Sometimes You Just Have To Sew

    One glance in my sewing room and it is absolutely obvious that the scrap situation is out of control.  Normally this would not be a problem because I consider myself primarily a scrap quilter.  Lately, or more accurately, for well over a year I have created plenty of quilts, but only a few were SCRAP quilts.  Even the quilts that may look scrappy, were created from new fabric lines, which only added to my scrap storage problem.  Something had to be done.

    I design the Scrap Crazy Template sets for Creative Grids.  There are three sets of templates available.  The original Scrap Crazy set and the Crazier Eights set both make an 8" finished block.  The third set creates a 6" finished block.  All three sets make a unique Crazy Patch block to help you use up your scraps in the most effective way possible.  Obviously I need to put mine to good use.

    Crazy Patch quilting is simple and fun to do, but without a plan you can find yourself in a situation that is referred to as "up the creek".  In order to continue adding pieces to your block, you will need a set-in seam or a Y-seam.  The Scrap Crazy template sets eliminate that issue because they are guaranteed to fit back together with simple straight line sewing.  Another bonus is that as you rotary cut, the dog-ears are pre-trimmed on the templates so that there is no doubt about the placement.  Simply line up the edges and sew!  Even better, the templates work in different combinations to make unique quilt patterns that probably wouldn't consider without a template.  These are just a few of the quilts from the companion books that go with each set.

    

    Now, back to my overwhelming scrap fabric problem.  It is time to put those templates to work.  I decided to set aside the projects on my to-do list for an entire day and simply enjoy sewing something without a deadline.  I had an idea rolling around in my head to use the A template from the Crazier Eights set (that is the kite shaped piece that fits in the corner).  I cut four of the A template from the same piece of fabric and pressed all of the blue, green, aqua, purple, sage, navy, grass, lime, teal,... basically any color in the blue, green or purple family, that I could find in that basket.  Any scrap 3" or longer and 1" wide was pressed and ready to use.

    Here is a photo of the nine blocks I created in one day.  They will measure 10" in the finished quilt.  Not a lot of progress for an entire day of sewing, pressing and trimming.  Then again, not everything worthwhile is "fast and fun" or "quick and easy".  Sometimes it is worth the time and effort to slow down and enjoy the process.  

    There were plenty of creative moments working on these blocks.  Right from the start I decided on that half inch black outline to emphasize the scrappy diamond shapes.  With half the blocks completed, I decided I didn't like the black.  After a quick trip to the grocery store, I gave it a second look and decide I was right in the first place, those black lines keep the scraps from fading into the kite shapes.  That started the creative ball rolling.  What if the background were neutral and the scraps in high contrast?  What if the star points didn't meet? What would it look like if I added a scrappy narrow sashing? What if the A template were scraps and the diamonds were solid?  Remember, I don't have a pattern to follow.  If I love this in the end and think that you will too, I may write instructions for the project.  Right now, I just want to sew and make something beautiful.

    My goal was to clean out scraps.  The kite shapes are actually cut from what I consider scrap fabric.  They are larger pieces left over from other projects.  Larger pieces are not my problem.  It is those small scraps I thought I would be clearing out of my stash.  I can't say that these blocks didn't use up plenty of fabric.  Because I was trimming to assorted widths from odd shaped scraps, plenty of fabric ended up in my trash basket.  In fact it looks as if as much was tossed as ended up in the blocks!

    Throwing away the trimmings is not a problem for me.  I know that the best part of that scrap now lives in a pretty cool block that will eventually become a pretty cool quilt.  Everything in that trash basket is less than 3/4" wide.  Scraps that were larger than that, but not suitable for strips have been set aside.  There may be some crumb quilting in my future.  Meanwhile I will be making at least three more blocks for this project.  Possibly more, but right now I have to get back to that to-do list.