JENNR8R

I love the paint-chip border on that one WMUTeach!

Janice McC

WMUTeach, had a trip down memory lane this evening as well. Ended up cutting enough scraps to make up nearly half the needed packages for the year. I had dozens of prints from past quilts, scraps from numerous Boom swaps and even a few really old ones from my first years of quilting. I’m only in the first bin, too, so I’ll have plenty to finish the year out. And the best part is I’m sorting them as I go and making sure I have enough 1-1/2 inch strips for the Checkerboard Chain. Heaven knows I have enough 2-1/2 candy squares in my tubs! It’s been a hugely productive evening. I prefer cutting all squares up front so I can relax the rest of the year and just mail as needed.

pamelor

Thanks everyone for all the links and pictures! This is giving me more than enough ideas for how to use these squares. My boyfriend thought Lori Holt's Irish chain posted by Janice was beautiful and he even said "I'll cut the 1.5 inch squares for you!" (No, he won't.) I told him to calm down. 2.5 is crazy small enough -- I think 1.5 would drive me right over the edge. I'm with you Janice, trying to get the bulk of cutting done early, and don't know how many 3-day weekends are in my future. I think I have about 500 done. Cutting and sorting squares has been a nice break from real life which unfortunately starts again tomorrow.

terriamn

Oh wow so much eye candy

WMUTeach

Pamelor, I used to think 1.5 was too small to deal with and tossed those small scraps in the trash with no guilt. Now this quilt has given me the motivation to save those itty bitty squares. I have a small basket by my machine to put the 1.5s as they are cut. I can then stitch them into pairs and into little four patches.

I also have a small project box for the 2.5's that come up when I am cutting for other projects. When that box gets full I put them in my larger storage boxes by color. So easy to use when I want to do a color way or just grab a pile of each color for a scrappy quilt. It took a while to build up that stash now I spend time trying to keep my 2.5's under control.

Terriamn, I would say that sharing ideas and examples is one of the strengths of this group of quilt makers who like to use candies. Our eyes seem to be drawn to any pattern that makes use of 2.5s Welcome to our addiction or perhaps it is better call a passion. Tee-Hee-Hee!

pamelor

WMUTeach, oops I just realized you originally posted the checkerboard chain link which I attributed to Janice! Apologies. Friday and saturday, i generated plenty of scraps too small for 2.5 squares and gleefully threw in the waste pile. Yesterday as I tossed more I kept thinking "these could become 1.5 inch squares, hmm". I may cave and rescue them.

Macybaby

I save 1.5" squares. Got the idea of cutting one out of each new piece of fabric and saving them up until I had enough to make something. But I got off track and now I don't know what I've got squares out of and what not.

So I got a bug and sorted through what I had to keep one unique one of each in one stack and I have something else in mind for the rest. The problem will be going through the stash so I can get more unique ones. Sometimes it seams doable and other times I'm like, why bother!

I found a design that was in the online puzzles, and it used 1.5" scrappy squares and 2.5" solid for a squashed Irish chain type pattern.

LogCabin82

wow! That quilt is so cool!! I love it!

LogCabin82

I’m having fun with these candies today!

sewbizgirl

This was what I made from my first candy swap... divided the blocks by color as some of you ladies are doing. My uncle wanted the quilt, so it lives at his house now.