Scraps-Along Challenge

There are always so many different quilt-alongs, challenges and mystery quilts that sound like tons of fun, but there's no way to be able to participate in all of them. I try to limit the number of new projects I start, especially at the beginning of the year, but sometimes an idea comes along that is just too irresistible. That was the case here.

On January 1st, Sherri at A Quilting Life announced that she is starting something new, a Scraps-Along Challenge. Every month she will announce a different challenge focused on sewing with scraps and stash. Each challenge has two components, scrap sewing and scrap organization, and you can participate in one or both of the challenges. The theme for January's challenge is jelly rolls.

I haven't done a lot of sewing with jelly rolls, preferring to put together my own combination of fabrics than use a single collection. However, that doesn't mean I don't have any jelly rolls. I've bought a few over the years and also received them as gifts. My Scraps-Along jelly roll quilt started with a jelly roll that I was given almost ten years ago. It is a Bali Pops roll of Hoffman batik strips called Green Tea. Here I have sorted the strips into similar color groups. 

I searched through many options for jelly roll patterns. One good source of ideas was the blog Quilt Inspiration. They had two posts from 2018 with links to many different patterns for jelly roll quilts. You can see their posts here: Part One and Part Two. One warning on the Quilt Inspiration links: not all the quilts they show on their jelly roll posts are actually written for jelly rolls. Some are patterns that call for yardage, but their primary piecing uses 2.5" strips. 

The pattern I decided to use is called Just Around the Corner by Melissa Peda for Free Spirit Fabrics (but I couldn't find it at the Free Spirit website.) If the link in the pattern name doesn't work for you, go to the Part Two post at Quilt Inspiration, about 2/3 down the page. Here is Melissa's quilt from that post.

Just Around the Corner, pattern by Melissa Peda

This was one of the patterns included in the post that was not written for a jelly roll, but it was easy to adapt. The pattern calls for 17 pieces cut at 2.5" x 4.5" of 20 different fabrics. One jelly roll strip (2.5" x 42") can be cut into 9 pieces of that size, so two strips are enough for one set of pieces. My jelly roll didn't have any duplicate strips, but I was able to match up most of the strips in pairs that were very similar, plus I added a few more strips from my stash.

The piecing was very easy, strips sewn together in pairs, then cut into 4.5" segments. I had blocks up on the wall in no time, and within a week, the center of the quilt was assembled. The quilt in the original pattern finished at 46.5" x 57". To make my version bigger, I added extra rows, setting triangles around the sides, and a matching border. My quilt top measures 59" x 75.75".

Jelly Roll Zigzag
59" x 75.75"

I love the mix of fabrics and the subtlety of each row using a combination of two different prints together. I will definitely be making this pattern again. I think it would be especially fun in bright novelty or kid's prints.

Many thanks to Sherri at A Quilting Life for the inspiration to pull out this jelly roll after all these years and make something with it. I look forward to finding out what her Scraps-Along Challenge will be next month!

Linking up with:

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday--Continuing to Frolic

Last Monday there was only a single block together for Frolic, Bonnie Hunter's 2019 mystery quilt. This Monday there are eleven of them up on the design wall together. It is slow work to put these blocks together, especially since I don't have all of the different parts already made for them like some of the flying geese and pinwheels.

I'm very happy with the way my colors are looking together. I need to figure out how big I want this quilt to end up and whether I will set the blocks on point as shown here or do a straight set. Once those questions are settled, I will know how many more blocks need to be made.

I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt. Check them out for lots of great inspiration.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 4, 2020

It feels so good to report 4.5 yards of fabric used for the Jelly Roll Zigzag quilt top that I finished last week. It was made from a jelly roll pack of batiks plus some additional 2.5" strips from my stash and a yard for the setting triangles and border. Here's an in-process photo; I still need to get photos of the completed top.

2020 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            4.50 yards

Used year to date:                        4.75 yards

Added last week:                            0.0 yards

Added year to date:                        0.0 yards

Net used year to date                4.75 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I've had a few evenings at home by myself over the past week, which means even more quilting time than usual.

15 Minute Challenge:  

1/19 - 1/25                 7 of 7 days

2020 Total               25 of 25 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. Many thanks to Donna and to Kate for continuing to host these link-ups!

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 4, 2020

We are nearing the end of January, and I'm already thinking ahead to our next color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Lucky for me, Angela announced today that the color for February will be orange. That means I can get a jump start on pulling orange squares and cutting more from scrap strips.

