Thursday evening. Today would have been my father’s birthday. Dad would have been 107, I believe. Too bad he only lasted until 75, still miss him. He taught me most of what I know, I could probably say he taught me all I know, because one of the biggest things he taught me was that I could do most anything I wanted, if I was willing to try.
Friday is supposed to be wet and rainy. Hopefully this is all we get for a January thaw. Let’s just get winter over and move on. I tried a little to remove some ice from the blacktop but my arm and shoulder tired quickly. I hate to treat it with sand or salt because it tracks in so bad. Oh well, maybe it will have all melted from the hardscape before it freezes again. I’m sure I’ll be out helping it along tomorrow.
In the studio there have been no tops created yet. I am still cleaning up. I thought I would talk about that process and what I do when “cleaning”. As I work on a top I accumulate scrap from the process. As Carol finishes longarming a top I accumulate the scrap from the edges when I trim the newly quilted top. Most of the time there is anywhere from 1-1/2” strips to 3” or 4” strips and squares. These usually get thrown into a bin I keep for this purpose. It is always overflowing with anything from small strips to sometimes yardage.
In the studio there have been no tops created yet. I am still cleaning up. I thought I would talk about that process and what I do when “cleaning”. As I work on a top I accumulate scrap from the process. As Carol finishes longarming a top I accumulate the scrap from the edges when I trim the newly quilted top. Most of the time there is anywhere from 1-1/2” strips to 3” or 4” strips and squares. These usually get thrown into a bin I keep for this purpose. It is always overflowing with anything from small strips to sometimes yardage.
When cleaning I will cut these up into various sizes to continue the process of turning them into ready to use units or shapes. I seldom now save scraps as squares or even strips for very long. I found that when doing that I just kept filling bins with squares and strips. I decided they needed to be used. That was when I went over to the scrappy side of quilt creation. Now it no longer matters as much that all blocks be the same, I am creating scrap quilts. Most of the time I use the blocks merely as space fillers to have a reason for my sashing strips and cornerstones anyway.
The cleaning up process began this time with pulling any strips etc. in my immediate workspace. I then either went to the various bins of squares and strips or pulled fabric from that bin of fabric I just mentioned or some fat and long 1/4’s and 1/8’s left over from the store. Four-patches were the initial focus and a bin of 4” and 4-1/2” squares were trimmed to 4” then paired and sewn, then paired again to get four patch units. These were trimmed to 6” finished (F) units with my Four Patch Square-up tool.
The cleaning up process began this time with pulling any strips etc. in my immediate workspace. I then either went to the various bins of squares and strips or pulled fabric from that bin of fabric I just mentioned or some fat and long 1/4’s and 1/8’s left over from the store. Four-patches were the initial focus and a bin of 4” and 4-1/2” squares were trimmed to 4” then paired and sewn, then paired again to get four patch units. These were trimmed to 6” finished (F) units with my Four Patch Square-up tool.
Once that bin was empty it quickly is becoming filled with the 6” F units. I next moved to a bin of 3” squares. These were used the same way as the 4” squares were just described, only when it was time to trim they were trimmed to 4” F.
I then moved to some 3-1/2” strips. These being strips were handled a little differently. These I first cut into segments long enough to get two cuts of the strip size, in this case three 1/2”x2" plus about 1/2” to allow for trimming them. After randomly pairing, usually light/dark pairing as I do with my squares I cut them into pairs and now pair again as I did when the squares were at this stage and make them into four patch units. This time they became 5” F four patches.
When assembling a quilt I normally either attach four together, either with or without sashing. I usually use only (2) 4-patch units in each set of four. That meant I now needed an abundance of alternate blocks in all three sizes. While checking what I had to work with in my 3” F unit bins, I found that one bin was mostly 3-1/2 square triangles. Off I went to see what I could come up with as four patch blocks not made from just squares.
I made pinwheels galore, when I was sick of them, I made a pile of what I call reverse pinwheels. These are the same units only spun around with less bulk at the center. As I was a pairing them up I realized if I first went to the half squares I could get four the same, As that variety was used up I began adding other colors etc. into the mix.
When assembling a quilt I normally either attach four together, either with or without sashing. I usually use only (2) 4-patch units in each set of four. That meant I now needed an abundance of alternate blocks in all three sizes. While checking what I had to work with in my 3” F unit bins, I found that one bin was mostly 3-1/2 square triangles. Off I went to see what I could come up with as four patch blocks not made from just squares.
I made pinwheels galore, when I was sick of them, I made a pile of what I call reverse pinwheels. These are the same units only spun around with less bulk at the center. As I was a pairing them up I realized if I first went to the half squares I could get four the same, As that variety was used up I began adding other colors etc. into the mix.
I had to laugh because I began to see my choices much like arranging the people at a wedding. My tables all hold only four. The arrangement started with all the same, what I began to think of as immediate family.
As my choices diminished I needed to make one of the four different, kinda like that table has immediate family with either a step child or an in law added.
Then came those units that were kinda alike but not quite, I viewed those as the cousins.
Eventually I ended up with some that, I guess, must have been the friends from school, a little similar but not quite.
I even made a couple that would have fallen into the category of why were they even invited.
I made these in all three sizes, 4” F, 5” F and 6” F. I need more 4” and 5” and that is what is being worked on now. Those piles now contain enough blocks to create 5 or 6 tops once I decide that I have “cleaned” enough and decide to start to use them up so I can begin the process all over again. Here are my bins becoming full as the process continues.
Hopefully the weekend weather isn’t too bad. Time will tell. Stay safe and enjoy.
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