Scrap Half Square Triangle Quilt - with Text!

Although this quilt looks complicated - it's really a "two color quilt".  One side is text fabric, the other ... scraps!

Using the AccuQuilt Half Square 2" Finished Triangle die to cut all the fabrics - it was super fun sewing a HUGE pile of little squares. 

An alternative method is to rotary cut using a template like this one which I use when I snowball a corner.   This blog post explains one way to use the Folded Corner Clipper, along with some video links: HERE.

There are 1,980 pieces in the quilt top but just pace yourself, take your time - and think of this as a long term project that is something easy to pick up and leave. Or, make a small quilt just for the enjoyment of sewing little pieces fast & furious!

Make all your blocks with the diagonal going the same way - 3 half square triangles across.  Sew three rows together and start again.   (The top square in the diagram.) 

Lay 4 blocks out - rotating each one to form a 'white' or 'text' diamond in the center.  Sew together and trim to 12" x 12".

My blocks were not square due to a multitude of bad ironing habits (steam, ironing every which way, etc.) - and since I wanted the final assembly to be a happy experience and not a 'hair tearing out experience" - everything was trimmed to the same size - regardless what got chopped off! This was a fun, non-perfect scrappy quilt and definitely not a heirloom item! 

There are 30 HST units across & 33 HST units down.  With this 'design' your numbers should be divisible by 3 - since your base unit is 3 half square triangles.  Over the months (maybe years), I didn't realize how big the top was getting.  So, to finish this journey I took all the remaining misfit pieces, sewed them together with no regard to the original pattern and attached them to the sides to make things even.  Quilt finished. 

This blanket is my quilt life flashing before my eyes.  10 years of projects rolled into one quilt with a rainbow of colored fabrics softened by various text designs.  I liken this quilt to finger painting - tons of enjoyment with lots of messy bits!

Materials:

Text fabric / Scraps

AccuQuilt Half Square Triangle - 2" Finished Square-Multiples

     #55063

Backing:  Fairy Frost /  Michael Miller 

Warm & White batting 

Aurifil 50wt. thread #2311 & #1248

Size: 58.5" x 64" 

July 2021

Scrap Log Cabin Quilt ... Tilda Style

The 100 piece Tilda Bit by Bit Stash Builder from Serendipity Woods was a joy to play with. A treasure trove of fat 16ths made The Cleo Quilt (here) and this very fun scrappy log cabin. These little fabric pieces gave all the color and variety one could wish for.

Let's begin:  The tutorial for this block is from Red Pepper Quilts here.  Rita Hodge is renown for her lovely and precise sewing and in this tutorial she gives all the cutting instructions and a diagram that will build your block up to 8.5" x 8.5". 

After reaching that 8.5" block - I added one more round with my widest scraps - and if they were too short - sewed two or three pieces together to get the proper length.  I then measured my smallest log cabin block and trimmed all 9 units to that size which was 14" x 14". 

Next came the sashing cut at 2.5" unfinished and some 2.5" x 2.5" cornerstones.  The final part was  simple quilting with a wavy line following some of the seams, left to right and up and down.  

This was made for a friend who adores blue and of course, who doesn't love Free Fall by Tula Pink - so that is the backing. 

The stripped binding tops off this very colorful scrap quilt.  I learned a lot during the last month as I went through all my quilt projects and organized my sewing room (aka the garage).  I really enjoyed the variety and quantity of this Bit by Bit Stash Builder Bundle. Not too overwhelming and two small quilts used up pretty much all the fat 16ths ... it felt good not to have loads of leftovers!  Most importantly - to pace myself with all the projects that I have started and not feel guilty that they will take a long time to finish.  

Materials: 

Tilda Bit by Bit Stash Building from Serendipity Woods

Free Fall in Navy by Tula Pink

Navy candy stripe binding from Hawthorne Supply Co.

Shot Cotton in Denim by Kaffe Fassett

Warm and White batting 

Aurifil 50 wt. thread #5118 and #2720

Tutorial from: Red Pepper Quilts

Size:  49" x 49" 

July 2021

Grand Canal Scrap Quilt / Border Tutorial Part 4

We are on the last part of the Grand Canal Scrap quilt tutorials  - the border.  The only thing you need is for your mind to be flexible - you can make those scraps work!  

These pixs show different fabric but it is exactly how I make these scrap borders. Time to gather your scraps.

