Scrap Quilt of Valor Blocks

I have been working on the quilt "Vintage Sampler" for the last few months.  Always, when working on BOM programs, there is plenty of fabric left over from cutting out the pieces for the blocks.  Since the colors for this quilt were red, white, blue and a little black, what was a girl to do, except make Quilt of Valor blocks!!

I found the pattern for this block on the fabric collections manufacturing page, Paintbrush Studio Fabrics.  You can find the pattern here if interested in making something for yourself.

This is my scrappy version of the block, and it's perfect that they turn out to be 12" finished.  Perfect for the Quilt of Valor program.  I am going to be able to get 9 blocks out of the scraps.  Well almost, I did have to add some of my own red to get the 9 blocks.

Then I had a lot of small scraps left over, so I made some very scrappy filler blocks as well.  

I was again laid up for another couple of weeks, recovering from eye surgery on the same eye that they put the gold into the eyelid back in April.  The gold made my eyelid too heavy, and I had a slight allergic reaction, so they had to go back in and remove the gold.  The biggest drawback from the surgery, is I can't lift more than 10 pounds, or bend over for almost two weeks. I have much yard work, kitchen cabinets to be finished refinishing, canning fall harvests, laundry, and my list could go on and on.  I am getting antsy.  

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Quilt of Valor Blocks

The Quilt of Valor group that I belong to through FaceBook has had another block drive for the next few months.  I made a few blocks to send their way, and I am working on a another batch.

They gave out two patterns for the block drive.

This one is called Martha Washington's Star.  Not a fan, and would not want to make them for myself, but it gave me practice on the pinwheel block that is in the middle.

This stars is called Starflower.  Much better to block to make, so I made more of these than the other one.

The group is also asking for as many of these Rail Fence blocks that they can get.  I just made these, until I ran out of the flag material.  I only had a small scrap.  These blocks measure 6" finished, so they must be wanting them to be used as filler blocks for the normal 12" finished blocks.

Interesting side note about these blocks.  I posted this picture on the group's FaceBook site and some one commented about being careful about the layout looks like a swastika symbol, and that would look bad for our group.  I had to look hard at the picture to see such a symbol, but I doubt they will  e laying out the blocks in this manner.   I went back to look at the post, and the admin for the group, had removed this picture and all the comments.  Interesting how things get perceived, even in quilting.  Personally, I don't really see that symbol, but the commentator must have and hit a nerve somehow.  Oh, well, I really don't care, as I am just making the blocks, and happen to lay them out this way for a picture.  

These blocks were sent off last week, so that the other volunteers will be putting them together.

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Plodding Along with the Cheddar Bow Ties

I have come a long way on this little project, since I last wrote a post about them.  I have about 500 little blocks done of the 700 I originally wanted to accomplish for a double size bed.  I have since changed my mind and want to do two twin sized quilts, so I calculated I would need 600 for each quilt.  So, to look at it on the positive side, I have the blocks almost done for one of the quilts, and then I just have to start over for the other one.

This is a pile of chain piecing.

A set of piles of pieces needing to be sewn.

And a pile of pieces needing to be added to the first part of the block.

I have piles of various different stages all around my sewing machine at any given time.  I am now working on sets of 50 in my chain piecing, so I feel like that I am getting big chunks of the blocks done at any given time I can work on them.

What is so nice about this type of scrappy project, it allows me the ability to just sit down, even if it is only for 10 minutes or so, to make progress.  It's repetitive work that doesn't require the need to look at a pattern, or be so precise in the stitching or joining of the pieces in the block.  

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Cheddar Bow Ties

Before I left to go out of state, I started the Cheddar Bow Tie quilt.  My goal is to not duplicate any print in the blocks.  Only the cheddar will be consistent throughout the quilt.  So I went off to a venture of finding scraps in the town I am currently staying.  I went into a wonderful shop here, told them I was making a scrap project and looking for bits and pieces of fabric.  The nice clerk lead me to a basket of 6" square scraps of fabric.  There were about 500 pieces and although there were about 5 - 6 of each print, I was able to get 100 totally different prints.  

Then I went to different thrift shops and picked up several scrap pieces!  Score!  So a good guess of the number of new different prints for the cheddar blocks is about 175 (I have approximately 150 at home).  I figure I am a little under a half of the way to getting a different print for each block.   Remember I need 720 blocks to make a twin size.

These bags are the left over scraps from the pieces from the thrift store.  They have been cut down according to the system that can be found here by Bonnie Hunter on Quiltville.com. 

I am ready to get home and start sewing again, and I now have some more prep and cutting done!

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New Favorite Book

When I first started quilting, I bought almost every quilt book that came out on the market I had in mind of creating a huge quilt library, that I could go to at anytime and find a specific pattern. Well, all that did was begin to take up a lot of space, cost was getting to be a factor, and it wasn't as easy to go back and find that "pattern" I wanted at a later date as I once thought it would be.  So I slowed down my book buying about eight years ago, and in the last couple of years I only get me one or two a year.  Most of the time, If I really want a book, I wait until it is a couple of years old, and buy it second hand on Ebay.

But.  While I was on the quilt run this year, I spotted this book and looked through it, and liked it, but put it back and went around the store looking at other things.  While checking out, I thought I should take another look at the book, as I hadn't seen it anywhere else along the trip.

Looking at it again, I realized it had 40 patterns in the book. Most books don't have more than 7 - 10. And each pattern is so different from the others, and again, many of the books today have a pattern, and then different approaches for that one pattern and counting it as a separate pattern.

I also looked at getting this book, because I have so many scraps left from every BOM I have ever done, and want some various patterns to begin to use them up.  The Title caught my eye, as it says projects for 5" scraps.

This this the cover of the book.  Even the cover project is a good mix of scraps, but balanced nicely with a light to give the quilt some class.  Most scrappy quilts can look a little trashy to me.

Here is what one of the patterns look like when you open the book, with easy to read instructions and material lists.

If you expand this picture, it shows what the pattern would look like in different sizes.
This is done for every pattern in the book.

All in all, I really like this book.  I already have a couple of patterns in mind to use soon.  After looking through the whole book, I found I liked more than 90% of the patterns.

Warmest...