That Quirky Scrap Quilt - The Low-Volume-and-Pink Version

Last month I started another Quirky Scrap Quilt (link to tutorial here). I had been thinking about making another one, and when the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild contacted me and asked if their guild could use my tutorial for a scrap busting challenge (of course!), it was just what I needed to get me off my bum and sewing.

The Plan:  I thought it would be fun to do a low-volume version with darker fabric running on the diagonal through the 4-patches. After I got cutting it turned into low-volume oranges and pinks, but I think it will be ok. I also got a bit overzealous while cutting and now it is going to be twin sized instead of throw sized.

I started pinning the squares into groups of 20 after losing track (multiple times!) of how many I had cut. Now, I am caught up with the quilt along with my fabric cut and 4-patch units sewn! Yea!

Check out the #quirkyscrapquiltalong on Instagram to see what other people are making. There are so many fun color ways. And feel free to post your pictures and stash bust along with us.

That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along) Link Up

 I finish That Quirky Scrap Quilt!  I quilted it with a very loose meandering design mostly for speed, but also because it is such a busy design I think that any detailed quilting would get lost.  It was harder than usual to keep it moving smoothly, but I figured I was just out of practice.  I think there was some of that, but it also didn't help that I had forgotten to put the feed dogs down.  !!!  No wonder it was easier to move the quilt in some directions.

I used a length of Denyse Schmidt fabric that I have had in my stash forever for the backing along with an American Jane Punctuation print.  I love the back.  My husband says that I should make quilts that are just backs - on the front and back.  

Becca came out to help "hold" the quilt.  She is the cutest little terror ever.

Now I just have to give it a wash and we will be ready to use it - perhaps not to cuddle with for a few more months - but it could make a great picnic blanket.

If you made a Quirky Scrap Quilt I would love to see it!  You can link up a picture of your quilt below.  I will leave the link open until the end of the month.

For links to all the instructions for this quilt go to this post.  Thanks!

WIP - In two color ways

This week I have been working on making some 8" quilt blocks.  I decided to make them in two different colorways.  I am liking the orange/blue/purple/brown blocks a lot more than I thought I would.  Now to add some more orange and yellow blocks!

I also basted That Quirky Scrap Quilt today.  I am going to do some simple quilting tonight (if I can find my free motion quilting foot!) and have it bound by Friday.  If you have finished (even the top) of That Quirky Scrap Quilt I would love to see in in the link-up on Friday!

That Quirky Scrap Quilt Done!

That Quirky Scrap Quilt is done!  I love it.  It is crazy and bright - the photo above is a bit washed out - and has lots of my favorite fabrics in it.

 Some close ups.

And more.

Let's plan on having a finished quilt link up on Friday August 7th.  That will give me time to get back and get it quilted and bound.  Yes, we are going to that long of a vacation - insane.  It will also give you some time to finish even if you are just starting.  Go here for links to all of the posts and instructions for That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along).

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along): Putting It Together

I almost got That Quirky Scrap Quilt top put together today but it didn't quite happen.  Just a few more seams!  When I was laying it all out on Sunday my husband noted that it was a little chaotic and (proudly using his quilting vocabulary) that there wasn't a lot of contrast in value.  He is right.  It is pretty crazy and there isn't a strong difference in value, but while that could be a real problem in another quilt I did it purposefully with this one.  I think is is going to have that quirky scrap quilt feel I was going for.

So, let's put it all together.  The quilt is 13 blocks wide and 16 blocks long.  The un-pieced 4 1/2" squares are alternated with either 4-patch, half square triangle (HST) or quarter square triangle (QST) units.  The pattern is like this:

un-pieced, 4-patch, un-pieced, HST or QST, un-pieced, 4-patch, un-pieced, HST or QST, un-pieced and so on across the top for 13 units.  Note that you can use either a HST or QST when you get to that unit.  Spread the QSTs evenly through out the quilt.

When I was laying out my real quilt I chose to have the darker squares in the 4-patch unit go in the same direction in a diagonal from bottom to top.  I also chose to have all of the darker halves of the HSTs be on the right/bottom.  It give all the crazy a dash of order.  :)

The 1st row starts with an un-pieced unit followed by a 4-patch, un-pieced, HST/QST and so on....
The 2nd row starts with a 4-patch unit and follows the same pattern across the top.
The 3rd row starts with an un-pieced unit followed by a HST/QST and so on....
The 4th row starts with a HST/QST unit and follows the same pattern across the top.

Repeat the pattern in the first 4 rows for a total of 16 rows.  You will notice that the 4-patch and HST/QST units run on a diagonal from bottom to top.

Sew units together into rows, set the seams and press towards the un-pieced unit.  Match seams and sew the rows together.

And it is done!

I will get a picture of mine posted Tuesday or Wednesday.   We are going to start driving to California on Saturday (I keep telling myself, "It will be great!" but I am not buying it), so I will put off the big reveal of the final quilted and bound masterpiece until the beginning of August.  I hope you will link up if you have been quilting along.

I hope to post now and then while we are on vacation.  We will be stopping by the Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska on our way to California.  It is about 4 hours from us and I have been telling the husband and kids, "It will be a great stopping place!"  I don't think they are buying it, but they can take a lunch and play break while I look around.  :)

My mom made a quilt for my brother and his soon-to-be wife for their wedding (the reason for the trip to CA) and I will post pictures of that too.

