more log cabins

I'm back making log cabins this weekend. I’d already made a few blocks some time ago but I need many more. I’m love-love-loving the process and the results. When I want to relax, it feels so good to indulge in some simple sewing, and these wonky log cabins fit the bill nicely.

- up on the design wall

Loving this simple patchwork piecing just now, it's repetitive & easy ... cut, stitch, press, trim … again and again.
I'm using lots of neutral strips and muddy medium fabrics. To avoid a really murky quilt though, I'm including light lights and a selection of dark darks too... so yep, it's a bit of everything really!

One of my favorite things to do when I make a quilt is to mix up different fabric collections. As a result, there's a healthy sprinkling of Denyse Schmidt fabrics in this quilt top, along with smidgeons of gingham, Outback Wife, Kaffe & AMH, and lots of other random pieces from my scrap baskets. I love all of those busy prints all mixed in together creating a wonderful patchwork.
I'm using a vintage blue/green solid for all the center blocks, love this shade. In a wildly scrappy quilt like this, a little touch of continuity helps sort out the chaos. And my plan is to pick out a binding that also teams up nicely with the green accent colour. 

My log cabin layout was totally inspired by Jolene blue elephant stitches. My finished quilt top will be larger than Jolene's, as each of my blocks finish at 11 1/2" square. No real reason for that, it's just the way things worked out! I'm cutting my centre green squares at 2 1/2" and using assorted strip widths between 1" - 3". It seems {wink wink} that all my latest scrap quilt sewing simply generates a whole new set of scraps though! 

- but wait, there's more! 

Check back in a few days to see, Linda

stitching up every last scrap

 

- haven't found the bottom of the scrap basket yet! 

- 4patch combos, mixing florals with geometrics

- it's assembly time

I've been busy trying to use my stash for most of my sewing so far this year, trying to stitch up every last scrap of fabric goodness. 

From scrap basket to scrap quilt - precious pieces, fugly forgotten fabrics - you name it, I'm using it! I selected quite a real mix of prints for this quilt, old, new, vintage, with a few designer ones thrown in for a treat, all fabrics that would blend well together. 

While it is a scrappy 'jewel box' quilt, I also aimed for at least half of the fabrics to be tones of either pink or grey {or a pink/grey combo print}, to help give an overall cohesive look.  The process for getting the ‘right’ balance of colour & value is finally feeling right. And, I think I'll keep my eye out for a pink & grey stripe to use as binding, it could be the icing on the cake maybe. 

Linking up with Kelly for 'needle and thread Thursday' here - pop on over to check out what's going on in the quilting world!

Until next time, Linda

team scrappy

 

Making more blocks today.

This one is a real favourite project at the moment with all it's scrappy goodness.

I'm using a mix of light and dark fabrics, 

with a few mediums thrown in to give more of a blended, softer look.

I spent a bit of time faffing about getting a balance of colours, making sure all the greys are spread out. 

It all looks great when I stand back a bit, but it's hard to capture that in a photo!

So yes, I'm definitely on 'team scrappy', are you too? 

Linda

one thing leads to another

Such a fun & fast make!
The colour combo in this is delightful, there's something about pairing up the teal with the tangerine/orange that makes me smile. I'm following Rachel from stitchedincolor tutorial for my 'penny patch' quilt, a full proof pattern for sure. 

My priority was to use up those fabrics that I had cut out years ago. I added in a few other vintage-y small scale prints along the way for more variety. I had to keep in mind though, that more than half of the fabrics needed to be low volume to create that soft feel. Here's a few photos . . .

I love how one thing leads to another … as I was finishing up piecing this little quilt together … I began planning another quilt too! It started out primarily to use up the leftover pieces from the 'penny patch' fabric pull, couldn't waste 'em. Next thing I knew, I had moved onto rummaging through the scrap basket.

There's some fun value play with this. I'm using a mix of light and dark fabrics, with a few mediums thrown in to give a more of a blended look, one that fades in & out. It does create a less defined pattern, which kinda appeals to me.

I'm making scrappy 'Jacob's ladder' blocks, or maybe it's a variation called the 'jewel box' block, I'm not too sure. Jolene form blueelphantstitches recently posted her measurements using a 4patch block, I love her scrappy approach and how she explains her processes so clearly!

Et voila . . .

- a new block and an old quilt I made pre-blogging days. 

Notice the values are in the opposite locations 

AND see how clearly defined my lights & darks were using that good old cream calico!

Getting sidetracked is the. best.

And it sure is a great way to use up more of those scraps too.

Until next time, Linda

on the design wall...TWICE

- original vintage inspiration 

To my mind, a scrappy quilt can either be one made from actual scraps or one that’s made with lots of different fabrics to give that scrappy look. And look what I found today... all stuffed into a brown paper bag... lots of different fabrics all cut out in squares and little four patches, all looking sew scrapalicious! Lots of colour & pattern play just waiting to be stitched up.

I'm sure some of you will recognise what I was planning to do with these, years ago. Yep, the 'Penny Patch' quilt  using an excellent tutorial by Rachel @stitchedincolor, inspired by that vintage quilt. I remember loving Rachel's "colour recipe" for a low-volume quilt with two main colours of aqua/teal with soft tangerine orange and one pop of coral red colour.

Jolene from blue elephant stitches has also made her 'double four patch' version of this too, "it's a simple pattern that is almost no fail". I love how she plays with value and has a wonderful scrappy vibe happening at the same time. 

And, Hydeeann from splishsplashstash has a thoughtful post about fabric selection and placement of fabrics in Rachel's wonderful pattern. 

- on the design wall June 2016 

- AND again May 2021

No idea why I didn't continue, but these blocks are up on the design wall for the second time. I think I need to forget current projects just now and get this long-standing WIP crossed off the list, yes?

Linda