Scrappy blocks

Crazily enough, there was actually some sewing in my house - I felt like getting the machine out and making some blocks. Not sure how many scrappy blocks are here, but it was nice to do a bit of stitching again.  Who knows, there might even be more soon!

 

Leaders and Enders, fail

Started to put together the leaders & enders blocks from the other day and decided I didn't like these - they look too much like a framed 9 patch, and given all the stupid triangles, etc I worked with, that kind of defeats the purpose. Will take apart these 4 blocks and try something else.

Leaders and Enders

I started these blocks a while back, but got bored of them, so I turned them into a leaders & enders project (what you stitch when you want to take something off the machine, but leave the thread going while chain piecing).  With yesterday's top completed, they got close enough to the end of the project for me to finish them up. This was helped by the fact that I'm trying to increase my movement (with being stuck inside) by getting up to go to the ironing board much more frequently than I might normally do.   Soon, I'll start putting them together into blocks, and there will be something new for a leader & ender project.

What? More sewing?

Yep.  Made some more blocks this weekend - there are actually 36 of these, with 6 of each colour (different fabrics, though) - perhaps over the coming week, where I have the week off, I'll get them assembled into a top.  It's almost like I'm actually a quilter again.

A little sewing

Yep, crazy I know. But I did actually get a chance to make a few blocks - and I have some more cut, ready to make up.  It will probably be weeks before I get to the rest, but it was nice to do a little something, for once...

Scrappy blocks

Actually spent a little time sewing this weekend - miracle! I made some blocks using scraps from my strip bag, combined with a wider strip of black (or neutral) down the centre. Not sure what I'm going to do with them now, but it was nice to cut scraps and sew fabric.

Today I sewed...

Crazy, right?  It's been a while since I've both had the time and felt inspired, but today I was looking at my scrap basket and thinking how full it was, so decided to cut some of them up (and use some already cut pieces) to make some basic blocks. I think I'll do something else with these as well, like border them in solids/tonals so they aren't nearly so busy when assembled. Maybe tomorrow; we'll see.

A few scrappy log cabins

Although most of my time this holiday week has been spent hanging around doing very little, I did finally take some time one day to make up a few blocks, using strips from my strip bag (and a few from the scrap basket). I've just gone with a generic light/dark block, rather than any colour theme (though there's a lot of navy and black in there). They'll do, I'm sure. There are 12 blocks (12" blocks) so it will make a small quilt top, which is all I need...

Block Set Update

It's been a while since I did this, but with quite a bit of activity recently, thought it was about due. These are now all the block sets I have waiting - the birds and circular flying geese will stay with me anyway, so it's not really a problem that they are still waiting to be worked with. The others are getting a lot thinner on the ground - hoorah!  Perhaps it's time to make some new sets...

Little scrappies into Bigger scrappies

These blocks are made up from 4 smaller scrappy blocks each. I had a big stack of very small blocks; with four sewn together, you get an 8" block, which is a great size.

Here's a closer view:

Block set update - April

Here's another monthly update of my progress on working on my block sets. As we head into April, this is what I have waiting around (above). 

In March, these sets were used, made into tops: 

•  8.5" Batik Chunky Pinwheels (18)

...and I didn't add any new sets or modify any others. 

So here's what's in my block stash now: 

8.5" Bordered 3 patch blocks (34)

 6.5x8.5" rectangular log cabin blocks (90)

  8" rail fence variation blocks (48)

8" string blocks (90);

6x9" birds on blue sky background (42)

4" 3 patch blocks (2 squares, one rectangle) (87) - these will almost certainly have something else done to them before being used;

12" circular flying geese blocks (9)

4.5" Christmas four patch (84)

8" novelty bordered 3 patch blocks (34)

Here's what my collection looked like last month:

Batik blocks

Made these blocks up into a top - a very long thin one. I'll add something along the sides later to make the size a bit better, but it's a nice pattern...

Block sets - March update

Here's another monthly update of my progress on working on my block sets. As we head into March, this is what I have waiting around. 