My plan/goal at the beginning of the year was to average making one Square Dance (aka Double Four-Patch) block every day. As of today, I am a little bit ahead of that goal with 28 green blocks finished.

These blocks are the perfect leader and ender project, very easy to construct. There's just one slightly tricky part to be careful about, and I know I'm not the only one who made this mistake on the first block. The small four-patches need to have two squares of the chain fabric, plus one square of each of the contrast fabrics like the first photo below. On my first attempt, I made my small four-patches like the second photo shows, one with two squares of the light green and the other with two squares of the darker green. This doesn't produce the correct layout for the design.

Correct layout of small 4-patches

Incorrect layout of small 4-patches

The Square Dance pattern is the 2020 Stash Buster Challenge block at Border Creek Station. Their instructions make a 6" block. My stash had mostly 1.5" and 2.5" squares available, so my blocks will finish at 4". I'm ready to start digging out the orange squares for next month's blocks!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday--Frolic

Like mystery quilters all over the world, I was very excited to see Bonnie Hunter's reveal for her 2019 mystery quilt "Frolic." I love the way Bonnie's quilt turned out! I have gotten far behind on making the many little parts for this mystery, even though I was only shooting for making half as many as Bonnie instructed. I did have enough to put together one block and see how my version looks.

I like my colors, although I'm a little concerned that the yellow will stand out too much. I will make a few more blocks before any decisions are made on possible design or fabric changes.

I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt. Check them out for lots of great inspiration.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 3, 2020

We've passed the middle of the month, and I finally can report a change to my stash numbers. The best part is that it was yardage used, not added! It's only a small amount (1/4 yard), but that's better than nothing. The fabric was used on my 12" Scrappy Bear Paws block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

2020 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                            0.25 yards

Used year to date:                        0.25 yards

Added last week:                            0.0 yards

Added year to date:                        0.0 yards

Net used year to date                 .25 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I've been working on multiple projects, which helps keep my interest in stitching every day.

15 Minute Challenge:  

1/12 - 1/18                 7 of 7 days

2020 Total               18 of 18 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. Many thanks to Donna and to Kate for hosting both of these link-ups!

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--A New Project

My second new project for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2020 is a block I've been thinking about making for a couple of years. This is my Scrappy Bear Paws in light/bright greens.

My block is made from 2.5" squares and will finish at 14". It looks pretty good set on point too. That could make an interesting setting option.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 1/13/2020

My design wall is currently full with some of the blocks for a new quilt that I started over the weekend. The blocks were made from a batik jelly roll that I received as a gift about 10 years ago, plus a few extra strips from my stash. The colors are not quite right in this night-time photo.

The next photo gives a slightly better view of the colors. The sandy/tan shades are not as peachy as they look in the photo above.

I hope to get all of the blocks joined together this week, then decide whether to add a border. I may have a finished quilt top before this time next week!

I'm linking up with Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt. Check them out for lots of great inspiration.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 2, 2020

Since the beginning of the new year, we have been trying out a new schedule at work. In the past we worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an hour for lunch. That had me getting home about 6:45 each evening. By the time we would have dinner, clean up, and make lunch for the next day, it was usually 8:00 to 8:30 before I could get into my sewing room. The new schedule has us starting an hour earlier and taking 30 minutes for lunch. That means I get done at 4:30 and home around 5:15. We've had decent weather most days and have been getting out for a walk before dinner. Exercising more regularly is a major goal for this year. That has also helped my energy levels, plus it's been great to have more time at home in the evenings.

You would think that the extra time would mean I'm using up lots of stash, but that hasn't been the case so far. I've been a little slow getting started on some new projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and most of the quilting time has been spent cutting. The Square Dance blocks that I showed in yesterday's post use so little fabric per block that I'm going to total them up at the end of the month. All that to say that there are no changes to my stash this week--nothing used and nothing added.

2020 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                              0.0 yards

Used year to date:                          0.0 yards
Added last week:                            0.0 yards
Added year to date:                        0.0 yards

Net used year to date:                0.0 yards

Here's another arrangement of the Square Dance blocks. It's fun to play with different layouts of them, similar to the variations with log cabin blocks.

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I'm at 100% after the first week and a half of 2020, and I hope to continue strong!

15 Minute Challenge:  

1/5 - 1/11                  7 of 7 days

2020 Total               11 of 11 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. Many thanks to Donna and to Kate for hosting both of these link-ups!

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 2, 2020

This week I'm trying out a new idea for those Square Dance blocks (aka Double Four-Patch) that I showed last week for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Part of my problem with them was that they needed more light/dark contrast between the two sides of the block. I also decided to switch out the white/cream chain of squares for solid black.

