Stash Attack #3

I hope you all are doing well and this Covid-19 reality isn't putting too much of a strain on your everyday life.  It's tough hearing what's going on in the world, and even tougher when it starts getting closer to home or to loved ones.  At this point we need to be overly cautious.  I just wish there wasn't a toilet paper shortage!  How does that happen?!

As you know, and as many others are doing, I've been stash busting as much as possible this year.  I've worked through my Polka Dot fabric in these two quilts:  Wonky Baby and Wonky Lap quilt, and managed to bust my Kaffe Fassett stash in this quilt:  Brick by Brick.   

The more stash I work through the easier it is and the more I want to do!  I decided it was time to tackle the good old feedsack bin!

FEEDSACK CIRCLES
45 1/2" X 54"

 This time I decided it was time to make more circles!  I enjoy curves of any kind, and by using quarter circles (drunkard path) I am able to feed that craving and use a lot of fabric!



I used a variety of white to ivory fabric for the background.  Some more than others depending on what was on hand.  Prep time takes a little longer, but it's all worth it in the end.  



My favorite method with quarter circles is to glue baste and then sew.  By glue basting it makes the sewing process quick and painless...plus I can chain piece.  That's a win!



I'll admit that not every single print is true feedsack replicas.  I wanted to make sure there was enough different prints for added interest.  It also made it easier to arrange by having a larger variety.

This wasn't going to be a large quilt (45 1/2" x 54"), so by adding a scrappy border of neutrals I was able to increase the size a bit more.



I adore the yellow print!  It reminds me of my Grama Opal!  Most of these prints I've had for at least 7 years!  Back in the day...I loved them and enjoyed picking fun prints with adorable little scenes.  I eventually came to love solids and modern more and well, these were left by the wayside!

 

I kept the quilting simple by making diagonal lines creating squares.  Sometimes I don't think it's enough though...okay, most of the time I don't think it's enough!  



I ended up adding circles in the center part of the quilt and that was just enough for me!



Truth be told, I used way more feedsack prints on the back than I did on the front!  It's one way to totally obliterate your stash!

Like the other scrap busting quilts before, I still have feedsack in my stash.  You can never get away from it!  But there is 90% less of it and if I ever feel the need to make something small with this fabric I still have that option.

I have a stack of neutral curves that I'll need to figure out what to do with after all these quarter circles, but I know I'll come up with some crazy idea!  There is rumbling in my brain happening even as we speak.



Next scrap busting project?!  I'm thinking I need to use my Kaffe Fassett woven stripes. 

What fabric do you wish you would bust through?  Would it be fabric you are no longer attached to or fabric you've hoarded and love?!

LINKING:

OH SCRAP! ● MAIN CRUSH MONDAY ●  MONDAY MAKING 
MIDWEEK MAKERS ● NEEDLE & THREAD 

PEACOCK PARTY  ● TGIFF ● WHOOP WHOOP FRIDAY

BRAG ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIES ● FINISHED OR NOT FRIDAY  

Perfectly Imperfect

My love affair with feed sack and teeny tiny squares has officially come to an end!  I must have touched, pieced and looked at 2000 2" squares the past week.  Revisiting this again is not in the near future!

Hopefully it will also bring to an end my OCD regarding leftovers! Honestly, I cannot finish a project and move on when there are extra pieces.  Cannot do it!  In my defense (and I'm really pushing this), I had to use each and every square left from my Postage Stamp quilt. Why? Because the prints were paired with white.  White is hard to match.  This particular white belonged to my daughter, and I haven't a clue what kind it is.  I didn't want to get it mixed with something else....see OCD!!  Anyone else have this problem?!


With that confession, I'm introducing my Postage Stamp Trilogy!  Seriously, I made three! This is the last in the series! (for now).  I wanted to make it a little more traditional and add some color.  The second one I haven't shared yet.  It's traditional with a slightly modern twist.  

I decided to use a block called Retro Cross Roads.  That's the name I know it by, but as we all know sometimes there are several different names for the same block.  

