Perhaps under the influence of all the clearance sales offered by retailers at this time of the year (or, more likely, the fact that I could no longer close the Parts Dept. drawer without effort) I decided it was time to build another PDQ, a Parts Department Quilt. This time I was determined to avoid the square medallion format that recent quilts have developed. Just for a change of pace. A row-by-row quilt allows for a wide variety of block sizes to be included.
I like to begin with the biggest blocks in the Parts Dept. There actually wasn't much left to work with in the 12" block section. So I sewed together some 6" Bear Paw units into 12" blocks. With a few sashing strips and compensating strips at the ends I was able to get to a 60" width pretty easily. If you've been around here for long you know that I don't typically go any wider than 60" nor longer than about 80." I find 60" a very flexible dimension to work within. The next two rows were assembled from 8" Variable/Sawtooth star blocks, again with compensating strips at the ends.
The next block size I tackled was ten inches. I couldn't keep to one block type for the whole row but I'm happy with the way the Wrench centers the Basket blocks that I made last month. There's only one Basket block left in inventory currently. There are more Wrenches, but they have a more rustic look to them.
Next up were the 9" blocks. I was surprised at how many Sho-fly blocks I had in this size. These two rows made a good dent in that collection.
I really felt like I wanted/needed a seventh row to balance things out over the body of the quilt top. This last row was probably the most challenging to create. Six inch blocks take up the most room in the Parts Dept. but it was a struggle to find the right ones for this project. Eventually I came across some crazy patch or liberated blocks I'd made a few years back. Oddly enough, they worked out really well. And now there aren't any left in inventory! 😊
I've already made that row taller by adding scrappy 1.5" strips along the top and bottom edges. So now it's also 9" overall. The seven rows together add up to 65" in length. But there needs to be sashing to separate the rows. According to my calculations I can use more scrappy 2" strips (1.5" finished) to go between the rows and then cap off the top and bottom with 3" strips to get to 80 inches.
At the moment this last step seems a bit daunting. I have plenty of scrap strips waiting to be used, but I need an organized way to approach this step. While I figure that out I invite you to visit these other bloggers who regularly find creative ways to use up scrap materials. Thanks to Kate and Gun for hosting this blog hop. ❤️
Kate, Gun, Eva, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jill, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol,
Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin and Viv
I do like the way you have arranged the rows, and more scraps for the sashing will leave some empty drawers!!!A good size and manageable too, this is a winner for the Scrap Dance.!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is marvelous! And as far as the strips, could each row's divider feature a different color? Why not! Quiltdivajulie
ReplyDeleteI find, as a non-quilter, the variety of blocks and sizes interesting. Please show us the quilt when it is finished.
ReplyDeleteWhile the way you work (ie, assembling and holding finished blocks in the Parts Dept) is counter-intuitive for me, I absolutely love how you can whip all these lovelies out and have something halfway done so quickly! Yes, of course that's an exaggeration, but no-one else I know has devised this quick response method, and you are clever to think of refreshing the stash regularly to keep things current. Love your work!
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