Starbound Quilting And Tiny Scrap Sort Progress

Hello Quilty Friends! Just a quick update on my quilting progress since our last chat. A little over half of the Starbound quilt is finished, and since it’s entirely ruler work, it’s taking a bit more time. I’m hoping to have it off the frame by Thursday evening. You can find more details on this quilt and pattern by clicking here.

I spent a couple of days bouncing between quilting and sorting tiny scraps. I dumped them all onto the cutting table, thinking I’d cut them as I sorted....bad idea. There are way more one inch and larger pieces than I expected. So, they’re now sorted into “trash” and “keep” piles, and I’ll cut them little by little as I find the time. I’ll keep you updated on how long it takes.

This scrap bin had a few surprises, I found some applique circles and simple applique leaf shapes. I’m pretty sure they ended up there by accident, since I never throw away applique scraps. Of course, I added them to my applique scrap box. By the way, if you’re curious about making perfect circle appliques, I have a picture tutorial and a video tutorial you can check out here.

I was shocked at how much fabric was larger than one inch. Cutting them into usable pieces is going to take some time.   Sure, I could just toss it, but…sigh…the battle between me and the tiny fabric hoard is real.

Which do you think has more fabric, the keep pile or the trash? I considered weighing them on the kitchen scale but decided it didn’t matter. Regardless of how much the keeper box weighs, the cutting journey is going to be long..

The pretty little fabric scraps are in the trash. It’s hard to let them go.....sad but true. I’m emotionally attached to them. If you’ve ever seen the show Hoarders, that’s me when it comes to fabric. Just looking at this picture makes me want to go rescue them. 

Scrap Saver System ~ One Inch?

Starting a fabric scrap saver system takes some thought, and it should fit your quilting style. What’s my style? I’m not really sure. I just know I love fabric and quilts. I do know I’m drawn to bright fabrics...think of a box of crayons without the black and brown. And with fabric prices always climbing, I like to hang on to every bit, because sometimes those tiny scraps turn out to be surprisingly useful.

For my scrap system I'll be cutting the strips and squares 1", 1.5", 2", 2.5, 3", 3.5", 4.5", 5" and 6.5". 

Wide backing fabric scraps will not be cut or put into the scrap saver system unless they are less than 5" wide.  The way I see it those larger long pieces of fabric can be pieced into a wide backing.

 This post was inspired by Carol.  She commented on my last post which was about cutting fabrics for my new scrap saver system.  She wanted to know what I planned to do with the 1" strips.

Well, years ago I made the quilt below with 1" squares. They were scraps from my Promenading Tulips quilt.  It was a spur of the moment thing, I didn't plan to use them until I saw all the cute little scraps on my cutting table and thought, "they are too pretty to put in the trash".

Around the same time, I made this mini Ocean Waves quilt, also scraps from the Tulip quilt. The HSTs were created using the flippy corners method. This mini quilt is currently in storage, and I don’t want to dig it out to check the finished size of the HSTs, but judging by the cutting mat in the image, they appear to be about 3/4" finished.

I enjoy working with tiny fabric pieces now and then, but not all the time. The quilt below was also made using leftover flippy corner scraps.

And let’s not forget applique. The center of the flower shown below is smaller than half an inch, so as you can see, small scraps are definitely a good thing for me.

We took the long way around to answer Carol’s question, but the truth is I only have one project in mind that uses 1" strips...the OMIGOSH quilt pattern by Sue Garmen. I bought the pattern 2-4 years ago but haven’t been brave enough to start. The quilt finished size is too small for my taste, I prefer large, bed sized quilts. So, using her pattern, I did the math to make more blocks. Looks like I’ll need to start saving a lot more scraps—probably about two years’ worth! HAHA!

