Scrappy days are here again!

"Happy days are here again,
the skies above are clear again"...

at least til Monday, that's when we get more rain!  That's too bad cuz my sister is coming for a visit til Friday, looks like rain all week   :o*(

BUT... three things to be happy about:
(1) main course salads
(2) adopting one better habit
(3) recuperative strolls

"Scrappy" days are here again, and so am I! I've been working with my scraps and it can be a bit messy at times - how did a scrap of fabric get on the floor mat of my car??  It's fun making my scrap yardage and I'm getting some great pieces made. 

Since I'm using my 6-1/2" GO die to cut the half square triangles, I make the pieces at least 7-1/2" square to make sure it'll fit the entire area.  One thing I found out is, it's almost impossible to control where the seam line fits, as you can see in the piece above.  When I made my cut, I only got just a sliver of that red fabric... I think all but a teensy tiny piece will be caught up in the seam.

I really liked Marei's comment about using red, so I tried a few and boy how it makes my pieces pop!  Take a look at these two layouts I tried:

Because the pieces are so large, I'll be able to make a throw size in no time at all!  For sure I'll need to follow a layout sheet, I had fun trying to get the one on the right lined up correctly - it took leaning my head way over to the side and closing one eye!  Kinda pretty, though.

Well, that's part of what I've been up to, quilt wise.  I find myself back in the position of having to clean my guest room so my sister will have some place to sleep - where'd all that clutter come from in there???  I definitely need a quilt studio!

Also, I'm behind on my Doodles BOM, I need to make three to catch up!  And what about the Quilty Barn Along and the Hello Moon?? 

Have a great Friday, I might not blog again for a while but I'll still be scrapping behind the scenes.  Sew forth and sew on til later!

Another twist

Three things to be happy about:
(1) eggs scrambled with that substitute crabmeat stuff
(2) a matter of no importance
(3) spontaneous road trips

Well!  After a breffus of scrambled egg substitute and other substitute stuff, I went with Charlene and Pat to the new Costco in Wheaton Plaza (Maryland).  We missed the grand opening, and I wanted to check it out just because, so we went.  I didn't get a photo but it's a nice store, plenty of parking, and you access it from a mall entrance.  I had to go right in and check out the new ladies room (don't ask) while Pat and Charlene bought cards at the card store across from the entrance - different and handy!  It was a bit crowded - why are there so many people out wandering around on a Monday morning - don't they have to be at work??!

Whatever.

I woke a bit early yesterday morning and started thinking about the cut along I posted about, and how I was making even more scraps and crumbs every time I cut my shapes from the large scraps! 

Then I said - hey!  That star Rosa made is very pretty, why don't I make some scrap yardage and cut a few triangles from that too??!

Just to test out my theory, I made a couple big pieces and layered them with a light background fabric and cut them using the 6-1/2" die...

Here are a few layouts... I'm not so sure.  I only made four pieces and it's a bit hard to see what they'll really look like, but one question I'm asking is do I want to use that light background or should I go with something a bit darker or brighter (like red or gold)?  Definitely I should use something that reads as solid, a medium or large pattern would kill the design!

And another thing I need to be aware of is the size of the scraps - see that blue strip and the brown one?  They really stand out and could potentially change the shape of the block! 

I'm also wondering if I should try using a smaller HST die - I have a 4-1/2" that's part of a "value die" (three shapes on one die) and there's a 3-1/2", but if I use either of those the scraps need to be smaller.

Something to think about!  I need to think quickly because if I want to invest in another die right now, Joann's has them at 40% off until May 4th. 

Have a great day, sew forth and sew on til later!

Cutting along

Three things to be happy about:
(1) hitting the snooze button
(2) time to think
(3) sour cream and onion potato chips

As I type this I'm eating a handful of Pringles sour cream & onion flavored potato crisps.  I don't think they can truly call them "chips", although I don't know what difference it would make - none of that stuff's any good for ya anyway.  Sure is tasty though! 

Whatever.

The Die Cut Scrap (Make Later) Along has officially started, and yesterday I was a busy little miss using my Accuquilt GO to cut triangles.  Ebony suggested using the 5 x 6 thousand pyramid isosceles triangle for this cut-along, but because I don't have it and don't want to spend the money right now, I thought I'd just use one of the dies that came with my Accuquilt starter set.  So, the 6-1/2" half square triangle it is!

The fabric that I pulled a few weeks ago and pressed?  Well, most of it had to be re-ironed - isn't it interesting how wrinkles can settle in fabric while it's just lying around?

I meant to keep track of my time, but because it was broken up I forgot to take notes.  But I did count the number of HST's I managed to cut ...

132! 

Scraps that were too small to fit the 6-1/2" die were cut into 3-12" squares for the x and plus  blocks I started kitting up some time ago; anything left from that went into the crumb box.  I found a few WOF pieces that were just right to cut 2" strips from too - the bin is getting full!

I haven't reached the point (yet) where I'll separate these by color family... maybe some day if I don't use them fast enough!

So that's what I've been up to; I hope you had/will have a quilty day, sew forth and sew on...