Its a Finish! Bitcoins

 Bitcoins

84 x 84

It's a finish! 

I tried to take some pictures yesterday but it was partly cloudy, it was cold and it was windy so this is as good as it gets. 

 Except for chunks, strings, selvages and crumbs my scraps are sorted by size. This quilt was made from 1.5 inch scraps. From my blog history it appears I started combining a 1.5 x 2.5 inch colored scrap with a low volume scrap of the same color and just made 2.5 inch unfinished squares for the Parts Department around May 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I figured I could use them for a border, to make Four Patches or Whirlagigs someday when I had enough of them. 

 Around July 2017 I played around with the little squares and somehow ended up sewing them together by color into blocks of three columns and seven rows probably because I had at least 21 little squares of several different colors.   I called them 21 Patches even though there were 42 pieces. 

By November 2017 I was calling them Whatchamacallits because I was not sure what to call them but those blocks needed a name. 

 Sally of Objects of Design started making some blocks and by September 2018 she had a whole quilt top of them. She called hers Bitcoins and I thought that name was clever and more descriptive so my 21 Patch turned Whatchamacallits turned into Bitcoins. 

 In June of this year Bitcoins became a flimsy (or top if you prefer) that consists of 3528 little pieces of fabric if I calculated correctly. It was a charm quilt until it wasn't. I intended to use all different colored scraps and each time the Rainbow Scrap Challenge came around I only cut one piece off of each scrap that was in there; however, since it took me several years worth of scraps to get all the blocks I need a scrap may have been in the 1.5 inch scrap bin from year to year so there are repeats. 

 And then I finally put it in the hoop and started big stitching with ecru perle #12 that I had on hand. I didn't mark anything. I just big stitched about 1/4 inch either side of the lengthwise seams. 

The quilt fits perfectly on my bed and since it is square it can be oriented any way on the bed. 

I used wide muslin for the backing and muslin scraps for the binding. 

When I hand quilt I usually use Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting. 

This was my goal #11

for

Q4 Finish-Along

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

It's a Flimsy! Bitcoins

 Bitcoins

It's a flimsy!

84 x 84

It can be oriented this way...

 ...or that way. 

 I started it in November 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge Project to use...

 ...1.5 inch scraps which I cut into 2.5 inch pieces.   Later I also used 2.5 inch scraps cut into 1.5 inch pieces. 

I first sewed 1.5 x 2.5 inch colored pieces to 1.5 x 2.5 inch neutral pieces to make a 2.5 inch square unit. I played around with them for awhile and then decided to join units of the same color into blocks of 3 columns x 7 rows.   I first called the blocks Whatchamacallits until someone else started making them and called them Bitcoins which is a more suitable and very clever name I think. 

Now to find a backing and get it quilted. 

And Then There Were 84!

 I just finished 23 of these 6 x 14 inch blocks. 

Now I have 84 and can begin to assemble the top. 

I started making these back in November 2017 as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project to use 1.5 inch scraps.  The individual pieces are cut 1.5 x 2.5 inches.  At first I called them Whatchamacallits because I didn't know what to call them.   Then Sally at Objects of Design started making them and called them Bitcoins and I thought that was a very clever and more descriptive name so I started calling them Bitcoins too. 

 I'm going to join the blocks together randomly 14 x 6 or 6 x 14.  That way the quilt will be a square 84 inches and I will be able to have the quilt oriented two different ways. I was going to make a rectangular quilt but couldn't decide which way to orient the blocks so this way it makes no difference. 

 As I mentioned previously, I've been making these from 1.5 inch scraps. The little pieces were individually cut and sewn and not strip pieced although that would have been faster.   I really didn't want a repeat of any fabrics except the neutrals but that didn't happen -- there are a few repeats.  

 I made these last 23 blocks from the 2.5 inch scraps since my 1.5 inch scraps are running low ( and that's a good thing). 

As soon as I iron these blocks...

...they will join with the 61 other blocks and I can begin quilt top assembly.   I've been chomping (or is it champing?) at the bit(coin) to move this forward!  Since the weather has been rain, rain, rain and more rain and I can't work in the garden I might as well go sew. 

Moving It Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Yellow Scraps

Yellow Cats

Yellow is the February Rainbow Scrap Challenge color of the month. 