Now it's confession time.  I save pieces smaller than one inch.  However, in the last few years I've limited myself on what I can save.  Not every tiny scrap is saved anymore.  Rules have to be put in place for fabric hoarders like me.  My rule is... I can save it if it will fit in this drawer.  As you can see its pretty full and there's quite a few 1" strips.  Hmmm....if I add them to the scrap saver system it would free up space for more tiny bits of precious fabric in this bin!

It's been a while since I last dug through it ...so while I got it out I had to dump it and take a look.  Notice the TINY pieces less than 1".

Oh, what the heck I deserve a little playtime, let's dump it all!

This picture lets me know the hoarding isn't quite as controlled as I like to think. HAHA!

Smooshing it down so it will fit back in the rolling cart.  Looks like there's more room in there than I thought!  Yah!

EDIT This post was written on Wednesday morning and was set to publish on Friday.  Well Thursday morning I woke up, walk past the sewing room and saw the scraps of a fabric and made a major decision.

I think it's time to let go of anything less than 1".  I don't know what happened while I slept but if you're reading this, I'm still feeling the same.  The tiny scraps need to go.  

The way I see it now is...there's more fabric in my sewing room than I could possibly use in my lifetime.  Should the need arise for itty bitty pieces of fabric I can cut them from larger pieces of fabric.

So, it's settled.  I'm going to start purging this drawer and putting what I can into the scrap saver system. It's going to take a day or two (maybe more) to sort through this bin, press and cut anything 1 inch or larger.  

 By doing this I'm bending my own rule for the scrap saver system which was to only process fabrics from current projects. 

Up to this point my scraps have been sorted by color and stored in drawers under my quilt frame. For years I thought it best to leave them as they were until I had a plan for them. To process all of them into a scrap saver system would be overwhelming.   

 

  About 10 years ago I started cutting my scraps using Bonnie system, but it quickly became scary and overwhelming.   My plan now for these bins is to never add new scraps to them but gradually try to work them into the scrap saver system as I make quilts from them.

Why the big shift in how I feel about fabric scraps?  A YouTube channel called From Small Things.  I've been watching her channel since the first video was published, about a year and half ago.  And in that year and half she has swayed my opinion on the scrap saver system and how to best use your scraps without being overwhelmed or having way too much of them. It'll take a few years (if ever) for me to get to where Sue is with her system but I'm going to give it shot.

Scrap Saver System Reboot ~ Quilting UFO Scrap Quilt

Back in May, I decided to start a scrap saver system...again. The picture below was taken on May 3rd. I’ve tried this before but quickly became overwhelmed because I have so many scraps. This time, my plan is to cut only the scraps produced from current projects, with the exception of blue jeans and flannel shirts. My husband’s holey old flannel shirt has been waiting nearly a year to be taken apart, and I finally tackled it this weekend.

The picture below is what I accomplished on May 8th.  There are strips and squares ranging from 5 inches down to 1 inch, along with some circles cut for the yo-yo quilt I started last year. 

The leftover scrap 3-patch units from the Purple Iris quilt were added to the orphan block storage. 

This weekend was spent cutting up the latest scraps and putting away the larger pieces that were too big for the scrap saver system.

Right now, the scrap saver system is small. The plan is to keep the scraps visible because, as we all know, out of sight is out of mind...they need to be right in front of me. That’s also how I’ve been tackling UFOs, and it seems to be working. I’ve finished a lot of them over the last two years since I started keeping them out in the open in clear containers. 

I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect clear containers while shopping. The larger one came from Meijer’s tote section, the two smaller rectangular ones are from the Dollar Tree, and the square box is an Art Bin from a Fat Quarter Shop Sew Sampler Box a few years ago.

For now, everything can fit into the larger box.

I recently picked up a clear food storage container at the Dollar Tree. It’s a bit flimsy, so I wouldn’t trust it for carrying food, but it’s perfect for holding strips of fabric.

Flannel and denim are stored separately in a drawer under my longarm frame, and it’s getting pretty full. I probably have enough now for at least two full sized quilts. That’s what happens when you tell friends and family not to throw out their worn out jeans and flannel shirts.  

