Scrap Basket in the Fall 2015 Blogger's Quilt Festival

Scrap Basket is my first entry into the Blogger's Quilt Festival this fall. This quilt is one that I started a couple years ago very impulsively with a very tiny germ of an idea!

Scrap Basket

The ideas for this quilt seemed to build, change and merge until somehow I ended up with this. So much more than I could ever have imagined at the beginning!

A closer look at the centerpiece

I loved being able to finally incorporate the rolling stone block pattern into one of my quilts and in such an unexpected way. The color combination of this quilt was something that I found myself really pushing and pushing in an effort to make the centerpiece come alive. That red ABC fabric is great fun to use as a background, but it was just a bit dull. There were many fabrics that I felt the quilt needed but they clashed when laid side by side until I finally just went with my gut.

Love how the rolling stones block 'pop' and then recede

I am so in love with the 'newish' folk art look to this quilt. I couldn't even imagine doing anything other than hand quilting on this quilt, but found myself attempting some machine quilting anyway. Yeah, you all know how that ended up being a couple hours worth of seam ripper work. So... #8 Perle Cotton stitching in the centerpiece and regular hand quilting Gutterman thread in the rest of the quilt.

And another look....

After being washed and dried, it more than exceeded my expectations! All in all, I'd say this was one of the more difficult quilts I've ever put together, second guessing myself all the way. But... It was also one of the most fun quilts I've ever pulled together too. It felt exciting and 'right'. It's a ME quilt. And that's why I'm entering it into the Original Design Category.

Don't forget to check out all the other entries into the Quilt Festival! Amy does such a fabulous job with this every single year. My second entry is here if you'd like to go have a look.

A Fresh Perspective

Even though it feels that all I do lately is fret, I am closing in on a finish with my current hand quilting project. Time to pin another quilt top. I do like to stay one step ahead and quilting/color/fabric feels good. It's not like I have the brain power to concentrate on design decisions and such right now anyway. The fire is probably not any closer, but ash is falling everywhere, smoke is choking us and our view is obscured. Fires are {or have been} burning on practically every side of us. I can't even think straight.

Getting ready to pin my Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones quilt

My daughter helped me to move the dining room table out of the way and then because I was already in the mode, it was easy to pin two quilt tops. Might as well. The Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones quilt top is one of my absolute favorites because of the different fabrics and colors involved--that red number fabric for the basket background and mixed light green sashing especially.

Every now and then I make a quilt top that just seems to stand out to me as special in several ways. I'm also extremely fond of the large basket that was pieced {on a whim} with a quickly drawn template, then sewn from little bits in the scrap bin. It was actually the impetuous behind the entire quilt and I cannot believe how 'me' this quilt turned out to be. It's been needing to get in the hoop for a good long while now because it just makes me happy.

A closer look...

The quilt top below is one that I intend to do some machine quilting on--stitch in the ditch etc. After I get all that out of the way, then I will come back and hand quilt some spirals in the pinwheel blocks? I'm still contemplating ideas, but that is my tentative plan.

Mom's Color Challenge Quilt

This quilt is a Kathy Doughty pattern from the Material Obsession 2 book, but our late quilting group made it as a mystery quilt. According to the guidelines set up for us, we gathered or bought our fabric according to warms and cool, then subgroups of types of prints. I can't remember exactly now, but it seems that we had print groups of dots, plaids & stripes, geometrics, medallions, paisleys and also florals. We were supposed to pay attention to print size and try to gather a mixed selection of small, medium and large prints. It was a very interesting approach and we spent quite a lot of time playing with our fabric groupings before committing to the start of the quilt. I didn't mind selecting fabrics according to print type before knowing the specific pattern, but others found it an extremely difficult process.

A closer look...

What I balked at was using a solid white background and then trying to gather engaging {to me} fabrics to go along with it. True white feels so stark and foreign to me that I can't seem to bond properly with it. I could have used solid black {the only other option available to us} but for some reason I went ahead and decided to stretch myself a bit with the white. Good call as it's easy to get complacent within our own comfort zone and start to get stagnant. Using the white made me question some of the fabrics I was instinctively drawn to--made me wonder if they would be a bold enough choice if placed next to a solid. I've always tried to have a well balanced mix of prints in each of the quilts that I make, but making a quilt in this specific manner really helped bring attention to individual choices made color by color. It definitely solidified how truly important the details can be, reinforcing a thoughtful but hopefully, instinctive process. Hindsight makes it very clear that this quilt top has been key in how I got to where I am now in terms of choosing fabric prints for all my quilt projects.

Having said that, this quilt is not something I'm very excited about. As a whole, it doesn't feel completely like a 'me' quilt. It doesn't dazzle me, melt my heart or make me feel especially happy. Not that I'm embarrassed or ashamed of it! It just is. So.... coming back now and looking at it with fresh eyes allows me the perspective of seeing the little, tiny bit of myself that I managed to instill into the quilt--regardless of how limiting I felt the perimeters to be. That's kind of interesting because I really couldn't see it before. And it's in the finish-it-up queue now because I fully intend to be giving it away soon. Don't you think it needs to go live with someone who will more fully appreciate it? Ha  Lets see if it survives round two of August fire season first....