 I sort most of my scraps by size and not by color.  That's what works for me.  This week I dug into the 3.5 inch scrap bin and pulled out some yellow scraps to make some cats.  I want to make at least four cats per month and so if I don't have enough 3.5 inch scraps (as so happened with red) then I cut a 3.5 inch pieces off of a chunk scrap.   I've been using gray or black/white scraps for the background. 

 The next thing I do with 3.5 inch scraps is cut sixteen 3.5 inch squares to make sixteen patches with stars. 

 Then I pair up the yellows with another color of my choosing to make HSTs and then make Broken Dishes blocks. 

I was kind of surprised I had so many yellow scraps in the 3.5 inch bin. I usually don't have many yellow scraps in any size.  

 Since I still had yellow scraps left in the bin I decided to cut 1.5 x 3.5 pieces for my little rail fence blocks.   Those pieces were made into the Rails on the left. Since I usually cut Rails from 1.5 inch scraps I decided to also  go get yellow scraps from the 1.5 inch scrap bin and cut and make Rails which are on the right.   This is the third year of making little Rails from scraps so maybe at the end of this year I'll have enough for a big and very scrappy quilt.  

Then while I was in the 1.5 inch scrap bin I cut my Bit Coin pieces (1.5 x 2.5) for the block on the left.  I usually don't like to repeat fabrics in a block but I didn't have much to choose from in the 1.5 inch scrap bin. After I use scraps from the 1.5 inch bin in my RSC projects they go into the Spider Web project box.   I'm aiming for a big quilt and this is my third year of making them so I'm not going to be picky about repeats anymore.  Then I decided to look into the 2.5 inch scrap bin.  I should have looked there before I made the block on the left because as you can see from the block made on the right I had lots of different yellow 2.5 x 1.5 scraps. 

Anything left in the 3.5 inch bin that was less than a square went into a strip instead of into the crumb bin.   I've been doing this for a couple of years too so I probably have enough for a Chinese Coin rainbow or a rainbow border. 

Earlier this week I started making Church Window Hexagon Variation blocks from 3.5 inch scraps and made my red and yellow blocks. 

So that completes my yellow blocks from the 3.5 inch scrap bin and the 1.5 inch scrap bin.  That leaves me with the yellow scraps in the 2 inch and 4.5 inch scrap bins to use the rest of the month. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Go Figure

 

 For a couple of years I've been making these blocks from 1.5 inch scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. The blocks measure 6" x 14".  I have been keeping my 30s reproduction scraps in that size separate from other scraps so I could finish some String Stars.  I finished the 30s String Star blocks so recently made these blocks (and then some)  from those scraps. 

I've been calling these blocks Whatchamacallits for lack of a better name but then I saw Sally at The Objects of Design was calling them Bitcoins and I think I prefer that name so that's what I'll call them moving forward.  

 Speaking of moving forward...I decided I should figure out how many blocks I have and how many blocks I need. So I took count. I have 52 blocks. I want to set them 14 x 6 for an 84 inch square quilt. The colors will all be mixed up so I don't need to worry about how many of each color I need. I'll continue just using whatever shows up in the scrap bin. 

So if I make 32 blocks next year I'll have the makings of a quilt. 

I've also been making these little 3 inch rail blocks from 1.5 inch scraps for a couple of years. 

It's also time for me to figure out how many of these I have an how many I need. 

 I sorted them into piles of 50.  And was surprised I had that many.  Again, these will be all mixed up in the final quilt and not separated by colors into rows or columns so I don't need to worry about how many of each color I have. I can just go where the scraps take me. 

I like big quilts so decided I'd aim for one 90 inches square.  (You know I've never liked square quilts but it seems that's what I've been making lately for some reason).   As of today I have 591 blocks. I need a total of 900. So if I make 309 in 2019 I'll have the makings of a quilt top. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green Scraps

 I just started making these HRTs last month from 4.5 inch scraps. 

 I also started making Fractured Rails blocks from 4.5 inch scraps in the color of the month mixed with a tone on tone in a complementary color..  

These blocks I make from 1.5 or 2.5 inch scraps.  The little pieces are 1.5 x 2.5. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

From the 1.5 Inch Scrap Bin

 This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is dark blue/dark neutrals. This week I dug into the 1.5 inch scrap bin and made some blocks I call Whatchamacallits. They are a version of Coins. The pieces are 1.5 x 2.5.  This is the second year of making them. 

 I've been making little Rails for two years also from 1.5 x 3.5 inch scraps. 

