February Scrap Quilt Challenge
I have a list of quilts that I've been wanting to make so this challenge is the perfect time to start making them. At my January Sewcation I started working on my February Scrap Quilt. I used Victory Findlay Wolfe's 5 Sided Acrylic Templates, the small size, to make the squares and circles in my quilt. Each pieced block starts with fabric cut from the template and I used the same fabric for all the block's centers. The first round of fabric strips was the same pink fabric so the centers would have a more cohesive feel. In her book, 15 Minutes of Play Improvisational Quilting, I was inspired by a quilt she featured. The circle blocks were just something the "happened" when I was making the square blocks. After making a pieced shape I cut the 8-1/2" circles using my die cutting machine. The circles were machine appliqued to the background square of white Kona fabric.
To start I cut a pile of strips from my scrap fabrics. After I made the center starter shapes I continued adding strips to each of the 5 sides of the center shape until my piece was large enough to trim down to an 8-1/2" square or for cutting my circles. Although this technique has been around for a while I like starting with a center shape cut from the template.
I have seen blocks in quilts that look like they are strung like beads so I added sashing strips with black fabric. Each row is alternating between squares and circle blocks. I really love this quilt. It makes me "sew happy"!
A note about "scraps" - Quilters define scrapes in different ways. Some say scrapes are small little pieces of fabric left over after making a quilt block. Some define scraps as any size pieces of fabric left over after making a quilt. While other quilters define scraps as any fabric that is NOT planned for a project but must be used. Here's how I describe scraps. Fabric I have left over after making a quilt, fabric that I purchased because I just liked it and wanted to add it to my stash and the other category of scraps I have are orphaned fat quarters and pre-cuts.
At the start of my challenge I gathered all my orphan fat quarters and left over yardage and cut a variety of strip widths. I'm working through this stack of strips and making as many quilts as I can out of these wonderful bits of fabric joy. Check back to see all my scrap quilts as I stitch my way through the 2019 Scrap Quilt Challenge.
