Scrap Happy in May: A Finish and a Flimsy

 Back at the beginning of this year I made the decision to use up some of the fabric that had been in The Magpie's Nest for decades. I settled on a simple four patch pattern using patches that finish at 3." I had a bunch of 6" (finished) fussy-cut squares that I could use between the four patch blocks too. I had to cut more of those to get the size I was after for the finished quilt. Overall it was a pleasant project. It is finally a finished quilt.

 

My original intention was to donate it for a child in foster care or to Wrap the World With Quilts. However, now I find it to be a comprehensive record of the quilts I've made over the years (and a few I haven't yet made but thought I would). So this quilt is going to stay with me for the time being. 😁

I have continued my quest to use up older prints and remnants. If you've been here before you will have seen some of the scrappy blocks I've been making.  The greatest number were flying geese.

 When I stopped to count them up I discovered I had more than enough for another version of the free Remixed Geese pattern from Kaufman Fabrics. In some flights of geese I used a print for the large triangle (the goose) and sometimes I was able to also use that same print for the background. So when it came time to audition the geese for this new quilt top I tried to avoid using a single print more than once. 

If you follow the pattern directions they have you making only two geese at a time. The quilt top can then be assembled in horizontal rows. I tend to make my geese four at a time and sew them all into a strip. That makes it a greater challenge to lay out the blocks. Sometimes I have to separate the flight into two halves. I don't consider that a huge drawback. 

 The bigger challenge for me is extending my design wall to accommodate all the geese and then keeping everything in place until I can get it sewn together. Pins and the camera in my phone are a great help. Then it becomes akin to assembling a jigsaw puzzle, another activity I enjoy. 

 This is the completed flimsy. It would finish at 54" x 72" at this point. (I added an extra row to the pattern.) I'm currently debating whether to add a 3" border all the way around just to bring it up to 60" x 78." I believe I will be able to send this one out into the world when it is finally a finished quilt. 😊

I'm probably one of the last to post for Scrap Happy Day as this blog hop begins with Kate in Australia and I'm on the west coast of the United States. We all post on the 15th of each month in our various time zones, spanning the globe. You can see how others are repurposing or using up scrap materials all over the world by clicking on the links below.

Kate, Eva, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Hannah and Maggie

 

Finishes and Flowers in May

 Progress on quilt finishing seems to be going pretty slowly these days. The tops get done, backs get made or purchased, and then things stall. To be fair, my in-house quilter has other things he likes to do. But getting the bindings made and applied and then sewn down just feels like it's taking longer than it used to. 

For the first time in our history we have sewn down the bindings on the latest quilts by machine. I prefer to hand sew them. I enjoy the process and I like the look better. Since the painful flare-up I experienced last year in my wrists and forearms I've been trying moderate my hand sewing activity. The stitching I do on my postcards or scrolls or textile books don't seem to be a problem. Maybe because I don't stick with that one activity as long as I tend to do when sewing down a quilt binding. 

This green quilt began simply as a way to use up some of the green prints in my stash. As the blocks were accumulating on the design wall Son commented that he really like the look. Green seems to be his favorite color too. So we decided that quilt would be his and I made it to the dimensions he requested. It's much narrower than most of the quilt I make at about 48 x 75 inches.

He quilted it with an overall leafy design.

 The other quilt I just finished is the Welcome Blanket, 40 inches square.

I found a brown remnant in my stash that worked really well for the binding. I like the way it disappears visually. 

Coming up with a quilting pattern was a bit challenging due to the single heart block and other considerations. In the end we decided on this simple gentle wave across the width of the quilt.

 And now for the flowers 😊  This is the lilac we planted in our front yard two years ago (or has it been three years?).

 Not directly, but across the street there's this marvelous specimen with paler florets.

I have no idea how old it is but look how tall and big it is! That's the roof of the garage on the property at the far left in the photo. 

Meanwhile, my roses and peonies are budding. The front lawn is sprinkled with delightful yellow buttercups too. 

What's growing in your corner of the world?