 I made a lot of them this month from what was in the scrap bin. 

After I use the scraps in the 1.5 inch scrap bin to make the two different blocks...

...I've been putting them in a shoe box with some Spider Webs. 

I'm not sure why the 1.5 inch scrap bin isn't empty yet. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

From Orange 2.5 Inch Scraps

 In past years I haven't really had that many scraps to play with when the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color rolled around to ORANGE.   This year I do have a lot of 2.5 inch orange scraps since I made a quilt that used a lot of it. 

So this month I dug into those 2.5 inch orange scraps and made a couple of ten inch Crazy Lady of the Lake blocks. 

 And I made a couple of orange eight inch Depression Blocks and three brown ones. I've been making these from scraps for a couple of years and I think I only need 5 or 6 more for a twin sized quilt. 

 I made a few sprouts.  I've also been making these for a few years and probably should take a count of them.  

And then I made a couple of these Whatchamacallit blocks.  The pieces are 1.5 x 2.5 so I usually use 1.5 inch scraps to make them but I looked ahead into my 1.5 inch scraps and found I only had two orange pieces in there so this month instead of using the 1.5 inch scraps to make these I used the 2.5. 

And while working with 2.5 inch scraps if any scrap gets smaller than a 2.5 inch square I sew them into a strip like on the right side.  

Then I saw that this month's Block Lotto block, a sixteen patch in California Poppy colors including orange, could be made of 2.5 inch scraps I whipped up four of those. 

And on break times I enjoyed watching all the butterflies that visited the orange Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) in the flower garden. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Red 1.5 Inch Scraps

This week I dug into my red 1.5 inch scraps. In case you don't know...I sort a lot of my scraps by size. All colors go into the various "size" bins and I sort through there for the color I need. I do not precut fabric to fill those bins but it seems they are always more than half full.  They kind of remind me of those doll baby bottles that you tip up to feed the doll  and the "milk" disappears and then when you turn it right side up the bottle is magically full again. 

Anyway...back to the red 1.5 inch scraps...I made three strawberries.  I just googled "strawberry quilt block" saw a picture of one, committed it to memory and went and made three blocks.  I have an old UFO - Tea Towel Challenge- kind of fruit themed - that I've decided to take apart and start over. I think I work better if I have all the quilt parts assembled before I attempt to make a quilt top.  More on that later after all the parts are assembled. 

Speaking of assembly...I've been making little three inch rail fence blocks for a couple of years from my 1.5 inch scraps.  Maybe it's time to count and decide what to do with them. There's so many options.   And the block on the left - a 21 patch - kind of a Chinese Coin variation block that measures 6 x 14 - I should probably count those too and decide what to do with them.  I've been calling the block "Whatchamacallit".  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Pink 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

This week I used pink scraps from the 1.5 inch scrap bin.  

I made two 6 x 14 Whatchamacallit blocks ( aka Chinese Coins). I didn't have quite enough different scraps for two blocks so I added in a few red scraps. 

Little 3 inch Rail blocks. 

3 inch Nine Patches

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Green 1.5 Inch Scrap Edition

 I don't know what these 6 x 14 inch blocks are called so I call them Whatchamacallits. 

I dig into the 1.5 inch scraps, cut pieces 1.5 x 2.5, cut a neutral pieces the same size chain piece them and then sew 21 of those little units together into a block.  

This is a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project carried over from last year. At the end of this year I'm hoping to have enough to sew together into a BIG quilt. 

These little 3 inch rail blocks are another Rainbow Scrap Challenge project carried over from last year. They also use 1.5 inch scraps.  I'm not sure yet if I'll combine them with another small block, sew them together into 9 or 16 patch blocks by color or just throw them all in a bag, shake them up and sew them together as I pull them out. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Purple Whatchamacallits and Rails

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for February is purple. 

I used 1.5 inch scraps this week and made one  6 x 14  Whatchamacallit block...

 ...and several little 3 inch rails. 

And then if there's any 1.5 inch scrap left over after that it gets thrown into the Spider Web project box.  That way I can spread the scraps between 3 quilts for maximum scrapiness!!  I have about six Spider Web blocks that I started ages ago using 1.5 inch scraps and then , for whatever reason, it stalled.  Any new scraps in light blue or purple accumulated throughout the year will go into the regular old 1.5 inch scrap box for next year's whatchamacallits, rails, or new project. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday