ScrapHappy September 2018

I am so happy to join this group!  I have been wanting to get something finished for the monthly Scrap Happy Day on the 15th, and I finally made it.

I bought big bags of solid-colored scraps at a guild sale, three years ago.

I finally got around to cutting and piecing them, a year and three months ago.  I ended up naming this quilt Chips and Salsa, because I had the age-old problem of running out of a fabric I wanted for that “perfect” combination, having too much of another, then running out of a different fabric, and so on.  So I did have to buy some new fabric to augment the scraps.  But I think using Other People’s Scraps counts double.  🙂

When I finally started to quilt, my sewing machine seemed to give up the ghost, at least as far as handling a big quilt being moved in all directions.  The thread broke constantly, no matter what variables I changed.

So I finally ordered a Juki sewing machine, which I learned about when I started following Doreen on Treadlemusic, so, something like five years ago?

And it finally got here!

The FedEx driver said she rarely sees anybody so happy to get their delivery.

The pristine accessories compartment! 🙂

So I could finally finish!

I love this quilt so much.  This is no delicate show quilt; this is a quilt to take out on picnics.  Maybe not to a Shakespeare festival — the bright colors might dazzle the people up on stage.  But I am so happy to see all these random scraps join together into something useful.

Nine patch and fence rails pattern, on the fence rails!

I like to convert the pictures into black and white to judge whether the value scheme is interesting. This filter is called “vivid landscape.”

This filter is called “newspaper.”

When these blocks were up on the design wall, I had a lot of fun moving them around and seeing which colors looked happy together.  Initially I was going to do the quilting all with yellow thread, but that lasted for approximately one sixth of the quilt.  Then I had to try different colors, and I really loved that.  I used turquoise, raspberry, lime green, etc. over big chunks of the quilt.  I’m not sure how much that color play shows up from a distance, but it kept my interest while I was quilting anyway.

Stitched with red.

Stitched with blue.

I used a bamboo (rayon) batting.  I purchased it from a booth at the International Quilt Festival — the saleslady showed me a finished quilt, and it was so light and flexible, that I bought two battings.  But mine didn’t turn out as light as I remembered.  I would not use it again — not that there was anything wrong with it; it’s just that I can get the same effect from 100% cotton batting or 80/20 cotton/polyester, at less cost.

Even though these scraps were of differing weights and vintages, I didn’t have any problems washing and drying the quilt.  I put three Color Catcher sheets in the washing machine, but very little color came off, and no seams pulled loose or anything.  I was hoping for a little more puckering than I got.

I am looking forward to completing more scrap projects.  Thank you to Kate and Gun for encouraging our ScrapHappiness!  Please look at the other participants:

Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn,  Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan, Karen,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Hayley, Johanna, Joanne, Jon and Dawn

Category : Colorious, Happy Textiles, Quilting
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