In February, these sets were used, made into tops: 

•  8.5" aqua Roman stripe blocks (30) - made into two tops
• 8" rail fence variation blocks (49) - I used 36 of these in one top, the others are still waiting (22)
• 8" brown, pink, red bordered Red Riding Hood blocks (20)

And I sort of added a set this month - or rather, I transformed part of one set into another:

• 34  of the 4" 3 patch blocks turned into bordered blocks, all bordered with novelty or multicolour prints. these will make 2 small tops, with two leftover blocks

Here's what's in my block stash now: 

 6.5x8.5" rectangular log cabin blocks (90)

  8" rail fence variation blocks (48)

8" string blocks (90);

8.5" batik chunky pinwheels (18)

6x9" birds on blue sky background (42)

4" 3 patch blocks (2 squares, one rectangle) (121) - these will almost certainly have something else done to them before being used;

12" circular flying geese blocks (9)

4.5" Christmas four patch (84)

8" novelty bordered 3 patch blocks (34)

Here's what my collection looked like last month:

Another set of blocks

This isn't a new set, precisely - I took some of the many little three patch units I have and added borders to them to make them more interesting (and larger). There are two in each pattern here, so they will make 2 small quilt tops when I put them together. I think I actually made 34 rather than 32, so I will throw a couple into my bag of orphans.

Block sets - February 2017

I showed the block sets I have waiting around to be worked on in January (admittedly, not at the beginning of January, but at the point I showed them, I hadn't done anything with them yet in 2017) - so here's an update for February of what I have waiting around to be worked on.

These two sets were used, made into tops: 

•  7" neutral bordered wonky 4 patch blocks (36)
•  6.5" scrappy rail fence blocks (48)

And I didn't add any sets this month, so there are now only 10 sets - though some of those have quite a few blocks in!  

Here's what they are:

Top left: 8.5" aqua Roman stripe blocks (30)

Top right small pics (upper):  8" brown, pink, red bordered Red Riding Hood blocks (20); 6.5x8.5" rectangular log cabin blocks (90)

Top right small pics (lower):  8" rail fence variation blocks (33); 8" string blocks (90);

Bottom left:  8.5" batik chunky pinwheels (18)

Bottom right small pics (upper): 6x9" birds on blue sky background (42);  4" 3 patch blocks (2 squares, one rectangle) (155) - these will almost certainly have something else done to them before being used;

Bottom right small pics (lower): 12" circular flying geese blocks (9); 4.5" Christmas four patch (84)

Here's what my collection looked like last month:

Lots of little neutral blocks...

Yay, there's been more sewing in my January! Here's another set of blocks which I had waiting around which has now been sewn into a top (and which will probably, in time, get a border around it). 

Squares and rectangles

...And here's one of those sets of blocks put together into a little top - the blocks were made of a long rectangle, with three squares on each side - I pieced them together alternating direction. Now it can go in the pile of Linus tops waiting for borders...

Block Sets - January

As it's a new year, and as I didn't do much sewing in the latter half of 2016, I thought this was a good time to take stock of the blocks I have hanging about waiting to have something done to them. Here they all are on my dining room table - looks kind of crazy, I know.  There are twelve different sets of blocks, though some of them have a lot of blocks and will make multiple tops. And some of them are small and may be turned into larger blocks before using.

Here they are a bit more organised - and here's what you are looking at:

Top right: 8" rail fence variation blocks (33)

Top middle: 6x9" birds on blue sky background (42)

Top right small pics (upper): 8" brown, pink, red bordered Red Riding Hood blocks (20); 8.5" batik chunky pinwheels (18)

Top right small pics (lower): 4" 3 patch blocks (2 squares, one rectangle) (155) - these will almost certainly have something else done to them before being used; 7" neutral bordered wonky 4 patch blocks (36)

Bottom right: 8.5" aqua Roman stripe blocks (30)

Bottom middle: 12" circular flying geese blocks (9)

Bottom right small pics (upper): 6.5x8.5" rectangular log cabin blocks (90); 4.5" Christmas four patch (84)

Bottom right small pics (lower): 8" string blocks (90); 6.5" scrappy rail fence blocks (48)

A bit of scrappy sewing

Despite being on holiday for nearly a week now, I haven't done much sewing. Partly this is due to being busy with some other things, partly this is due to being tired. But yesterday I finally got around to doing something - decided to have a small tackle of my scrap basket (didn't make a huge dent in that, to be honest) and make up some blocks using pre-cut squares.  These little blocks with two squares and a rectangle will be useful in combination with other stuff. They are only 4.5" square, so could be put together in fours, like below, 

or offset with solid blocks. Or who knows, something else perhaps!

Here's the scrap basket before/after - some difference, though it's still pretty full.

What to do with a charm pack, part 2

And here we have some bordered blocks from the Walk in the Woods charm pack. I didn't use all the charms, but I used the most interesting ones - the more textural ones I will use for other things, later.