Scrappy Saturday Sewing ~ More Scrappy Irish Chain

 

Today was a good day of scrappy sewing. 

All 12 of my Block Bs are done!

Yesterday and today I made good progress on my 

Scrappy Irish Chain Scrap Along @ Coriander Quilts

Although I love all the random scrappy quilts that I am seeing in the 

Coriander Quilts Group on FB

I decided to go with my third plan for the A Block Layout

 which I posted last week in this post: 

Second & Third Scrappy Thoughts.

I really like the controlled scrappy look for this quilt.

This is my first of revised Block A.

I will need to make 12 more. 

This block plays very nicely with the alternate Block B

I need to find and cut more blue and yellow 2.5" squares 

and add them to my project jars. 

I really have to sort my scraps as the only colors that will appear in this quilt are yellow, blue, green and white and a bit of brown.  No yellow with pretty little red flowers for this quilt. I need to save those scraps for another day.

Quilty Kitty Nutmeg is continuing to be very helpful with the making of this quilt.

I have been sewing in the morning, afternoon and even late at night before sleep.

It feels good to be in my happy quilty place again. 

May you have a happy quilty weekend! 

Second ~ and Third ~ Scrappy Thoughts

 This is my Second Thought.

I am thinking of limiting my palette and

 hoping to create a secondary design in the chain.

In this layout, I have only blue, yellow and white background colors in my squares.

I have taken out the green scraps and am limiting the green 

to the single fabric in the chain borders

My First Block for my Scrappy Irish Chain 

looks maybe a bit too busy even for my "all scraps are welcome" eyes.

My seam ripper has to find that lightest green square. 

Then this block may turn into a kitty quilt. 

This is my Third Thought. 

For this layout, I also pulled the white and used dark blue in the center and light blue to yellow for the center of the chains.

I would have to cut many more dark blue scraps.

Mr. Scrapatch has already added his thoughts while walking by my cutting table and said he likes the dark blue center in this layout. Mr. Scrapatch loves blue.

I am going to make one Block B and think some more.

Which layout would you choose?

Opinions always welcome.

:) 

Back to Sewing ~ Block 1

 

My first block is done for my

Scrappy Irish Chain Scrap Along Quilt

This scrappy goodness is being hosted by Corey Yoder.

This is Block A ~1 of 13

Here are her inctructions

Scrappy Irish Chain Scrap Along ~ Part 2 ~ Block Piecing

This is a very big and busy block made of 9 rows of 2.5" squares.

I need to make one of the Block B next so I can see how my fabrics and colors are working.  Right now I cannot see the pattern.  The large neutral background center in the alternate block is really needed as a place eyes to rest.

It was good to be back to sewing.  My lovely workhorse of a Janome MC6600p is getting old.  I have sewn so many seams with her that her tension mechanism is wearing out.  I have the tension set to the max to get an even stitch.  It is one of the reasons that I took a break from machine sewing. Buying a new machine is not an option for me now.  I need to find away to get my machine working.

Overall, I am pleased with my back-to-sewing efforts so far.

Looking forward to playing with the fabrics again tomorrow.

Happy Sewing!

Hope to get another block done tomorrow. 

#IGQuiltFest2021 ~ Day 9 ~ Heirlooms

 My Grand-Darling's Favorite Quilt

#IGQuiltFest2021 ~ Day 9 ~ Heirlooms

This is the closest I can come to a family "Heirloom" quilt.

Firstly, I sew humble quilts that are meant to be loved and used and used up.

Secondly, I am a self taught quilter and never saw my mother sew.

I never saw a quilt made by a grandmother or great grandmother, so I do not know if they ever existed.  I remember being surprised at about 11 years old to find that the "telephone table" in the dining room in my mother's house when the top was folded open revealed a Singer sewing machine hidden inside. I taught myself to thread it and use it. I was amazed by this wonderful machine and started sewing my own clothes. In high school, my favorite "after-school downtown hangout" was a fabric store. I went there everyday just to look at all the beautiful colors and fabrics. I hoarded and saved my pennies and once in awhile I got to bring home a fabric treasure. 

Fast forwarding, one day when I was grown and married and getting ready to have our first child, I decided to make quilt and went to the nearest big box fabric store and bought flannel and lace and ribbon and batting.

Then I made baby quilt for my first baby without a clue as to what I was doing and then a second quilt for my second baby and they loved them to pieces. 

This was a quilt I made with scraps back in the day when I was teaching myself to quilt. It had no design.  I made it up as a went along based on the size of the scraps. At then time, I did not even know that I had a "walking foot" to try to quilt it, so I just used my regular foot and it was puckered and the "quilting lines" were not straight. Truth be told, the seams were not either.  I gave it to my daughter to take to camp, on drum corps buses and she took it off with her as she made her own life, married and moved far away. 

It lived on the sofa and was a favorite nesting place for my grand-pup.

One night when she was about three, my grand-darling took it off the sofa and off to bed with her and it became "Everly's Quilt. "

When I visited my daughter and her family in our last pre-Covid trip,

this was the state of the heirloom quilt.

The quilt was had big rips and a ragged binding for the many washings.

While my grand-darling was at pre-school I fixed her quilt as best I could. Here you see my grand-pup keeping me company on a quilt I made for my daughter that she put on the guest bed.

I was not finished the binding repair when she came in smiled at me and claimed her quilt to take it off for her afternoon rest on the sofa. I barely had to me to snip the thread so she did not take the needle, too. 

I finished it up when she went out to play

 and she happily took it off to bed that night. 

The fabrics are wearing out again and this is a hole that opened up this year.

Efforts to find a new and better quilt for Everly have not worked.

She wants this quilt.

So my daughter found a piece of scrap fabric and added more batting

 and hoped Everly would accept the changes.

Here she is studying the fix and is puzzle how the little mermaid fabric

came to be in her quilt.

Happily, she is able to snuggle in her quilt again,

 until the next time it needs a fix.

So the scrap quilt lives on 

and is loved by three generations.

If this is not a family heirloom quilt, 

I don't know what is. 

<3 <3 <3 

Time for the Sewing of the Green

These scrap squares have been accumulating for some time,
as leaders and enders,
and when I just feel like playing with my scraps.

This little scrap basket jumped off the shelf when I  saw a quilt
made with this pattern online on Saturday ...

Rainbow Rows Quilt Pattern

I immediately sought out and purchased the pattern.

I could figure this one out without the pattern,
but I try to always give credit to the designer.

So I will not be showing and telling details of this block.

Only that I am not really following the letter of the pattern.
If it is a usable scrap, it will not be left behind.

I happily had six blocks sewed up quickly.

Green rows today because it is the sewing of the green month @

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Scrappy Saturday

Happy Scrappy!