Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Scrap Busting Part 2

In my original Scrap Busting post, I shared a mystery scrap project I started working on after I finished my scrappy herringbone quilt top.  I use the word "mystery" very literally since it was even a mystery to me. 


I started out with lots of left over scrappy strips that I turned into scrappy blocks.  I then created scrappy HST.


I ended up with 76 scrappy HST that I trimmed to 8 inches.  At this point, I still didn't know what I was going to do with them.


I sat down on the floor in my living room with all the HST and just started laying them out.  I started trying to be completely random...didn't like it.  I then tried arranging them to create diamonds by color...wasn't feeling it.  Throughout this process, I started noticing a mirror effect when matched up with it's caddy-corner HST from the original 12.5" blocks paired together to create 4 HST.  (Have I lost anyone yet?)

Here's a diagram.  Start out with two 12.5" blocks of different colors.  Place right sides together with one block turned and sew a 1/4" seam around each outer edge.  Use a rotary cutter to cut each diagonal.  This gives you 4 HST that measure roughly 8.5".  Take the 2 HST that are caddy-corner to each other and sew together to get the mirrored effect.  Does that make more sense?  I hope so.


Here's what my scrappy flying geese look like.


I have to admit that I love the clean cut mirrored look the diagram gives for the example, but this scrappy mess is also lots of fun.  It takes a bit more effort to find the pattern when the strips are all different sizes and not necessarily all the same exact fabric.


I should have the quilt top pieced by this evening.  I can now officially say my scraps have been BUSTED!

29 comments:

  1. This looks so effective, even though you say it's simple it looks a lot more complicated. Beautiful.

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  2. Always good to make something simple that looks complicated! I might have to make ten of them to kill my scrap bin.

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  3. This is awesome! Thanks for sharing how you did it. I like that different sized strips means there is no matching seams when sewing the blocks together!! I did a similar pattern where the strips all had to match up - it was a nightmare!!! haha

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  4. Such an amazing quilt. Lots going on with all the scraps, but controlled in the layout. I love it!

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  5. Love this! Do you have a tutorial? I like the different widths of strips.

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  6. Wow, scraps turned into this beautiful top?!? I love it. Great eye to come up with this layout.

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  7. wow this has worked wonderfully and thanks for the tip with the 12.5" block

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  8. love the flying geese - this looks really good - might try this with solids!

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  9. Hello Janet
    Love your work. I am just starting to write patterns and was wondering how you created the diagram you used in the above post. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. It looks like you found a great way to add a bit of order into the scrappy chaos. And another really nice sized lap quilt as a result - how awesome!

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    1. very much reminds me of "orange crush" and shows how a turn of color and HST can change a layout!

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  11. Truly beautiful. I love the way you set up your HST's.

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  12. Hello Janet, just dropped in via Let's Bee Social... and looked around on your blog everywhere... what a lovely blog & what nice quilting projects. Funny: In my flat I have just very small place for sewing & quilting... As you I own such a "foldable" Ikea-table. Kind regards from Germany, Annett

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  13. Wow, Janet! I love what you came up with. This is an awesome scrap pattern. I always seem to have lots of strips left and this would be a great use for them!

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  14. love the results. thanks for the tutorial - I will have to try it soon.

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  15. These scrappy blocks look like a lot of fun! I love colorful scrap q - thanks for quilts - thanks for sharing your process.

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  16. Very clever turn of events for these scraps--the structure you added really brings out all the fun colors

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  17. So fun! I love the colors. This is a great idea.

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  18. Oh, those scrappy geese are yummy! Thanks for explaining the process - a great scrapbuster, indeed!

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  19. You piecing strategy reminds me of Mary Ellen Hopkins old pattern, Hidden Wells but the layout is different. I like it!!

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  20. LOVE it!! What a fun use of all of those scraps!

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  21. genius. I feel a stash busting coming on....

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  22. Very effective! Yes you lost me in the instructions, but I think if I was actually doing it as I was reading them I could follow properly.

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  23. Wow, the end result is incredible! What a great way to use scraps.

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  24. I am in love. Nothing is more appealing to me than a scrap quilt, and even with bigger pieces to show off my lovely fabrics. Wow. Thank you so much!!!!

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