Frame Box Blocks with scraps

It's a bit quiet on the sewing front here at the mo, but I thought I'd take a wee minute to show you the result of my scrappy antics last month.  Remember the scrap block tutorials I did in February?  Well, this is how my Scrappy Frame Box Blocks are shaping up.

There are still quite a few to go of course, but I thought maybe you'd see from my picture that it's not about the individual blocks.  Rather, it's about the bigger picture.  Honestly, some of those individual blocks are not what you'd ever put together, but remember this is about SCRAPPY and scrappy doesn't have to be all matchy matchy and perfectly co-ordinated to work. So, go on, don't be afraid that you cannot do this kind of quilt because your fabric scraps are too disparate or random.  Just get stuck in and have a go!  Let's face it if you really, REALLY hate a couple of the blocks in the final layout, you can always just ditch them - it's only scraps.

Scrap Box blocks

I've been brewing a plan for a while.  It involves delving into my carefully stored and pre-cut scrap boxes and doing something useful with them.  Since committing to a whole quilt myself for the Siblings Together charity just isn't possible this year, I thought I might cheerlead from the sides, encouraging all of you to raid your scrap boxes and make a simple scrappy quilt or two yourselves. 

With a trusty assistant at hand a few weekends ago, we got stuck into my scrap boxes and the three block designs in the top photo are what we came up with.  There's no rocket science in any of these blocks and I'm quite sure that all of you would be able to come with these by yourself.  However, on the off chance that you've been wondering what to do with your scraps or trying to think of a quilt for Siblings Together and would simply like someone to have done the cutting maths for you, I'm going to share tutorials for all three types of block here on the blog over the next few weeks.

Frame Box Block Tutorial

Today I'm going to share a tutorial for this block which is a 10.5" x 12.5" unfinished rectangle.  For these blocks I went straight to my box of 2.5" strips. Just a few cuts and a few seams resulted in these pretty framed box blocks.  These would be perfect if you have leftover jelly roll strips or lengths of unused 2.5" binding. So go on, hunt a few out and join in.

To start with you will need 3 different fabrics which are 2.5" wide.

Fabric A (centre rectangle)
Cut 1:  2.5" x 4.5"

Fabric B (first frame - a 2.5" x 22" strip will allow you all the cuts required)
Cut 2: 2.5" x 4.5"
Cut 2: 2.5" x 6.5"

Fabric C (outer frame - a 2.5" x 38" strip will allow you all the cuts required)
Cut 2: 2.5" x 8.5"
Cut 2: 2.5" x 10.5"

Layout your pieces as shown in the photo above.

Using scant 0.25" seams throughout, stitch the borders in place adding the side pieces first and then the top and bottom.

Press seams away from the centre.

Your outer border is added in exactly the same way - sides first, then top and bottom.  Neatly trim to 10.5" x 12.5".   After that, hey presto ...

you will have a great wee block for the start of your Siblings Together Quilt and you'll have done something useful with those scraps!!

I realise that this isn't the most detailed of tutorials, so please do ask if you need any clarification, but honestly it is that simple.

As a by the way, I am very happy for anyone to reference these scrap box block tutorials or indeed any of my block tutorials for use in your Charity Bees or even just your ordinary Bee groups.

Hope to be back soon with the next scrap box block tutorial for you.

Block 2 is now published here.
Block 3 is now published here.

Squeezing it all in!

Sewing time is scarce lately so when I spot an opportunity I need to make the most of it.

Friday afternoon was a very interrupted kind of space.  It's still been the Easter holidays here (but school is back tomorrow - hooray!) and mum's taxi/fast food joint was well in action all afternoon and evening, but there were bite sized chunks when my presence/food/money/driving licence were not required so I set to sorting out some bits and pieces.  Nothing too taxing, not requiring too much concentration and easily left at the call of "Mu-um".

So, I started by making up some 2.5" square cornerstones for my crazy scrappy quilt. Quick and easy, just what the doctor ordered!

That job done, I decided to make a start on prepping for my class with Judith which starts next week.  I've decided to use my bundle of grey and aqua fabrics for the Retro Butterflies quilt (though have since opted to leave out the darkest two greys from this project as I think they'd draw attention to themselves a little).  So this bundle became three little piles like so - 

 I hadn't really intended to cut so much in advance but well, at least they're done!

Next up, as my brain was really starting to fog, I thought I'd tackle my 1" strip scraps.  I've shown you before how I've been trying to cut smallish leftovers into usable squares and strips to keep my scrap basket from overflowing and one day to have a ready made stack of scrappiness to make something fun from.

Well, I haven't really known what I should do with scraps that are less than 1.5" width.  I'm really not sure I see a project in my future that uses 2,000 1" squares!!  However, the frugal lass within hasn't quite let me throw these smaller pieces away altogether.  So for a while I have dutifully trimmed any skinny strips down to 1" (and chopped up a few old pillowcases too) and left them aside hoping that a plan would eventually come to me.  One bin full of scraps later and I have my plan - a crocheted rag rug for no other reason than "just because".

