Placement Matters!

I wanted to try a micro mini disappearing 9 Patch (they each finished 2.5" square).

I used the same amount of fabric for both.  A nine patch with a red centre, and four squares each of grey and white.

In this one, the grey squares were in the middle of each strip, making the cross shape. with the white squares in the corners.  I wasn't altogether pleased with it.

In the second one, I reversed the placement of the grey and white squares.

This was much more what I wanted it to look like.  Isn't it amazing how just placing the fabric in a different way can have such a different outcome?

Isn't it great to be able to keep on learning?

I've also learnt that 'disappearing' blocks where the resulting pieces are of such different sizes don't really work for micro minis.  Useful to realise!

I thought that I'd try another placement experiment - although this time I didn't do it 'properly' with the same fussy cut focus piece in the middle.

I made the economy block - each finishing at 1.5" square.

Less dramatic difference this time!  I think that a chequerboard quilt make of these would be lovely.

Now that I'm tying this, I realise that I've actually made two chequerboard quilts with this block, one for each of my daughters to welcome them to the world!  Crikey! Sixteen and eighteen years ago - doesn't time fly!
 

Mini Makes

The scrap use continues!

This time a range of mini pieces - including one that I'd stitched on - were put together in a mini piece, which I then extended with some glorious batik to make into a book cover.

Matching flaps to hold the notebook in place.

This is the whole cover.

Lots of fun to make, and already gifted to a good friend.

More 'pre-cut' scraps.

Turns out that I had more bunting triangles tucked away in my scraps drawer than I had realised.

So, it was time to get the twill tape out and get making.

Fast and fun.

It didn't take long to make two strings of bunting.  One is 12' long, one is 18' long.

Aren't the fabrics pretty?  I have no idea why I didn't make the bunting at the time that I cut them out.  Funny how some projects just get side-shifted by accident, isn't it?

Here is one string, neatly folded.

So satisfying.

And only slightly reminiscent of Picasso's 'Bulls Head' (you know, the one with the bicycle saddle and handlebars).

My progress through the scrap drawers continues!
 

Dresden Delight

In my scraps were some cut, but unsewn, Dresden plate blades.  I put them together and appliqued them to a backing fabric.  Then surrounded them with strips made from the remaining blades.  Then squared them up with some dotty fabric.

Then I put the whole medallion on point in some cherry blossom fabric.

It's all very sweet and quite retro feeling.

I backed it with a vintage style floral, with a strip of that blue dotty fabric and a smaller piece of cherry blossom.

Bound with more of the blue polka dots.

I quilted it with 'petals' on the Dresden (you can just about see it here) and a large stipple on the rest of it.

Doesn't it look perfect for a summer throw?

Only about 50" square, but cute as anything!

You can get an idea of the prints and scale of them here.

No worry about who to gift this one to.  I asked DD2 to hold it for me so I could take a photograph of it.  She carried on holding it, and it's disappeared into her room.  In fairness, she did ask if that was OK!

More fabric bits removed from my scrap drawers!
 

Back to Full Size

I've started on the 2021 excursion into my scrap drawers.  It seems to be an annual event!  I really don't know how I seem to amass so many - or why I've so far failed to get them down to zero!

Actually, I might know the answer to that.  I always like to have a few scraps around to use for applique and patches (and micro minis, it turns out!).  So getting to completely empty scrap drawers might not be a real concern for me, just having them with enough space that I can fit in what I have left over at the end of a project!

I don't think that I'll ever get over the pleasure from turning scraps into blocks like these, and then these blocks into a quilt!

I had to piece the back too, and these prints worked well.

Utility quilting, and then, just like that, the quilt was bound and ready for snuggling under!

Off to choose the next scraps to add sewing alchemy to!

More Micro Mini Fun

More teeny tiny quilts for the gallery this week!

First of all I made two small hexie quilts.

Tricky to find prints in my collection that were small enough for the fussy cut centres.

The pink framed one is 1.5" square.

This blue framed one is 1.75" square.

Then I went back to some piecing instead.

This one is another 1.75" square.

This one, a disappearing four patch, is just a smidge larger.  I think that I missed trimming it properly, as it looks a bit skewwhiff! 

I've thoroughly enjoyed my play with micro mini quilts this month.  The gallery is rather over full (the best ones always manage to have delights in storage so that the rooms can be refreshed now and then - mine will be no exception!).

Thanks to Berry Birdy for the idea!