Actually I have a lot to post about:  the pioneer dresses I made for Emily, the sashes for the flower girl dresses, the fabric for a quilt block contest that has absolutely no difference in value again, (ugh!)...so much to write about and make and so little time!

I hope you have a great week and are able to stay cool and get some sewing time in too!

That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along): Making the Quarter Square Triangles

Well, after a bit of a delay we are back on track.  This week we are making the quarter square triangles (QST) for That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along).  (See a list of other posts here.)  We will use the twenty 5 1/2" squares we cut earlier to make the QSTs.

First, pick out the 10 lightest value squares.  On the wrong side of the fabric, draw a line from corner to corner on each of the 10 light squares.  Place each light square right sides together with a darker square.  Then, sew a quarter inch away from the line on both sides.  Cut on the line.  Set seam and press towards the darker fabric.

 

Cut in half from corner to corner perpendicular to the seam.  Switch halves with another set.  Arrange squares as illustrated.  Match seams and sew together.  Press.

Trim to 4 1/2" square.  Place the ruler so that the 45 degree line runs along the seam and the intersection in the center is at the 2 1/4" mark.  Trim exposed edges.  Rotate the block and trim the remaining sides.  Repeat to make 20 QSTs.

Now that we have made all of the 4-patches, half square triangles, and quarter square triangles we can start putting it together next week.  I think it is going to be Amazing!

That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along) - Making the Half Square Triangles

 Welcome to part three of That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along)!  Last Monday we made the 4-patch units and today we will make the 32 half square triangles units (HST).

If you have not already cut the squares for the HSTs, cut (32) 5" squares.  If you have some extra 5" charm square laying around, they are perfect for this.  Take 16 of the squares and draw a line from corner to corner on half of them.  I like to pair the light and dark colors, so I drew lines on the 16 lightest fabrics.

 Place the two 5" squares right sides together and sew 1/4" on both sides of the line.

 Set seam, cut in half and press open.

 Trim to 4 1/2" square by lining up the seam on the 45 degree line on the ruler.  Make sure the inner sides are slightly over the 4 1/2" mark and trim around the ruler.

 Rotate the HST.  Place the diagonal line on the seam and the HST inner edges on the 4 1/2" lines.  Trim the outer edges of the block.

Now you have two perfectly sized HSTs.  Repeat for a total of 32 HST units.

I have really had a fun time making this quilt so far and committing to posting instructions each Monday has made me stay focused and on task - no easy task.   (Links to all the posts can be found here.)  Next week we will make the quarter square triangles and then we will put it all together.

Linking to Scraptastic Tuesday.

That Quirky Quilt (along) - Making the 4-Patch Units

 Last week I posted the cutting instructions for That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along) and today we are making the (52) 4-patch units.  (See this post for an  overview of the quilt.)   I was worried that it would take forever to make 52 units, but they came together quickly.  (They would have come together even quicker if I hadn't 'sewn' 10 of them together without bobbin thread!  I hate it when that happens.)

First choose a light and dark 2 1/2" strips.  Having a light and dark strip isn't strictly necessary, but I want to have a distinct light/dark pattern.  Note that a fabric can be both 'light' and 'dark' depending on the other fabric it is paired with.  If you are using scrap strips of varying lengths, choose two that are approximately the same length.  Sew right sides together along the length of the strip with a quarter inch seam.

Set the seam by pressing the stitching line while the strips are still right sides together.  Then press strips open.  Do not run the iron up and down the seam because it can make the strips curve.

Square up the edge of the strip then cut 2 1/2" wide pieces off the the length of the strip.

Take two units, invert one, match seams and sew together.  You can pin the seam, but after the first 10, 20 or 30 you probably won't need to anymore.  :)

Set seam and press open.

Repeat for a total of (52) 4-patch squares.  Each 4-patch unit should measure 4 1/2" square.

 That's it for this week!  Next Monday I will post instructions for making the half square triangle units.

That Quirky Scrap Quilt (along)

I have had this quilt idea floating around in my head for awhile.  I want to make a quilt so bright, crazy and ugly that it is cool.  Like one of those quirky vintage scrap quilts.

This is my mock up.  It has squares, 4-patches, half square triangles and quarter square triangles.  It has a lot of aqua/turquoise and yellow and a bit of every other color under the sun.  The units are 4" square and the quilt is 52" x 64".  I think it is going to be awesome.  Or crazy ugly - there will be no in between with this quilt.

I want to finish this soon (goodness knows I have enough works in progress!).  So this is what I thought I would do.  I will post instructions for the quilt every Monday.  If you would like to quilt along that would be great!  If not, no big deal, but I will have deadlines for myself to finish.  Win-win.  :)

Here's the schedule:
April 27 - Fabric requirements (see below)

May 4 - Cutting instructions

May 11 - Piecing the 4-patches

May 18 - Piecing the half square triangles

June  15 - Piecing the quarter square triangles

June 22 - Setting instructions

August 7 - The big reveal! 

Fabric Requirements:
About 6 yards of scraps  (to get the "quirky" look use at least 24 different fabrics)

If you are not sure that crazy and quirky is your style, here is another layout option.

I am really loving the rainbow look - I may have to make two.  :)

To give you a feel of what size of scraps you will need, the smallest pieces for the quilt are 2 1/2" strips and the largest are 5 1/2" squares.

So this week, pull out your scraps, decide which ones you want to use and (if they are as wrinkly as mine) give them an iron.

I hope you will quilt along!