mixing 2500 plus 2 1/2" sqs
08-14-2016, 03:00 AM
#11
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Northeastern Indiana
Posts: 2,800
My favorite quilt of all time was the one on the bed at my grandmother's house. It was a postage stamp with 1/2 by 3/4 inch finished pieces. I was told there were only two that were allike. Of course I would fall asleep before I found them.
08-14-2016, 05:03 AM
#12
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 5,896
I do the same as others, divide into light and dark and place in a 2 gallon plastic bag. I pull from the bag about 30 at a time and eliminate duplicates by throwing the duplicates in an open plastic tote. Just the 30, not the entire bag. So when I sew, I know at least my block doesn't have duplicates. Once I go thru the entire bag, I rebag them and start over. Whatever size block I am making. When I sew the blocks together, I don't worry about the closeness of like squares because they are divided into a checkerboard pattern. So two of the same whatevers are corner to corner not side to side.
08-14-2016, 05:10 AM
#13
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Southern California
Posts: 19,131
Originally Posted by Jeanne S
I have never been able to do a completely random scrappy. I put my squares or strings in piles by color, then rotate among the piles. I don't agonize over each piece, but use just a little judgement to alternate values and colors as I go through it.
08-14-2016, 05:36 AM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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I did the same thing with my daughters Burgoyne Surround in a scrappy. Cut the squares into 1.5" squares, put them in a paper bag, gave it a good shake, pulled out one square at a time. My only rule was I could not have the same colors side by side, so one change was allowed, just reach back in and grab another. Here she is, 1" finished squares!!
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08-14-2016, 05:44 AM
#15
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 96
When I'm doing scraps, I mix everything up in a box as if I was folding batter, making sure that pieces cut in layers get separated. Then I take small handfuls to use as 'piles'. Grab one scrap from your original big group and match it with pile #1, big group- pile #2, etc. when one pile is empty I make a new pile that moves to the back of the pile line. Hope I explained this well enough
08-14-2016, 06:07 AM
#16
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Boston
Posts: 368
I like the random effect of the paper bag method, but I found that my pieces would get creased and some wouldn't lay flat when I tried to sew them.
These days as I am cutting for a scrappy project, I deal out pieces into 5 or 7 piles like they were a hand of cards. Each pile then will get cut a few times and then stacked altogether. This gives me a fairly random order from which to pick fabrics but the pieces still lay flat.
These days as I am cutting for a scrappy project, I deal out pieces into 5 or 7 piles like they were a hand of cards. Each pile then will get cut a few times and then stacked altogether. This gives me a fairly random order from which to pick fabrics but the pieces still lay flat.
08-14-2016, 06:07 AM
#17
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,184
Saw this done on Simply Quilts years ago. It was a challenge with well known quiltmakers. Can't recall the lady's name. She put all her scraps in a bag and reached in without looking and sewed together whatever she pulled out. If you pull a matching square, just throw it back and pull another out. Her finished quilt was beautiful. If you are interested, I can try to find it to see what episode it was. I think I have it on tape....but pm me so I don't miss you. Ellen
08-14-2016, 07:29 AM
#18
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: southeast iowa
Posts: 2,887
Good luck. Sounds like a fun project. I've got scraps cut. Have been working on a postage stamp quilt for the past several years....on/off as I collect 1.5 inch squares. I've been doing blocks of 10x10....same color, if possible. To date I have 73 big squares done
08-14-2016, 05:10 PM
#19
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Hamburg,Western New York State
Posts: 4,856
Originally Posted by JenniePenny
I suppose if you are making more than one quilt you can put the fun, novelty prints in one quilt and the sophisticated prints in another. Sometimes scrappy quilts are not totally random. I like to use a unifying color as a sashing or a consistent light color for a background of scrappy stars, for example.
Or add other elements besides the 2.5" squares. One example is combining a 16-patch block of 2.5" squares with a pinwheel block. Another example is combining a 25- patch block of 2.5" squares with either a snowball block or an eight pointed star. It gives the eye a place to rest, and can form a chain effect.
Or add other elements besides the 2.5" squares. One example is combining a 16-patch block of 2.5" squares with a pinwheel block. Another example is combining a 25- patch block of 2.5" squares with either a snowball block or an eight pointed star. It gives the eye a place to rest, and can form a chain effect.
08-15-2016, 04:28 AM
#20
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 33
I would cut those fabrics into 2 1/2" x 18 or 22" strips and sew a light strip to a dark strip. Then cut your strip sets at 2 1/2". Those 2-patches are easier to work with and you'll never notice that you sewed 9 identical 2 patches in the finished project!
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