With all the fabric sorted and stored away it was time to load another quilt to the frame.  

We all have our favorite part of the quilting process. Normally, anything other than the actual quilting would be my favorite. But for some reason, I’m on a roll and really enjoying the quilting itself right now. While I’m in the mood, I might as well keep going. So yesterday, I loaded another quilt on the frame, and right out of the gate had to spend a little time with Jack the Ripper. At least I caught the error early. This little mishap didn't discourage me in the slightest.

Not too long after the mishap it was time to shut down the sewing room for the day.  So, I took a quick look at what I had completed.  Looks pretty good except for one little missed piano key. 

 Today is going to be a busy day with little to no time for quilting so I stuck a pin in it as a reminder.

Posies and Pinwheels ~ UFO Finish

Today's UFO quilt top finish is a quilt made with the scraps of the quilt in my previous post.  

Finishing at 48 x 48 makes her a great size for a baby quilt or spring table topper.  

The backing was pieced from the remaining quilt top scraps and the backing fabric I used on the other quilt mentioned above.

The pattern for this quilt came from a magazine, but the chances of still having that issue are slim since I’ve given away about half of my magazine stash. So, I just went with the first name that popped into my head and put it on a label.

A few days after making the label and sewing it to the backing I stumbled upon the image below on Pinterest. This is the second or third time this happened recently, it's kind of weird and spooks me.  Is the web paying attention or the powers that be? (insert Twilight Zone music) Anyway...Much to my surprise there was a link attached to the image.   The link went to a stand-alone pattern and in the description for the quilt was the when and where it had been published originally.  I'm pretty sure I gave that magazine to my aunt a few years ago who had just started quilting.

The name? Little Blossoms...so much cuter than Posies and Pinwheels, but by then it was too late. The label had already been made and sewn to the backing. I also realized I’d left out some appliqué, and knowing myself, it was probably to make the quilting easier.

UFO ~ Garden Lattice Quilt Finish

My, how time flies! It’s been three weeks since my last post.   I’ve been keeping busy with all the usual summer yard work and quilting whenever I could find a moment. This past Sunday morning, the Garden Lattice quilt was finally bound and tossed into the washer.

This quilt top has been waiting for years to be finished. It was started in July 2012. The fabrics for the lattice part of this quilt were bought at Walmart around 2005 or 2006. The border fabric, a white on white from Joann’s, and was purchased around the same time. I kept putting off quilting it because I knew the cheap white on white fabric would probably cause skipped stitches....and I was right. I tried every size and type of needle, but nothing fixed the issue. It quilted beautifully on the other fabrics, so the skipped stitches will be part of this quilt’s story. 

It started at 64 x 86 before washing. After the wash, it shrank to 61 x 83...that's a lot of shrinkage! But it gave it the charming crinkle vintage vibe some quilters love. The photo shows the before and after, with a trusty safety pin left in place so you know you’re looking at the same spot. You’ll also notice the 100% machine attached binding.  Machine binding a quilt means I'm not in love with it and just want it finished.  

All of my quilt tops are stored with their backing fabric and binding fabrics. Most of the time they are pieced and ready to go but not always. I’ve learned the hard way to always double check the binding and backing lengths because I do make mistakes sometimes. This time, the binding was not only two widths of fabric pieces short, but it was also cut at an odd size....2.75"! What was I thinking? I don’t recall ever using anything wider than 2.5". Thankfully, I checked and had more than enough scraps stored with it to cut more at that unusual size.

The backing fabric was the scraps of the pink and blue fabrics in the quilt top. I hadn’t pieced them together for a backing, and it wasn't enough to cover even half the quilt. So, I dug into my yardage stash and found enough of one fabric to use instead. The pink and blue scraps will come in handy for the next quilt top I plan to quilt. It too was made from the same fabrics.

 I named this one Garden Lattice because I’m not sure if I designed it or used a pattern, so I just went with the first name that came to mind.

Remember when I said this quilt was going to be trouble? Well, the quilting gremlins must have heard me and decided to put on a show.  About halfway through, the needle bar thread guide assembly fell apart, leading to a jarring needle break. Thankfully, it didn’t leave a hole in the quilt or cause me to wet myself. After the initial shock, I couldn’t help but laugh and think just one more problem to add to the list.   Luckily, I had spare parts ready because this had happened years ago, and I’d smartly bought two “just in case.” Now I’ll be ordering two more…you know, just in case the gremlins come back for an encore.

After attaching the thread guide, the saga continued. The needle crash threw my machine out of time, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the mischievous little gremlin haunting this quilt top. It took about two hours, but I fixed the timing and sent those pesky gremlins on their way.  

Spooly Scrumptious UFO Finish

My Spooly Scrumptious is finally a quilt after 13 years of waiting. Waiting on what? Me! For some reason, I felt this quilt deserved “special” quilting because I loved the Bonnie and Camille “Scrumptious” fabric so much.  Now for those of you who also love Bonnie and Camille fabric, you might notice a few Bonnie and Camille Marmalade fabrics in there as well.  The two fabric lines blend so well they are hard to spot.

When you spot crosshatching in the background of one of my quilts, you can pretty much guarantee I’m in full “let’s get it done” mode. My heart was all for taking this quilt to the next level with intricate, dense custom quilting, but my brain yelled, “GET REAL!” and ordered me to finish it ASAP.

Now that she’s finished, I love it just as much with the simple quilting. My original plan for this quilt was to make it a wall hanging, but it’s also the perfect size for a lap or baby quilt. Quilting it too heavily would have made it more likely to be used only as a wall hanging. Now, I or someone else has options.  

The backing and binding are made from leftover backing fabric of another quilt. I would have preferred a different fabric for the binding, but I didn’t have what I wanted in my stash, and there was plenty of the large dot so why not use it. I could have pulled the backing over to the front to bind the quilt, but I’m not a fan of that look. So, it was machine stitched to the front and hand sewn to the back.

And as always, a simple label was added to the backing before quilting. 

Even though my original vision for this quilt didn't happen she's still Truly Scrumptious to me.  The original post for the start of this quilt can be found here.

If you're curious about how I came up with the name Spooly Scrumptious, this clip from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will clear things up.

Labeling Grandma's Hand Quilted Quilt

After Grandma (my dad’s mom) passed in 2006, my mom brought home one of her quilts. It’s been sitting in her linen closet ever since, though she did take it out a couple of times because I wanted to see it, touch it, and give it a little love. When Mom passed in 2017, the quilt stayed tucked away, only coming out once until now...and that time was because of me again.

I treasure this quilt and want it to last and remain in the family. So, I brought it home for a little spa treatment and to add a label. The spa treatment is simply letting it lay flat for a while in the spare bedroom and spending a day in the sun. The sunshine helps nature air it out and gives it a gentle UV bath.

While the quilt is at the spa, let’s chat about how I make my quilt labels. I currently print them at home with an Eco Tank inkjet printer. The process is simple but takes a bit of time.

First, cut a 9 x WOF piece of white fabric, hand wash it, and let it air dry. Then treat it with Bubble Jet Set 2000 and allow it to air dry again. You can print on your own fabric without this product, but the print might wash out, especially if you’re using colors other than black ink.

Once the fabric is dry, I iron it and cut a 9 x 12 piece. The rest goes into my label-making kit box, aka a Ziploc bag. The 9 x 12 piece is then ironed onto a sheet of freezer paper and trimmed to match the paper’s size. I bought the C. Jenkins brand on Amazon a few years back, but it’s no longer made but other brands of printable freezer paper are available. A roll of kitchen freezer paper works too. Years ago I used it by cutting it to standard paper size, 8.5 x 11.

