Designing A Quilt Around Scrappy Ugly Quilt Blocks

When quilt blocks don't fit into my dress right dress style of quilting, it can be challenging to make them into a quilt.  There are only two options for the final quilt.

1. Add more chaos with a variety of fabrics.

2. Let the blocks shine by adding one or two fabrics.

So, it was time to put EQ8 to work.  My first thought was to calm the nine patches by using them in the center of a star block.  The star points and background fabric would slow them down a bit.

I liked the idea but reminded myself this was to be a quick finish for some old scraps.

Then came the compromising.  I could frame them each with a different color fabric.  It would add a little chaos but at the same time slow down the chaos of the nine patches.

It was a cute idea, but I really want them set on point to make the quilt as large as possible.  So, it was back to the drawing board to set them on point with scrappy frames.  This one made me smile until...once again realizing I didn't want to dig through fabric scraps.  I want quick and I'm wasting time playing in EQ8. Let's just keep it simple!

One last simple and easy quilt set on point to get my cutting measurements from EQ8.  With this simple design the digging for fabric is reduced to two pieces of small yardage from my older stash.  They could be any colors but chose blues because I know my blue stash is large.

A couple of minutes digging in the stash and I'm ready to start cutting.  I could have already had this quilt top together had I used the K.I.S.S. plan...keep it simple stupid.  Oh well, I'm back on track and ready to get to work.

 Both of these fabrics are very thin and probably from the 1980's or 90's. I think they were purchased at an estate sale haul.  The light blue fabric doesn't have a selvage.  The navy blue has a little information but no date like some older fabrics.  They both have an odd feel to them, making wonder if they are not 100% cotton.  A burn test would let me know but I don't care if it's cotton or not, I'm using it!

In no time the quilt was starting to take shape.

It's not the most beautiful quilt but it's sure to add some warmth to someone.

Now to deal with the remaining scraps.  By the way the circle cropped photo is hiding a not so pretty mess of fabrics on the floor..HAHA! 

The day ended with all the scraps being trimmed into usable strips.  These will be sewn together and used in the quilt backing. I'll dig for that fabric later using the K.I.S.S. method and reminding myself ugly fabric that doesn't really match is okay.

See you soon!

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The End Of Chaos Quilt

 Hello Quilty Friends!  It's time to pick a project from the project cart.  I'm in the mood for something quick and easy.  That means the top shelf with the mini baskets blocks is out.

The lucky winner is shelf #2, the basket of scraps.  This will be the last quilt made with these scraps.  I've made 3 other quilts over the years.  You can find them here along with the story behind the ugly duckling scraps and the name "End of Chaos".  Hopefully a little TLC and creativity will turn them into a beautiful swan...HAHA!  That's the real challenge!

The fabrics are very cheap and flimsy making them hard to work with.  But I'm up to the challenge and can't wait to finally use the last of them.  To keep it quick and easy they will be made into nine patch blocks.

I thought I would be able to make nine patches without needing to rip a few seams, but I was wrong. 

Even with ripping seams the nine patches came together quickly. Within an hour, 12 nine patches were on the design wall.  As you can see, I'm thinking of setting them on-point.

There are a few scraps left.  Maybe they could be used for the backing, binding or quilt label.  Only time will tell.

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Friday Finish ~ Cabin Fever

Hi Quilty Friends!  This quilts over the top quilting might be a bit too much for this simple lap quilt (52 x 66) but sometimes a gal just needs to quilt something to death.

About halfway through the quilting, my machine started shredding the top thread.  At first, I thought the issue was the cheap stiff backing fabric. After many shreds and unpicking stitches, it was time to investigate a little more.

The checklist for shredded top thread is long, it could be anything from tension to machine issues.  Of course, I started with the simple fixes like tension, thread path, new needle, new bobbin, and cleaning the machine.

When none of those things fixed the problem I dug deeper, which meant machine issues.  The first machine problem check was the needle position.   What I found was the needle bar had shifted ever so slightly to the left, causing the needle to touch the hook in the bobbin housing.

Adjusting the needle bar sounds hard but it's not too bad.  The hardest part is the very tiny adjustment needed. It took a couple of adjustments to get it just right and back to quilting.

One of the perks of owning a cheap, no bells and whistles machine is that I can work it myself.  In the 14 yrs of using my Bailey Home Quilter 15, I've never needed to take her in the shop. If I can't figure out the problem, the gals in the BHQ Facebook group are very helpful.  I've also had to call the manufacturer (Chuck) a couple of times over the years. 

I was proud of myself for fixing the issue without needing assistance.  It was smooth sailing from that point forward.  It took a week of here and there stitching to get the binding handstitched to the back of the quilt.  Then once again while posting photos and a video in the Facebook group this morning I noticed the label is wrong AGAIN!  Have I made a label in the last year without spelling errors?  Geesh!  In all honesty I cursed...A LOT!  Maybe I should just make it my trademark, the quilter who always has spelling errors in the label.  This time DESIGNED is spelled wrong and I even put the wrong year...HAHA!

All that matters is she's finished and ready to be loved.  The errors on the label are not the only imperfections.  All my quilts could be plucked to death by the quilt police or a judge if I entered them into a show.  I don't need to hear from either of them to know I'm flawed human and quilter.  

This quilt was made using the free pattern, Cabin Fever.  You can find the link to the FREE PDF by clicking here.

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In Between Long Arming

My inability to work on one project at a time is no secret.  So, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear 100% of my time has not been spent quilting the Cabin Fever Quilt.  This week when needing a break from the quilt frame I worked a few other things in the studio.  First was catching up on the scrap half square triangles.

Most of these scraps were from this year's Quiltville Mystery quilt called Old Town and the binding for my Bumpkin Baskets quilt.

 I must say I'm proud of myself for not letting these get out of hand like I did a few years ago.  It's so much easier to deal with the scraps as they are produced.  

The real task will be using all of them in quilts before I die.

After debating with me, myself and I for the last week or so, I won the debate to remove Old Town from the design wall.  As I said back in March, I'm sick of looking at this one.

While pulling it from the wall I started thinking about my UFO's and how I always have about the same amount of them waiting to be finished.  I have enough UFO's to keep me busy for about two or three years but I keep starting new quilts.  The quilt on the frame is a UFO and will be finished soon and here I am boxing up a new UFO...HAHA!

Oh well, at least I'm making progress on something.  I know I whine a lot about UFO's.  And you're probably tired of hearing about my new plans for conquering them.   So, in true Lea Anne style I've come up with a new plan, HAHA!   NO MORE UFO PLANNING OR WHINING.  I'm just me working on whatever my fickle self decides to work on at the moment...well that's the plan for now.

On the WIP's cart is the mini scrappy basket quilt and the green gingham fabric for making pillow shams and curtains.  However, they are not top of my list right now.

When I started the basket quilt, I knew it was going to be a long-term project.  Cutting the low volume prints for this quilt took its toll on my shoulder and neck, so it's being set aside for a few days while I recover from being an old lady.  And as for the green gingham shams, I might work on them. 

 Right now, these scraps are screaming for attention.  So, I'll be working with these when I need a little sit-down time away from the quilter.  You can read more about these scraps here and here.

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