I like the width of 2.5" since I have a ruler that size.  I have done this method with a 1.5" measurement as well.  Pick a width that works best with your size scraps. Lay your fabric any which way until you can cut that measurement. If it is too narrow on one side - flip it around.  Don't worry about the length - just the width.

The scraps are now 2.5" wide.  Time to straighten up the other edges.  

Cut your scraps on both sides nice and straight.  

Everything is straight and a consistent width of 2.5"  Every length is different - that's great.

Time for the fun part - laying out all those different colors and patterns into ONE GIANT STRIP.  

 Go for a long piece next to a short piece - a yellow next to a green - it's so random you can't go wrong. Variety of size and color is key.

I like to put about 4 or 5 pieces together and then press.  Take them all back to the sewing machine and sew those piles together - iron and repeat. Each time the strips get longer until you get that one huge strip! 

It's always a surprise how long that strip will be. I had enough for a 'double' border.  How did I know this?  I lay the strip along the quilt top and it wound around  the quilt almost 2 times. So I took that single long strip of Grand Canal, folded it in half and CUT it into 2 pieces - voila - enough for a double border.

I made a really long piece of 1.5" Kona white and sewed on one strip of Grand Canal. Ironed it and then sewed the other scrappy strip on the opposite side. Staggering the blocks so nothing matched if possible.  

First - attach the border as you would a single piece of fabric on the top and bottom of the quilt ONLY.

Then take the remaining double scrappy strip and cut it into two pieces.  These will go on the sides of the quilt.  My strips were too short.  I was expecting this - no worries at all. Time to add a piece of fabric to the scrappy border and fill in the gaps. (see circles in pix)

Measure the border width. Cut some fabric that exact width but a little longer in length than you need.  (Above you can see the mosaic blue fabric is as wide as the strip border.)  Sew that chunk onto your strip border.

Why add a few more inches to the length?  See pix above. This chunk of fabric gave me the ability to move the whole strip up or down and position those end squares. That way when everything is sewn together I don't slice into a seam and end up with a tiny strip at the edge of the quilt when I square up. After positioning the border - sew on as usual and trim square.

As much as I like random - I also like balance.  I put the blue mosaic fabric blocks that gave me the length I needed in the border - on opposite sides.  Bottom 'left' - and upper 'right'.  Just because your quilt is scrappy - doesn't mean it can't be balanced.  

Lastly - I didn't use batting but some white muslin to make this lightweight.  The backing is a voile I had that matched perfectly.  

So that's it - a complete scrappy quilt with some great features.  A granny square, a log cabin and a cool random border.  Iron as you go, use starch and trim if something doesn't fit.  Good luck and if you need any help - leave a message or send me an email.  This is all very doable and something that can be fun as well. 

Links to all tutorials: Overview Part 1 (here)
                                 Log Cabin Tutorial Part 2 (here)
                                 Large Granny Square Tutorial Part 3 (here)

Materials:

Grand Canal / Kate Spain

Kona white

White muslin on the inside

Backing: Chalk & Paint Dripping Voile by Art Gallery

Aurifil 50 wt. #2024 white

Size: 58" x 58"

October 2019

Grand Canal Scrap Quilt / Large Granny Square Tutorial - Part 3

This is the Granny Square part of the Grand Canal Scrap Quilt tutorials. I made these squares way back in 2017 and used the paperback book "Great Granny squared by Lori Holt" (here) as my guide. Lori Holt also has a recent post (here) from March of this year with great pictures and directions showing a similar block. Other tutorials can be found at Blue Elephant Stitches and Wombat Quilts.

These pictures will show a different fabric but the method and measurements are exactly how I made the Grand Canal Granny Square. 

Each Block:
13 focus fabric squares cut to 3.5" x 3.5"
12 background pieces cut: 3.5" x 4" (rectangles)

Lay out focus fabric.

Sew all focus fabric and background rectangles together in rows except for the top and bottom rectangles
Iron seams open.

Next - sew all those rows together.  Do NOT iron yet.
Now sew on the top and bottom rectangles so they can be centered over that middle square.

It's almost time to iron the horizontal seams but here is a tip:  finger press the seams in the proper direction from the FRONT before ironing.  These seams are NOT pressed open. Finger press 3 seams towards the top square and iron from the front to start.  The pix below shows how it looks when you give it a second press from the backside.

Rotate your block and finger press the other 3 seams to the 'bottom' rectangle. Iron the front and then give it a second press on the back.

