Scrap buster quilt – Two Terriers Studio

The Wonky Stars Quilt

Continuing on with my Eastern to Mountain, 3-part series, let’s talk about the Wonky Stars Quilt. This series is about three different quilts that are all scrap busting by nature; colorful and well-traveled. This particular one was 100% inspired by the Missouri Star Quilt Co. “Block” magazine that I received from a fellow quilter. As I’ve mentioned before, I learned so much about quilting from Jenny Doan, Founder of Missouri Star Quilt Company http://www.missouriquiltco.com. I watched her online tutorials, almost daily in the beginning, and her ‘anyone can do this’ style drew me in. She made quilting approachable and fun, so of course, I was happy to have this new book in my collection.

Wonky Stars is just that – WONKY. There’s no fussing with matching triangle points. The four patch center is about as precise as the piecing needed to be. The rest is a wash of colors and prints, free form triangle shapes and wonky goodness throughout. Making this was a relaxing experience and I immediately thought that it would be a quilt I could make over & over and never tire of the process. While Jenny’s version on the cover of her book is scrappy, as is mine, this would be fantastic in a curated palette or from a single collection. I omitted the sashing and setting squares in my quilt, but aren’t Jenny’s just an extra pop?

Gathering the Scraps

As you can see, there’s a little bit of everything in these blocks! My go-to background is a bleached white cotton from Moda Fabrics. A bright, crisp white is one of my favorites when paired with all these vibrant colors. Keeping the same white in my quilts allows my solid white scraps to match. Pulling from smaller pieces generally ensures they are all the same. Note, I said “generally”. It’s not an exact practice, as there have been a few stragglers left behind from earlier quilting days. One of those stragglers found its way into this quilt, as a matter of fact. I actually didn’t even notice the slight variation until the quilt was completely pieced and I saw it in the daylight!

Progress! I totally understand that scrappy patchwork isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I love it. It’s good to be frugal, using every last little bit of precious fabric. I like reliving the memories of so many other projects as I cut new blocks for what will be a one-of-a-kind new quilt. As usual, I didn’t have a final size in mind when I started these blocks. I kind of let the evolution happen and felt that I’d know when I’d made enough. There were moments I thought this could be a really fun & funky baby quilt, but the more stars I made, the more I wanted the quilt to be very big. So, I kept going.

Assembly

Once my blocks were finished, I cut them all to the same size which seems like a process out of order. With the focus and precision in the four-patch and the “legs” of the stars all being different, the squaring came last. Squaring up these nine patch blocks was quick & the sewing even more so.

You can really see my alternating pressing of seams here. That’s another technique I know many quilters will debate. Press to alternating sides or open? I tend to press alternately; open if the pattern calls for it. With the Wonky Stars, my alternate row pressing was just fine. I always give my quilt tops a final starch and press before they are quilted, but this one shows the first pass.

Off to the Mountains

This is where the Eastern to Mountain comes in. My husband and I took two quilts into the mountains of Utah and photographed them in a place that was totally new to us. We like to hike and explore, but the difference in altitude and width of trails compared to home made for a challenge. Thankfully, my husband agreed to carry the quilts and I’m certain the other hikers were wondering what he had in that big plastic bag! After crossing paths with a snake, I was busy watching my steps. Stopping among the Aspens for photos was the perfect respite. The photos do not do justice to this beautiful place. And yes, the top is a bit wrinkly.

I’m thankful we took these photos in Provo, before hiking near Sundance. We learned that extra large quilts are more difficult to keep off the ground when taking photos and dirt hiking trails aren’t forgiving. I had to do a little hand washing of this one and left it to drip dry over the hotel shower curtain rod. That was when I found the one, white square straggler. Yes, I left it and it’s quilted in. I sort of figured if it took all this piecing, hiking, and hand washing for me to see it, then let it be.

Back East

The backing fabric by Sarah Golden for Andover Fabrics features terriers, of course! The beautiful edge to edge quilting is the work of Jenn at Knotted Thread http://www.knottedthread.com. Now quilted & bound, it had one more trip to our friends’ in New Hampshire. Equally bright in the mountains of Utah as it is here, over the picket fence of a 200 year old home. Quilts – memories stitched together and at home everywhere.

All content and photos property of Two Terriers Studio and not to be copied or distributed without written consent of the owner.