I can see that I need to be careful choosing my darker greens. If they get too dark, they will  blend together with the black squares. I have many more pieces cut and a whole plan worked out for the entire year with these blocks. They are so easy to make, I think they might be the perfect leader and ender project for the year. Thanks to the RSC participants for the encouragement to keep moving forward with this block design.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 1, 2020 + End of 2019

A new year means a fresh start on the stash tracking, with the numbers all being reset to zero. I didn't reach either of my stash usage goals for 2019--to use 100 yards total and to use more than I added to the stash. Here are the final stash numbers for 2019.

2019 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                              0.5 yards

Used year to date:                        63.5 yards
Added last week:                            0.0 yards
Added year to date:                    71.75 yards

Net added year to date:            8.25 yards

I counted another 1/2 yard as used for last year after figuring out how many more Orange Peel blocks I had made since my previous total at the end of August. That project is carrying over into 2020. I'm trying to figure out some new projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but haven't gotten very far yet. I made four little blocks as a test sample yesterday, but they used so little fabric that they won't get counted just yet.

Square Dance, 4" blocks

2020 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                              0.0 yards

Used year to date:                          0.0 yards
Added last week:                            0.0 yards
Added year to date:                        0.0 yards

Net used year to date:                0.0 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I finished strong for 2019, going 3 for 3 at the end of the year. I'm very happy with my final numbers for the year, especially after getting off to a slow start in the first couple of months.

15 Minute Challenge:  

12/29 - 12/31           3 of 3 days

2019 Total         345 of 365 days
Success rate                    94.5%

I've had no trouble getting in at least 15 minutes every day so far this year. I was able to spend most of the afternoon in the sewing room yesterday, and it is now a total wreck in there! Time for some cleaning up today.

15 Minute Challenge:  

1/1 - 1/4                  4 of 4 days

2020 Total                4 of 4 days

My stitching goals for the year ahead are much the same as the past year--to use more fabric than I add to the stash and to spend 15 minutes a day quilting at least 90% of the days. I hope to have better success with the stash usage in the year ahead than I did last year, but it's all about enjoying the process. I'm not going to stress out about any of this; I just enjoy keeping track of my progress.

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. Many thanks to Donna and to Kate for hosting both of these link-ups!

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Rainbow Scrap Challenge--Week 1, 2020

Today is the first Saturday of 2020--that means it's time for a new year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This will be my 8th year of participating in the RSC, ever since 2013. Many thanks to our hostess Angela for all her hard work through those many years! I've never hosted a weekly link-up, but I know that it can be tough to have blog posts prepared every single week. Somehow Angela keeps everything running smoothly, and we all get to enjoy the sharing and inspiration from this amazing challenge. We are starting the year using our light and bright green scraps.

Occasionally I know exactly what I want to make for my new RSC projects, but most years it takes me a little while to figure it out. It's not that I don't have plenty of ideas--I think the problem is too many ideas. It's so hard to narrow down the choices. I'm still considering some options for 2020.

I made some blocks today to try out one possibility. This is called the Square Dance block, and it is the block being used for the Scrap Buster Challenge at Border Creek Station. Their pattern is for 6" blocks, but  I made mine to finish at 4". The photos show four blocks. In the first photo, the lighter side is toward the center; in the second, the darker corners are at center. 

I'm not sure these blocks are really doing it for me. They were very easy to piece, but I don't know that I will continue making more. Back to the drawing board for me!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Alycia's QAL

My last finish from 2019 is this quilt top that I made as part of Alycia's 2019 Winter Quilt-Along. The top was finished on Christmas Eve, but I wasn't able to get outdoor photos of it until New Year's Day.

As in the past, Alycia's quilt-along was easy, even for the busy time around the holidays. The whole quilt is made up of half-square triangles, plus a few squares of background. I used a single background, but went scrappy with my reds and blues. All of the blue fabrics are batiks.

60.5" x 72.5"

This closer shot will give you a better look at the center pinwheel and some of the fabrics. My favorite thing about this quilt is the way it shows off my great background fabric. That print wouldn't have worked nearly as well in a quilt made from small pieces, but the 6" HSTs showed it off beautifully! 

This quilt will make a great contribution to Quilts of Valor. Many thanks to Alycia for another fun mystery quilt-along! It sure feels good to have a new quilt to share on the first Friday of the new year.

I'm  linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts.

Julie in GA