have to decide on fabric for the cornerstones in the sashing. Hmmm.....time for that expedition to the wild stash jungle!
Talk to you good people soon, I hope.

Edited to add: The plan is in place and piecing started. You will see it in a day or two- or three.....
Comments are welcomed. I will reply when possible unless otherwise stated. Of course if you are a "No Reply Blogger"- I can not reply. Links in posts may be affiliate links for which I am compensated if you click through and purchase.

Getting more done

I have gotten a good bit done on my scrappy, No Rules quilt. This is probably NOT the layout I will use. But it shows the progress I have made and all the work I have completed so far.

Okay here are the pictures:
From one side:


Then the other:


There is a big variety of fabric in there. I think I see some Kaffe Fassett - or is that Martha Negley mums? They both use such vivid colors and y'all know I love some vivid color. There are also pieces from a Connecting Threads line or two (or three?) I have pieces of old shirts in it. Bits from just about every other project I have ever done - if there was a scrap I saved it is probably in here. Plus, those orphan, and experimental blocks now have a home.

Since I will do this "quilt as you go" fashion, there will be some sashing and borders. I am as yet undecided what I will use for that. Batik? Solids? another print? And what oh what will I back it with??? Stay tuned and we will find out. I am sure I will be as surprised as you are.

Big and Scrappy

I am still working on that surprise quilt and I expect I will be for a while yet. I thought I would show you some blocks for another section of the quilt.

First is the HUGE block. I just kept adding pieces to this until it was large enough. It is 18.5 and will finish out at 18 inches. This means that I will be doing lots of work in multiples of NINE.


(you can click on these pictures to go to my Flickr photos and see them larger)

I decided to be "less ambitious" (ha ha) and just make 9.5 squares. After all, I have a square ruler in that size. It makes life easier. PLUS the string squares are also that size so it will all fit together for a really "busy" patchwork quilt.

So here are a couple of 18.5 blocks made from the smaller units.



As you probably noticed, there are some smaller blocks incorporated into the units. There is a paper-pieced tulip block that I messed up on. Hey it works fine in this!
There is also some curved piecing that was made just playing around. I cut it down. Don't be surprised if the other pieces of it show up later.

To photograph these I made a temporary "design wall" by hanging some batting over a door. That is why my squares don't look square. I promise that they are. But even if they aren't -wonky is definitely allowed in this quilt.

This is a NO RULES quilt and it is a lot of fun. You should try it. If you do, let me know and be sure you post a picture of it somewhere so I can see it.

Strip Surprise

I assume you have discovered Quiltville, Bonnie Hunter's website. I find lots of inspiration there, as well as anywhere I can find it. After seeing all that Bonnie does with Strips, Crumbs and other small dabs of fabric, I saw somewhere else about strip piecing on a foundation. So I made a lot of squares (also here) Now I am putting them together. I am planning a surprise quilt - unless the surprise-ee is watching my blog. (I don't think so, I think she will be very surprised!) Anyway, I sewed sixteen of the strip blocks into this piece. Wow, I have impressed myself!



I am planning to do this "quilt as you go" style. I will make this the WIDTH of the quilt then add backing and batting and quilt it. I am thinking that this will be the UPPER MIDDLE of the quilt to make a big band of diagonal motion there.

I have more of the diagonal strip blocks left so they will work in there somehow. I also have the crumb blocks I posted earlier.


I have a number of them made now also - not enough but I have more "scraps" to keep on making them. Those will go into this quilt too. This will be a very scrappy and colorful quilt. (imagine that! Ha ha, I don't know how to do muted) I am hoping it comes together into a lovely, artsy quilt for someone very special.