I Have a Finished Quilt Top!

Well, I did it. The Scrap Basket quilt has more borders whether it needed them or not. It all boiled down to (me) thinking it looked unfinished, so that is all that matters. The choices for border colors seemed a little iffy with this particular quilt, but I really wanted to extend the red out through the borders.

Scrap Basket quilt

First I added on more of the light green to finish out the look of the sashing. At first I thought I could skip that border or even go with black, but that green seemed to frame my blocks the very best. So interesting that I ended up using more of the same green that is in the basket handle. You know the one that I almost threw away so many years ago because it was on the, shhh... ugly side?

Scrap Basket quilt

More and more I am realizing that some of the oddest fabrics will be the ones that jump into a quilt and make things come alive. I'm not sure I will ever be able to say with a straight face anymore that 'I would never use that fabric in one of my quilts!' How could I possibly know what my future quilts might need?

A little closer look

This quilt has been an interesting journey from the start, making my template and scrapping my basket together from the scrap bin. Then, deciding it needed some playful applique and maybe even some freehand leaves. Being unhappy with the wall hanging size and making a plan to up-size my quilt. lol I still have to chuckle that my blocks turned out so very different from the way that I first envisioned (I was thinking they'd be more like this). All in all though, I'm very happy with what has happened here and I wouldn't have it any other way. In my opinion, it's turned out to be bright, fun, whimsical, a bit vintage looking, and very, very scrappy. I used up a lot of older odd bits of green out of my stash and mixed in some of those new fat quarters I bought in Portland last fall. What's not to like?*wink (Let's not talk about the lime green mom!)

Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones Progress and a New Border For Muddy Creek

I'm really, really liking where my Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones quilt is headed. It's so bright and zingy, yet with a darker, moody side that just makes me smile. My two youngest were super sweet about holding the quilt up for me outside where the lighting was better. I didn't even have to bribe them or anything.

Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones progress

I showed this quilt top to my mom and before it was even laid out in front of her, she was telling me that she had seen the pics on my blog (from where I was playing with the blocks) and thought it was ugly. My mom is a quilting queen so I just laughed and showed her the current progress. Uhuh. Different story now that the blocks are sewn together! I thought that might be the case.... Apparently she was really dubious about the lime green and thought I had made a major design error with that little move! Gotta love moms. She's still not sure about my ideas for border colors either--I could tell from the way she quirked her mouth as she nodded. It probably could remain sans borders, but I don't think this quilt is quite done with me yet!

Scrap Basket/Rolling Stones quilt

Muddy Creek is also moving right along. I want to keep adding borders like I did with my Basket Medallion quilt and just see where it ends up. Such a challenge to stay within a limited color range and still get very sharp looking borders.

1st border for Muddy Creek

Obviously I do like my challenges and some of the borders don't have to be quite as sharp as others, do they? I've been playing around with different colors for the next border and it's tempting to see if I can make this border sort of 'bleed' into the next one. We'll see. I'm a bit worried I'll end up with a big, mushy looking quilt that I have to hide in the back of the cupboard until my house is overflowing with overnight company though.

Just playing with 2nd border ideas for Muddy Creek

The beautiful thing about working on several different quilts at the same time is the fact that there is no rush to make a decision. As much as all the 'Finish It UP QAL's' look fun and efficient, I don't think they're for me and the way I work.*wink

Playing With the Rolling Stones Blocks and Some Fun Wins

I may not have much time in the sewing room lately, but I'm trying to make the most of what time I do have! The Rolling Stones blocks are all finished up--36 of them--and yes, even trimmed. I had to trim them to 9 1/4" which may (ahem) affect some of the outside points.

Finished Rolling Stones blocks

That resulted in some remeasuring exercises. Like about three times worth and then I still cut off too much from my centerpiece. Grrr... Only about 1/2" though. No big. Certainly not enough to try and add fabric back on. ha! Oh no. I'm going to have to fudge the dickens out all my sewing from here on out though.

Seriously though, I'm thinking I need to stay away from working on any heirloom quality quilt projects (if I actually ever had any) right about now. My mind is obviously far, far away on all the presents that need wrapped and what in the world am I making for the extended family holiday dinner on Sunday? Quilting obviously equals Avoidance around here.

Works for me! (Can't you tell from the picture below?) I stumbled upon an ingenious solution for my sashing fabric. I pretty much decided that I'm going to use up some of those hard to work with light greens in the totes. Love how it ties back in with the Scrap Basket, lightens and brightens the entire quilt plus makes me feel frugal 'cuz I'm being virtuous and shopping here at home. Always a plus this time of year.*wink

Auditioning the sashing fabric

Also, two packages arrived in the mail yesterday that felt like an early Christmas present. The first one I opened was a Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Days win from Dragonfly Fabrics. I literally sucked my breath in at these lovelies! I thought I'd be making a fun little summer/baby quilt out of these, but after seeing them in person, I think they just might be the special something I've been looking for to jazz up a stack of fabric I've been hoarding for awhile!