This is the latest scrap busting quilt I’ve made and I love it. Every quilt comes with a story; how it began, who it is for, the process, the fabric, the quilting and boy, does this one have a story. It’s one that I’m glad I trusted the process and continued sewing, even amidst the doubt and layout fatigue. What started as a project to use scraps and have some “mindless” patchwork sewing, quickly became anything but mindless. It’s more of a study of value and every block is placed with intention. Such intention isn’t usually found in scrappy or improvisation quilts I’ve made in the past. This one took time.

Sorting Scraps

I tend to be frugal with my scraps; almost to a fault. I’ve now been quilting for just over a decade and while I buy a lot of fabric, I use and keep almost every little bit until it’s a size that I can no longer find a use for. After each project, I’ve cut leftover fabric into 5″, 3.5″, and 2.5″ squares and store them together for future patchwork. The bigger pieces are sorted and stored by color and become zipper pouches or something like that. I’ve made so many “scrap busting” quilts and will be sharing them here soon. I’m a couple days late for Earth Day celebrations, but I always feel that using every little bit and not dumping it into a landfill is a responsible way to move through this process. My goal here was to not purchase a single piece of fabric to make this giant quilt and in that, I succeeded.

When I decided to make this Pixelated Quilt, I pulled all my 2.5″ squares and just dropped them on my cutting table. That’s the mess above. I don’t sort my squares by color, but by size. It seemed to make sense until this quilt assembly.

After a few days of sorting through all those little random pieces, I spent time sorting by color into a storage box. I don’t work well in chaos, so while I like all the fabric, the lack of order was making it a challenge to get things done. I was reminded that I have very little orange, yellow, or purple fabric in my collection. I needed to cut into some other larger pieces to develop the right amount of color gradient.

It was at about this time that I wasn’t sure I wanted to make this a large quilt. I started questioning what minimum size would still show the pattern, but allow for a quick finish. It was taking more time than I had anticipated (or wanted to spend) and rather than using the 2.5″ squares I’d already cut, I was having to cut into more fabric I already owned. I said to my husband, “I thought this was a good idea, now I’m not sure. Maybe it can be a baby quilt? I’m actually not loving it; is the value gradient actually showing yet?” He will say that the story went something like, “I have an idea; I love it; I think I’m OVER IT; insert mild curse words; I’m SO OVER it; a few more curse words; Ok, I really do love it!” Ha.

The Layout

My block layout is a 6×6 pattern with the darkest line on the center diagonal. I also wanted the graphic images to be oriented top to bottom; the quilt front would have an obvious “top”. This was one more place where the intentional layout became time consuming. In addition to the gradient, I wanted the orientation to be consistent. Sometimes, I don’t worry about that. This time, I was trying to get each piece correct. With a quilt measuring 68″ x 80″, that meant 1,512 pieces…all measuring 2.5″ unfinished, 2″ finished.

Quilt in the Wild

I like to photograph my quilt tops before they are quilted and bound for a few reasons. When I finally get the top finished, the first photos feel like a bit of a celebration. It’s also easier to travel with quilts of this size before they are quilted and bound, because the weight of something 68×80″ is heavy. My husband always helps me with the full size photos, so it’s also good that he’s not standing there, arms completely outstretched, trying not to let a heavy quilt hit the ground. I think it’s fun to see my work out of the studio, so “Quilts in the Wild” is top of my photo list.

These photos were taken at the Northfield Daffodil Farm in Litchfield, CT. It’s a magical place with rolling hills and so many beautiful flowers. This is was the second time (and second quilt of mine) photographed here.

Longarm Quilting

I sent this to be professionally longarm quilted by Jen, http://www.knottedthread.com. I chose a continuous Baptist Fan pantograph and I think she did a wonderful job.

The backing is of sea turtles and the binding is a Moda Fabrics grunge. I like how the binding matched the sea turtles, but also framed this span of so many colors.

Finished

Quilted and bound, I took it to Massachusetts for one more photo. It was just the burst of color needed by the sidewalk on this cloudy, spring day. If you look closely, you can see those turtles peaking out at the upper right corner.

While there is truth to the way my husband would relay the story of this quilt’s making, I look at it finished and I’m thankful I continued on. Isn’t that the way with most things in life? It’s the mentality to keep going that will get us where we need to be. Within these one thousand five hundred and twelve squares are fabrics from my very first quilt, made over a decade ago, as well as pieces from almost every one in between. I’m definitely seeing repeats and I notice the gaps in my own stash. This one will be staying at home with us. I made a considerable dent in my scrap squares and celebrated using every little bit.

It’s just a fun, cozy, colorful quilt, made with love.

All photos and content property of Two Terriers Studio and not to be copied or distributed without written consent.

Tag: Scrap buster quilt

Eastern to Mountain, Part 2