Scraps, Strips, and 2 1/2 inch Squares

A few weeks ago I started working on a "strings quilt" and went though a small pile of  strings that my wife put in a small basket.  I had 2 large plastic containers of "Scraps" in my stash and since I want to do a large project with 2 1/2 inch squares more or less a rainbow.  Any way I have been going though the bins and I have made a small dent in the pile.  I now have the gallon size bag of strips for my strip quilt above and I have tons and tons of 2 1/2 inch squares.  The ones on the left below are sorted by colors and the ones on the right still need sorting.  Note this pile does not include the leftovers from my Gray and Orange quilt (or the Orange + quilt).  Though there are a number of new grays on the bottom right of the not sorted stuff to add to that.

The amazing thing is I still have too much to go through, this is what is still left in my "Scraps" basket below.  I think it will take me another month of cutting to go though it all.  Maybe I will have to make some string blocks again this week.  But then again, Tanya plopped a new quilt she basted on my desk and told me its ready for the "Quilting Fairy" to quilt it.

Twisted Around

The other night I told my wife that I was finally going to use my twisted ruler.  I bought the ruler a year ago, with the desire to make a wall hanging or quilt with this pattern as I find it enjoyable.  Being scared of the weird shape, it has set in a box all that time without being used.  Well I am finally turning over a new leaf and doing things that scare me.

On other notes of things that can sound scary, last Thursday was our January meeting for the SLMQG and they elected their new  board of officers for the next year.  You say that does not sound scary.  My thoughts exactly when I walked into the meeting. When I walked out I was thinking other things.

Here is the Board as it was Elected.

President: Colleen Molen
Vice President: Marci Warren-Elmer
Secretary: Sarah Oviatt
Treasurer: Rachel McPhail
Historian: Brooke Johnsen
Web Content: Richard Healey
Charity Coordinator: Barbie Mills

Yes you read it right I am on the board.  I am excited in the sense that I guess that means I have been accepted as a male quilter. I am also nervous because now I need to step up and do a job that makes me nervous.  Not that I don't have the skills.  I am a programmer first and know my way around some web content.  I am nervous that I now have some responsibility and can't let them down.

So I like to have a question in almost all posts I write.  My question for today is have you ever served on a Quilt Guild Board and if so what position and tell me about it so I know what to expect.  If not a quilt board have you ever served on any board for a group or organization and if so same question.

Any way I need some encouragement and advice.  I guess I need to step up the modern game a bit more to fit in better.

Oh and if you don't think I am in enough trouble with just the board stuff check out this video of Julia walking.  Julia has improved her talents.

Rainbow Quilt

 Posted by Tanya.

The simple rainbow crib size quilt out of mostly non floral prints from Ticklish line by Me & My sisters is done.   This was a very simple quilt, basically 2 rows of 10 4.5 inch blocks of each color.  I pieced the top, basted it, and made the binding and my wonderful husband quilted it and bound it.

I really like the  way it turned out. It is one of my favorites.  It has a light pink minky back.

Unlike many quilters, we use a cotton batting plus the minky.  It makes for a heavier quilt, but also seems to make it easier to baste and to keep the minky from stretching/shifting.


 The binding was done using a rainbow stripe leftover from all of our Twirl quilts.  This quilt has been added to our Etsy store, as Julia has way too many quilts, at least until she is a little older.

http://amyscreativeside.com/2013/05/17/bloggers-quilt-festival-baby-quilts/

My Orange and Gray Needs a New Name!

On the left is my Completed top on the right is my pattern.  I have made a PDF pattern for this.  One of my big goals this year is to share more of my patterns.  Like the last pattern I would like comments either good or bad.  I will not take a critical comment bad.  I want to improve my patterns and I want comments from those interested.  This pattern can be found here.

Ingredients:

5 – 2 ½ inch squares in 33+ colors.

1 ¾ Yards for background color.

1 ½ Yards for the quilt back.

1 ½ Yards batting.

½ Yard for binding.

Instructions:

Begin by gathering the 33 colors for you plus blocks. I suggest 33+ as when you are putting them together you may not like the colors that are getting grouped together and I would rather have some options to include or exclude a color depending how it looks. For my quilt I choose Orange, Yellow, and Red as my primary + blocks with Gray as my Background block. Other ideas would be pink and Grey, purple and gray, black and whites. I personally am a fan of orange and have more then 40+ different colors so that was my pick.

Start by pining your 5 colors into stacks (just to keep you from misplacing them) throw them into a pile. Now grab 3 that you think would work next to each other and start laying them out on your sewing table or design wall. I used the above image as my guide for laying them out and I laid out just the Oranges (not the gray's) first making about 4-5 rows at a time and then sewing them together into strips. To make things go faster I chain sewed 2 side by side blocks then the next 2 for 4 or 5 rows worth. Then took the pairs of 2 and laid them back out again to make sure they were still all in the correct order. Then I sewed pairs of 2 blocks etc tell I had full rows.

I then started sewing gray blocks together in the same fashion (looking at the image as a guide) then sewed them on each side of the rows. I then ironed each completed row and then sewed the rows together in pairs etc. Eventually you get done with the quilt top.

Baste and quilt as desired. My plan is to echo quilt each seam. This will make a 36×48 inch quilt which would work as a great baby size, smaller lap quilt or even a wall decoration.

Oh last but not least I need a good idea for a name for this quilt as Orange and Gray just wont cut it.!

More Christmas Gifts Ready

You are most likely thinking I am early for next Christmas.  That is not the case, I am behind on last Christmas. Some of these pillowcases are gifts for Tanya's Step brother and sisters kids.  Though Tanya did manage to get a few also listed on our Etsy Store  The Perry below is one, as well as the Dr Suess.

You can buy this one here.

You can buy this one here.

So what the heck is this bag of stuff?  I have been going though all our scraps looking for more strips for my strip quilt and I can't help but turn any scraps that are bigger then 2 1/2 inches into blocks.  You will see many quilts this year with 2 1/2 inch blocks.  I have hundreds and hundreds of them now cut out.  What to do with them? I don't know, time will tell though.