This block is 12" unfinished.  Normally for this block, the center and corner squares don't have a solid.  But since I had some of these center blocks already made, I decided to make it work for me. 

I love the X's!  It's like a great big kiss in the middle of all the little squares!

There is a slight problem.  After sewing the rows together, I discovered one row doesn't line up.  It is way, way off!  Like 1/4" or more!  Now that's a problem!  Can you see it?!  It's so irritating!

Tomorrow I will fix that issue!  I need to buy some white batting tomorrow.  I don't often use white, but it sure makes a difference if you are using white fabric in your quilt or backing. 

I'm not sure how I will quilt it.  It's small and manageable, so maybe this can be FMQ practice.

I've been thinking.  I feel like I get tunnel vision when working on a project.  Like postage stamp quilts.  I made three.  Back to back.   Then there was all the khaki/woven stripes/feather projects.  Hand dyed HST's...see what I mean?!  

 What about you?  Do you do that?  Or do you like to change it up after every project?  Maybe even have several going at once?  

It is interesting how we work.  Methodical or free spirit sewing.  I sometimes sew both ways...after all you know what they say...

Variety is the spice of life!

What?!  

I think what it means:  You should try different things, because trying different things keeps it interesting!

LINKING:

Sew Cute Tuesday

Let's Bee Social

WIP Wednesday

Needle & Thread Thursday

Postage ~ Over Due!!

Where to begin!  I tend to work from project to project.  I love starting and finishing one thing at a time.  I may be thinking about my next project during that time, but I usually finish one thing first. 

People talk about their UFO's and WIP's.  Some have none, while others have 3, 4 or 10!! When I see that I think to myself, 'Self...how can that be?  Self, you don't have any UFO's or WIP's'.  And then BAM, I remember.  I have one that has been lingering in the deep, dark depths of my fabric closet.  Tucked away, shoved to the side and happily forgotten.

Back in 2011, I agreed to make a postage stamp quilt with my daughter Britt.  She would help, we would make two.  One for her and one for me. We were going to use a white solid and feed sack prints. We set about cutting 2" squares.  There wasn't any strip piecing here! We had with 60 different prints.  After our cutting marathon we ended up with the following:

1858 2" print squares
and 
1856 2" white squares

Needless to say, by the end we put them all neatly in a tote for later. Overwhelming is an understatement!  Super long story short...

We made one quilt back in 2013.  And it was for my daughter.  One down. Put the tote away.  Forget.

Okay, now it was time to delve into the deepest, darkest shelf.  Pull out the tote. Do it again. This time I was on my own.  My daughter has moved on from this quilting nonsense! 

Bound and determined I began the long and daunting task of piecing each and every teeny tiny square together.

Tote Full of Squares

Pieced Together Squares

Loving The Seams!

Pinned and Ready To quilt

Block by block.  Seam by seam. Stitch by stitch.  The long monotonous process went on and on and on and on. Until the end when this happened!

48" x 68"

An amazing piece of goodness!  

Straight line quilting.  Bright white backing.  Hand stitched binding. Machine washed and dried. Crinkle magic happening!

That...My daughter Britt.  Why is she so happy?  She didn't have to help is my guess!!  XOXO

The break down on this quilt:

1632 2" blocks

816 White

816 Feedsack prints

48" x 68"

60 different prints

Kona White back

Machine Quilted

If you are still reading...I'm happy!  This is rather a long winded post!

I have always love this kind of quilt.  It takes hours and hours of work from start to finish. Each step made me excited to get to the next step.  And yes, by the time I got to the end I was ready for it to be done!  

Believe it or not there are still blocks left over!  Crazy...crazy...crazy!  Me, well its hard to let go.  Hard to put them back in the tote and cram it in the closet.  I want to use them all.  I don't want to revisit this project later. When it's time, I'll cut more.  Most likely in a few years after this!

Yes, I made something else.  But, I'll share that a bit later!

Linking:

Let's Bee Social

WIP Wednesday
Needle & Thread Thursday
TGIFF
FABRIC FRENZY FRIDAY