It's How You Look at It

 

I love taking an idea and pushing it around, to see what else it can do. These blocks are arranged the same way as in Saturday's post.

Here is the photo from Saturday's post, so you don't have to go anywhere else to see it. In the top photo the orange triangles form open six pointed stars and they have different colored diamonds in the middle.

In the bottom photo the same six pointed stars are less obvious because I have made them with different colored triangles. Your eye is more attracted to the dark blue diamonds at the center of each of the stars mostly because there is a strong light/dark contrast between the dark blue diamonds and the white background.

It's interesting how different they look.

The layouts above are about four feet across by three and a half feet high, so not quite big enough to fill out a whole quilt...

so I added more dark blue diamonds above, below and to the right of every "bowtie" pair of blocks. I like where this is going.

and because looking at something in a different way is always instructional, here is the same photo rotated ninety degrees.  It looks completely different, and oh, the possibilities this has!!!

But back to the unrotated view. Here I added more "bow tie" pairs thus surrounding the blue diamonds at the top and bottom with multi colored six pointe stars.

Now I am really loving this. I love the "graphic" quality of this. By "graphic" I mean "modern," "flat" (no three dimensional space), and "geometric." I love the traditional Amish quilts for the same reason.

While this is now five feet wide (60") it still isn't quite tall enough for me as a quilt. Remember I live where the ground freezes and it snows in winter. A lap sized quilt won't cut it here.

Here I have filled out the left and right edges and added more blue diamonds to the top and bottom. 

This quilt would be about 60" x 78" and that works for me.

Now this is a Scrap Slab Triangle quilt. You can see the others I have made here. And should you want to make one (and use up your scraps), you can get the updated tutorial here. I

n the past I have used small prints on cream or white fabrics to fill in the spaces around the slab triangles, but I have decided for this quilt, I will fill in the empty spaces with WOW fabrics.

Long triangles, left and right, which are NOT interchangeable in White On White fabrics which can be hard to tell apart.

What can possibly go wrong? (ROFLMAO)

By the way, Mom's boyfriend is doing very well. He can drive short distances and is going to physical therapy. 

Black & White Harlequin Finished

 

The Black and White Scrap Slab Triangle quilt I am calling Harlequin is finished.

I stitched the binding while watching Father Brown on BritBox. But I must have missed a season or two because Mrs. McCarthy, one of my favorite characters, is no longer on the show.

This is another "green bird" made with scraps (actually ALL my birds are made from scraps). This guy's wing is from the leftover backing of the Little Blocks quilt, which is next up for hand sewing the binding.

This fabric has so many options for birds, and I am probably going to make them all.

There are at least 12 different designs you can make with the Scrap Slab Triangle tutorial. You can get the tutorial here, from my Etsy shop. It's a terrific way to use up your scraps.

Sideways

 

By the time I figured out that I wanted the design to run sideways, I had sewn three rows together, so I had to do some unsewing. Then I had to move the blocks on the design wall, yet keep them in sequence so I could shift the design. I used Julie's paper-plate method.

I had to redesign two additional rows at the bottom.

Then it was start sewing things together. Pressing all the seams open kept the blocks more in shape. 

After I make my blocks, I always trim them to size. It means things sew up much more accurately.

Here all the rows are sewn together. I will add creams as a border and the quilt needs a name.

This is a scrap slab triangle quilt. You can get the tutorial here at my Etsy shop.

Picking Up the Proverbial Pencil

 

I've been kind of "blah" the last couple of weeks. The studio needs cleaning, and I'm just not in the mood. I don't really want to do the work I should be doing (preparing backings for a couple of quilts). 

 I've done another jigsaw puzzle, I've watched a bunch of TV. I've gotten into the NY Times Crossword Puzzles. Nothing has excited me.

I even spent an afternoon sewing fabric scraps together (recognize these?) and then cutting them apart into scrap slab triangles. (see top photo.) But still blah.

I KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO...

I have to get in there and PICK UP THE PENCIL... (go read that blog post I wrote in 2012)

I just have to Get. To. Work.

I knew I had a bin of scrap slab triangles somewhere - I just had to find it. I finally did, and tossed some up on the design wall. Totally nothing spectacular. I've done enough rainbow quilts. Been there, done that, don't need to go there again. But it was something to tinker with.
 

Years ago in one of my classes, my students discovered this sort of W shape, made by lining up five triangles in a particular way. I thought it would be fun to play with, so I tried that.

I played around a bit more, then thought I might like it better sideways, so I rotated a picture...

Yup, this has potential, and it has peaked my interest. I'll be playing around with these more in the next few days (and OF COURSE) I have to make more blocks (gee, where have you heard that before?)

I had always wondered what a scrap slab triangle quilt would look like if I didn't use any side triangles. I guess I'm about to find out.

You can get my Scrap Slab Tutorial here, in my Etsy shop. It's an instant download so you can get started right away.

Nine Rows

This is where the Sparkling Winkel quilt was when I went to bed last night. Only the rightmost vertical row is not sewn into blocks. The other nine rows are sewn into vertical rows and I'm hoping to sew them together this weekend.


If you'd like to use up your scraps and make a scrap slab quilt like this one you can buy my tutorial here, at my Etsy shop. It's an instant download, so you can get started right away.

Toy Quilt Story

I made a lot of blocks, and then got them up on the design wall, then stood across the room, took my glasses off and checked it all out. I didn't want too many of the same color blocks too close to each other. I didn't want too many busy blocks together. I didn't want too many darks clumped too close together. I tinkered with a pair of blocks, then another two pair, and then one pair again, and came up with this. Now I just need to add 240 black on white side triangles and sew it all up.

You know "all I have to do is..." hahahaha.

For Linda, who asked where I get my black on white prints, I buy them whenever I see ones I like, but lately though, it seems they are harder to find. I have bought many of these from eQuilter.

More binding

I have sewn down the binding around half the Snow Day quilt, and pinned down the rest, so I am moving right along.



This is a detail of the Snow Day quilt. I've made it from scrap slabs. You can make a scrap slab triangle quilt too. Get my tutorial here at my Etsy shop.


In other totally non quilt related stuff, yesterday I celebrated 29 years of working at the same company.  Didn't see that coming 29 years ago. 

Backing for Fruit Loops

I've been staring at this on the floor of my sewing studio for three weeks:

It's the backing fabrics I chose for the Fruit Loops quilt. It's been lying there for that long partly because I wasn't quite sure what to do with it, and partly because I've been busy.

Last night I got home from work and after dinner I decided enough was enough. I cut the pieces crosswise into 18" lengths, then paired them up, and sewed them together. Then I rearranged them and sewed those together.

Voila! The backing of Fruit Loops is compete.

Now it's time to send them off to be quilted.

And this is also a reminder that the Scrap Slab Triangle Quilts tutorial is live and for sale in my Etsy shop here.