Now you can flip your block every which way to iron and starch it since all seam directions are perfect! 

All blocks were trimmed to 13.25".

You might be more accurate than me and even get a block 13.5" x 13.5" - but caution - always trim at least 1/4" from where the seams join so you don't lose any points.

And that's it! You know how to make a scrappy log cabin here - and now the large granny square. If you plan on making a scrap quilt with these two blocks I would recommend making the granny squares first.  The granny square blocks will set the size. The log cabin squares can be 'fudged' to fit whatever space needs filling. A little trimming on the log cabins will never be noticed.  Again - this log cabin block is a scrappy one for irregularly sized left overs.

5 granny square left overs from here and the log cabins made two years later - it's always good to save those left over blocks!

The next and last post for this Grand Canal Scrap quilt will be how to take every last scrap ......

 and make this awesome border - the easy peasy way :)

Links:  Overview Part One (here)    
           Log Cabin Tutorial Part Two (here)
Date: September 2019

Grand Canal Scrap Quilt - Part Two - Log Cabin Block Tutorial

My first quilt was a hot mess masterpiece made as a lark.  I found an article by Jacquie Gering of Tallgrass Prairie Studio called "Wonky Log Cabin Block Tutorial". 

I had the most fun ever making this quilt as I sliced and slashed my way from one block to another following her directions and pictures.  

I can still remember the freedom of making these blocks and was hooked on quilting ever since.  The same relaxed attitude is how I made these scrappy Grand Canal log cabin squares - although a little more disciplined than those in my beloved Ghastlie's quilt!

Be warned - this may not be the official or proper way to make a real log cabin block, but I can guarantee it will use your thin scraps and be fun as well!

Here is a typical pile of end scraps. These are a little thinner than the ones I used in the Grand Canal quilt - but the process is exactly the same. Let's make a small 7.5" x 7.5' log cabin block.

Cut out a center square 2" x 2" (blue).  Trim a scrap piece (white) so that it is straight on one side and sew onto a side of your square.  Rotate your little unit so that the ruler is straight on the seam line (see the 7" mark laying horizontal) - and trim it even with your original center square.

 Rotate the unit so the ruler is on the vertical seam at the 1" mark.  This strip was so close to 1" there is almost nothing to trim - but trim you must.  Then, take another scrap and trim one side straight.  Rotate your unit and sew on the next piece -  and do the whole thing all over again (shown with the yellow flowered piece).

Sew the scrap strip on the right side of the nicely trimmed unit - turn it and place the ruler on the horizontal seam and trim the sides even.  

Place the ruler on the vertical seam - and trim 1".  Time to sew another piece, now with red. Trim the red strip straight, rotate the main unit and sew on the strip.

 Time to trim the red & flowered fabric using the horizontal seam as a guide (sorry no pix).  Rotate unit and put 1" mark of the ruler on the vertical seam (the red fabric) and trim. 

Continue sewing strips in this manner, trimming and rotating.  

After a few rounds the block is pretty square. At this point I flip it over and line the ruler with the block on the back for those first trims.  I find it easier to see the edges this way.  Then its back to the iron and trimming on the front side the 1" log' on the vertical seam as usual.  

 

This method does not rely on measuring.  But you must make sure that each additional strip is the same length - or even better - longer than the side you are sewing it to. Lay out strips to see if they are long enough as the block gets bigger.  And, if the strip is too short - just sew a few together as shown above.

Keep adding strips until you reach the size you like and trim.  Shown above is the untrimmed block  - and below are the finished 7.5" x 7.5".

 Now - the reason I call it a faux log cabin is this:  those outside strips may be a little thinner than the inside ones.  You might have forgotten to trim one or two logs on that 1" line because ... you forgot!  No worries - this block is very, very forgiving and once incorporated into the rest of your quilt the faults pretty much disappear.   

For a perfect log cabin square one can measure, cut and use a special template - this is not that block.

The specs for the Grand Canal Scrap Quilt log cabin blocks are:  

   * starting center square was cut at 2.5" x 2.5"

   *the strips (or logs) were trimmed at 1.5" wide

   *and the final block was trimmed to 13" x 13" 

Back next time with Grand Canal Scrap Quilt / Part Three - Large Granny Square

Materials:

Grand Canal by Kate Spain

Tallgrass Prairie Studio from Jacquie Gering and her awesome Wonky Log Cabin Block  Tutorial that started it all 

Size: 57" x 57"

Date: August 2019