So, much of Friday afternoon and evening was spent in intermittent bouts of stitching strips and strips and strips together.  Poor IG friends probably felt they were living this dull experience with me - the joys of sharing, heh?

But eventually, the strips were wrangled into seven pretty strip rolls all ready for the day I can get hooky with them, maybe later in the summer/autumn if my current FAL plans go well.  And, as a bonus I get my bin back!!

After a good night's sleep I had the joys of the sewing room all to myself for most of Saturday and I didn't plan to waste it.

The cornerstones were laid out with the sashing in the somewhat cramped floor space.  There was an IG discussion a few weeks ago about skinny versus broader sashing and, while skinny was the most popular, I just didn't feel it was right for this one in the end and I went with the wider sashing but added the little colourful cornerstones to break it up a little.

Got to say I love the navy against these bright crazy scrappy blocks and valiantly persevered with a hoolie of a wind to try to get a pic I could show you.  This was the best of a rather wind-swept bunch!
I pieced a backing too, but chickened out of pinning it on the line in favour of warming up inside - that wind was biting cold!!

I nabbed some time before church this morning and read J's pre-class instruction about bringing some scraps with us to practice piecing curves.  So that was my task for this morning - some 5" squares for practicing curves.

Except, well ... I got a little distracted, played a little too much and had a wee practice and very nearly had to go to church in my PJs!!!  It was so hard to have to leave it so close to being pieced into a block.

Needless to say, chicken in the oven for dinner, quick stitch and press of seams and a speedy border later and I am in love!!!!!  Should point out that while I worked out the piecing for myself, I was inspired by Cut to Pieces Angela's layout of the Drunkard's Path block here.

It isn't perfect because I need to learn about trimming the block better, but I am pretty pleased with myself for a first proper go.  Leanne's video tutorial is a wonderful thing!!

And, if the bits that don't quite meet up in the middle bother me I can always add a button, right?

Just to show you a wee trimming shortfall.

This one was a better finish.  Think I need to cut a scant quarter inch like my stitching seam allowance, but at least now I know what to try next time, right?

Definitely a productive time this weekend and I even managed to clear my ironing basket and chores too, all ready for a new week of routine (and no doubt new loads of laundry)!

Hope your weekend was fun whatever you were up to!

Bee Blessed October Scrap Buster

It's that time again folks.  Time to tell all you wonderful generous Bee Blessed contributors what blocks we are making this month so that you can join in with us.  Ready for it?

This month I've decided that we need to work on busting those strippy bits in our stash, so the block is a quarter logcabin scrapbuster (for want of a better name or description).  Here's the how to:

Quarter Logcabin Scrapbuster Block - 12.5" unfinished

Assume 0.25" seam allowance throughout.

Colours:- please use fabrics in the mid-range of colours, ie not too dark (no navy, bottle green, brown or black).


You will need:

1 square of white cotton any size between 3.5"square and 6" square
selection of straight cut strips, varying widths.

Starting with your white square, add strips in a log cabin fashion first to the top and then to the right of the square.  Press all seams away from the centre.

Continue adding strips of varying width to the top and side building your block until it measures a little more than 12.5" square.

You should aim to have the final strips on each side measuring more than 1" when joined to your block.  Making the block a little larger than 12.5" will make it easier to achieve this without a lot of complicated calculations.

Take your oversized block to the cutting board and trim it carefully to 12.5"making sure that you keep the white square a square (if you trim the square on any one side, make sure you repeat on the other or you will end up with a white rectangle instead) and leaving the depth of the outer strips measuring at least 1" .

And, that's it, one block all pretty and complete.  If you enjoyed that, you could try another one.  I did.

I am hoping that these blocks will look as good in a quilt as they do in my head.  I think the randomly sized white squares will converge in a fun way

and then, on the secondary pattern there will be a lovely craziness of scrappy.  Well, fingers crossed.  Over to you now to prove me right!

Have fun reducing your scraps all in a good cause, and thank you in advance.

Weekend Plans

So, what are you all up to this weekend?

Me? Why, thank you for asking. As well as Bee Blessed, taxi driving and feeding the hordes, I am about to mount an assault on my overflowing scrap box.

I usually make my scrappy blocks as a by-product of other stitching but lately there hasn't been the same amount of machine time so I've just been stuffing scraps away under the table until they just don't fit anymore. The lid spends more time sliding off the mountain of scrap packs than it does containing and protecting from dust!

So, this weekend, apart from Bee Blessed tomorrow afternoon, all machine sewing is dedicated to making my box fit back in its proper spot under the table.

The plan of attack is as follows:

1. Take a coloured pack of scraps
2. Make a further crazy scrappy block for my collection
3. Then see what leftovers can be chopped into 2.5" blocks to be stored in another box for a scrappy mini-charm quilt of some sort at a future date.

No target for the number to achieve, I just want to get the lid on that box!!

Happy weekend everybody!

 

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