Dragonfly Fabrics Win

The other package had these really fun, bright fabrics from Lizzie B Cre8ive. Perfect for making a quilt for a niece or nephew! I entered my 'All Grayed Down'  and 'Vintage Reproduction' quilts in Amy's 2013 Bloggers Fall Quilt Festival and won a prize from the random drawing earlier in the fall. I had almost completely forgotten about it when I stumbled upon their site during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Days! When I checked up on my Quilt Festival win with them, the Lizzie B Cre8tive gals were super nice and sent it right out to me.

Lizzie B Cre8ive Win

First time to win a prize from either of those blog hops, but I'm saying a big THANK YOU today!

Never Let a Good 'Oops' Slow You Down

Still more to do, but yes, I continued on with the 'oops' factor. You know me, avoid the seam ripper if at all possible and concentrate on efficiency. After a little research on the Net, I realized that although this is not the classic look of the Rolling Stones block, it is not completely uncommon after all. If I wouldn't have said anything, you could have thought I did it on purpose and of course thought I was brilliant too! lol

Rolling Stone blocks

I probably should have made one block to put on the wall directly in front of my sewing machine when I first started sewing. But then I wouldn't have ended up with these. And that would have been really sad, don't you think? My daughter said the blocks look like they're falling apart which I thought was an interesting observation. I can't quite see what she does, but still, I'm liking what I see on the wall more and more. Okay, that's a bit lame. More accurate to say that I'm starting to get excited about what's on the wall! Like, when I walk around the corner into my quilt room, I have to pause and stare for awhile. That kind of excited.*wink

There is a lot scheduled for this week (basketball games, Christmas concert, luncheon with friends, picking my son up from the airport, etc.) but hopefully I will still find a few minutes here and there to sneak into the quilt room and sew a few seams. I'm actually starting to get very curious about this quilt...

Finding Time to Sew

* I am so laughing today! I flipped the inside rectangle parts on my Rolling Stones blocks and didn't even realize it at the time! Too funny. They should have a rounded appearance around the outside of the block instead of this squarish shape I ended up with. Hmm... Maybe I'll keep it like that anyway... lol

Still working on my Rolling Stones blocks. Just getting these three blocks together is very exciting although that didn't happen till almost ten last night! I just love this classic pattern to pieces and have wanted to make a quilt with them for years.

Scrap Basket and a few Rolling Stone blocks

After measuring (three times! yep, still the same numbers) and graphing things out, I decided that I'll need to take that black strip off of my centerpiece. The whole centerpiece is about 1 1/2" too short and needs a little extra so that the rolling stone blocks can be set with even sashing throughout. Oh the joys of changing my mind mid-project from wall hanging to full-fledged quilt.

All the parts ready to sew together when I have a spare moment...

I'm learning towards black for the sashing color but now I'm worried that my various blue backgrounds will disappear. But... there are several block that have black in them, I like the high contrast with black, I want this to be bold and fun, blah, blah, blah. Definitely going to have to see all my blocks before I make that decision and things are moving fairly slowly on that front anyway. I'm spending way too much time on the Internet trying to track down gifts for my children at the very best prices. We live so far out from most shopping that sometimes it's just easier to pay for shipping and be done with it. lol

Working on My Rolling Stone Blocks

For some reason I decided I was in the mood to tackle my Rolling Stone blocks this week. I think it's the colors I was wanting to play with because I've enjoyed working with these fabrics so very much.

Chain piecing

Having several projects going at once always gives me an opportunity to jump around and mix up the colors I'm working with from day to day or week to week. Even if (for example) a couple of my projects have blue in them, I will have different combinations of colors together with that blue which is refreshing and kind of 'wakes' me up if you know what I mean.

Trying to stay organized with my piecing

Chain piecing is definitely something I try to do as it seems to burn through the piecing so much faster. I have a tendency to get in a zone though, so I have to be sure and stay very organized with my book right in front of me or a finished part (or block) for quick reference.

Rolling Stone parts

I love seeing the parts start to come together even if occasionally I start to question my fabric combinations. The thing with scrap quilts is that you never really know until the end when you put it ALL together. The plan for these blocks involves putting them with my Scrap Basket centerpiece. It's all still a bit iffy as to layout, but the idea would not leave me alone.. so onward ho!

The wrong colors

These fabrics and colors seem so whimsical, vintage and modern all at the same time--a great project to work on right now as the weather wants to be gray and gloomy right at the moment. I just realized today that the center squares for the Rolling Stone blocks were cut out of the various colors instead of the background blues. *groan... That's me. Wasting good fabric because my brain refuses to think straight when I'm trying to be creative. What's up with that anyway?