stars, of the colourful kind

I have fabrics in my stash that are about maybe 20 years old. And, like many, I've been focused on using up what I have here. Hence my eclectic looking style, it's a bit mix & match, lots of scrappy colourful chaos, and finding surprises that I'd forgotten all about along the way!

I'm going with a combo of 'sawtooth stars' and 'wheel of fortune' blocks. Finding a bunch of small fabric packs from different older "tired" fabrics recently got me thinking about ways I could use them. My stash is peppered with Anna Maria prints, so I decided to use AM's "social climber" as my accents. I'm trying to bring in a bit of a colour connection between all the prints, and with lots of colour play hopefully things will really start to sparkle! 

looking for those colour connections ...

and then there were four ...

Recipe for when you receive repurpose find a bag or two of “tired” scraps ...

 mix in some accents 

and add in deliberate setting triangles or sashings.

Nearly there! 

sidetracked, again!

My recent tidy-up of scraps +stash has offered up a sprawl of possibilities, 

I bet your stash does too.

One good thing about a sort out is sometimes you find something you think you lost!
I knew I had a small basket of older vintage-y fabric somewhere, such a nice surprise to finally find it again. I had signed up for a 10" squares fabric pack, one a month, for nearly a year, many years ago. Occasionally there were fabrics I wouldn't have chosen but, as you know, I have a soft spot for scrappy.

If you’re anything like me, you’d get sidetracked by something you found too, yes? Initially I just started by pulling out some other fabrics that could possibly work, contemporary larger rosy florals teamed up with the older itty-bitty prints. I was going with a colourful mix & match scrappy vibe. 

I decided to incorporate them into a star quilt.

Fast forward to now and my sewing machine is back home, and I was able to just jump straight in.

Stars are a real favourite of mine✨. I just love them. They’re such a fun make, with so many opportunities to play around with colours, prints and shapes.

I'm also planning on combining my stars - inspo from @stitchesfoulweather. Lots of sawtooth stars mixed in with a few wheel of fortune blocks, both have the same sized center squares which appeals to me.

 

Enjoy the progress photos ...

Five #sawtoothstar blocks so far

This 2nd block is called the #wheeloffortuneblock - tutorial can be found at @fabric406 

Yes, I like where this is going💕

Linda

fabric everywhere

 

 *backyard bouquet inspo

Hello, hello. As I was cutting all those strips for my courthouse steps blocks (see my last post), I was going to tidy-as-I-go. But then it struck me that these fabrics were way too pretty to tuck away again quite so quickly. So, I also started cutting out 10" squares if the piece was big enough. 

I decided I'd make traditional broken dishes blocks in a bunch of fun bright fabrics in an effort to use up more of my stash. Inspiration for the quilt and *colour palette from Amanda at prairie quilt co.

I have heaps of cut out squares but only one block finished! 

Because sadly, everything came to a screaming halt. I had to take my sewing machine into the repair shop to be serviced and hopefully get the clunky sound in the bobbin repaired.  

Without my sewing machine here, it was time to start tidying up the sewing room. There's fabric everywhere at present - overflowing baskets, random fabric stacks, messy fabric spaghetti piles of leftover strips ...

... I'm in my happy place, 

sifting & sorting through this sprawl of possibilities

🌟

colour splash

As you know, I started working on a scrappy courthouse steps block quilt this month as a way to “use up” my scraps. The courthouse steps block is a real favourite one of mine, I've made a few now.  And I've been enjoying an hour here & there to work on this WiP, stitching one block a time. 

I'm using a bright & pretty scrappy mix of fabrics, ones I've had for a while. There's a combo of floral RRS, Rifle Paper Co. & Heather Ross for the main fabrics, with coordinating blenders. I love how each block gets its own moment. No overthinking it. Just a big splash of colour & contrast.

Love making something colourful & (potentially)useful out of leftovers in the stash, don't you? 

Linda

little scraps big possibilities

The past couple of weeks I've enjoyed lots of time to sew without worrying about sharing anything, so this post is a bit of a catch-up. I'm right in the middle of multi project tasking, using up lots of little scraps, which of course = a messy sewing room!

Pictured here is what I’m currently working on: a new start, a finished quilt top, and I'm collecting fabric & planning the beginnings for another quilt, and lastly, a fabric stack. 

✂️And here we I go again, many scrappy trips around the world ...

fabric collection: my stash

I’m just playing up on the design wall, as my obsession interest in the versions on the trip around the world design continues. Trying to use up a few tone-on-tones as well as my florals! It's got a sort of vintage palette I think – dusty mauve & blues, with soft pinks, toasted caramels, and green.

✂️meanwhile, from design wall to finished quilt top

This is my limingtonquilt, a modern spin on a Trip Around the World quilt ...

quilty details:
Limington quilt, pattern by seaminglykate
Fabrics: My recipe was simple - scrappy light backgrounds + a selection of similar valued prints + one accent fabric. I've downsized it a bit, going for a throw-sized quilt.

✂️ a few progress pics of a new WiP 

I need a bright, pretty quilt for a special little someone. It's getting a bit tight with some of my leftover pieces, so I am having to join a few strips to get the required length, but it's all ok. 

Anyway, one scrappy pile of fabrics & and a few trial blocks later ...

✂️and a last bit of brightness for you this week

No plans for these fabrics. Yet ...

lots of little scraps, big possibilities

until next time, Linda

mix and match

Atticus, by Jennifer Jones @penelope handmade, is a mix and match quilt pattern. I've wanted to try out the mix and match step for a while, where the blocks are simple, with lots of repetition, and you use fat quarters to create a scrappy look that feels intentional rather than chaotic.

I didn't have a complete FQ bundle though, where everything works together and looks cohesive before the sewing even starts. Still, it's all ok. 

Fabric collection: my stash. I’m really a "print person" and a mix & match pattern gives me the creativity to pick my favourite fabrics and have them in a quilt.

As most of my stash comprises of leftovers & chopped up FQs these days, using each fabric three times in three different positions didn't always work either! So, if when I ran out of one fabric, I simply substituted with a similar value & colour.

 

I'm mostly using pinks & oranges with a sprinkling of blues and just a little rogue pop of black & pink floral, demure it is not! My constants are a light 4 square inner segment and those little Anna Maria "stamped" black centre squares.  

anyways, the BIG decision now was ... to sash or not to sash?

I went back & forth all week. 

Atticus-with-sashing gives just a little breathing room, but without

... it's colourful & extra patchworky✅

until next time, Linda

pink & orange

 pink and orange ... yes please!

pattern: Atticus quilt by Jennifer Jones @penelope handmade
fabrics: this is a mix & match pattern using a FQ bundle for the 18" blocks and strip piecing for an easy sew. Layout options are a personal choice, with light sashing & cornerstones this quilt reflects a more "modern" balance, without, it's got a very scrappy patchwork look. Actually, I think either way is really lovely, see last pic ↑.

a few progress notes: I have my accent fabric sorted. And I have enough of the light print for those inner centre segments and for sashings too if I decide to go that way.

However, most of my stash comprises of chopped up FQs these days, so I don't have any full FQ bundles of anything really to mix & match. BUT I did have a 10" Layer Cake - paisley rose fabrics by @cmanningsews - a very pretty collection. So, I'm going with a (homemade) bundle of colour curated around my layer cake, repeating a few fabrics where possible for a cohesive look. Luckily there were a few double ups in the layer cake, which was helpful!

And because strip piecing isn't an option for me this time, I'm happily stitching up square by square, one block at a time, cobbling together what I have here. Only 6 more blocks to go!