This week I had two quilts that needed labels, and to avoid wasting fabric, I decided to add one to an older quilt that didn’t have a label yet. After printing and letting them dry overnight, I handwashed them in Bubble Jet Rinse and let them air dry.  

I design my labels using a free program called Inkscape, which is similar to Adobe Illustrator but free to download and use. I learned to use it while creating quilt patterns to sell. Google Docs is another great free option for making labels, though it can only be used online.

After cutting the labels apart, I use templates made from freezer paper or heat resistant quilter’s template plastic to press the edges under with a little starch and a quick press. I keep these templates stored in my quilt label kit.

I use small dots of washable Elmer’s School Glue on the back of the label around the edge to secure them to the back of the quilt while hand stitching them onto the backing. If I'm labeling a new quilt, the label is machine stitched to the middle of the backing fabric before quilting.  This makes sure it can never be removed without removing stitches.  

Now that the label is in place, let’s take a closer look at Grandma’s quilt.

My grandma had only a 3rd grade education and was nearly illiterate, with handwriting and spelling that were hard to read. Still, she was a talented seamstress who made many of her family’s clothes. After her kids moved out, she got her first real job at a cabinet making factory, where she worked until retiring at 65. She began quilting in the 80s, without using a rotary cutter or patterns. In the late 90s, my dad gave her a couple of quilt books and a quilting hoop. I’m not sure if she could read the books, as some of the strict rules of quilting didn’t seem to appear in her work...more on that later.

This quilt is not perfect but it's gorgeous in my eyes.  The hand quilting blows me away because I can't hand quilt, well I can but it's not pretty.

The feathered wreath above was likely drawn using a template, or at least that’s my guess. As I examined the quilt, I noticed pencil marks she had cleverly tried to hide with the quilting.

The stitches aren’t the best, but they’re not the worst I’ve seen either. The hand quilting is better than mine, so to me, it’s gorgeous!

Nearly all the points are lost in this quilt, which makes me wonder if she knew about the 1/4" seam allowance in quilting. Since she was first a seamstress and then a quilter, I’d bet she used either a 3/8" or 5/8" seam allowance.

The binding is machine stitched to the back and then hand stitched to the front, which is the reverse of the usual method. As shown in the picture above, it’s too wide, and there are no mitered corners on either side. This suggests she cut and attached the binding one side at a time.

The back has a few clues and quirks. One of the first things I noticed was a small spot that might be blood. The only way to know for sure would be to put a little peroxide on it, but I’d rather not. I prefer to think it’s just something she left behind on the quilt while working. The arrows point to thread knots, which she apparently didn’t know to tuck into the fabric. There are two different kinds, the green arrow shows what looks like a hand tied knot, probably how she finished off the thread after quilting, while the red arrow points to the kind of knot you make by threading a needle, wrapping the thread around a finger, and rolling it between your fingers to form a knot.

The backing is made of two pieces of muslin and a narrow strip of pieced poly cotton at the very edge of the quilt. It seems she miscalculated and ended up short on backing. We’ve all been in that situation once or twice...well, I know I have.

Along the middle seam, there’s a strange red thread running the entire length. At first, I thought it might be a stray thread, but how could one go from the top of the quilt to the bottom? Maybe it’s part of the selvage? It feels thick, and I’m stumped. I could take apart a bit of the seam to find out, but it’s not worth the effort. Instead, I used a small crochet hook to pierce the fabric and try to grab the red thread. It’s attached, so I couldn’t pull it out, but I was able to reach the batting...it’s polyester. 

I enjoyed spending some quality time with Grandma's quilt. She'll be going back to Dad this week for safe keeping, but maybe one day she'll come home with me for good.

Quilt #2, the one Mom and I made together, needs a new label. The original is starting to fade since I didn’t use the Bubble Jet Set 2000.

More about this quilt can be found here.

Quilt #3 was my Pocketful of Starlight.

More about this quilt can be found here.