Fabric Scraps Obsession, Quarantine Quilts, What's on the Design Wall

No Scrap Left Behind (half square triangle craziness)

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I closed out my previous post (Home Office Tips and Tour) with this image below to give you a tease about what I am working on next:

2020-04-09_19-13-55_051

Now that I’ve settled into my re-configured studio (see post Guest Blogger: tierneycreates’ “New” Studio Tour) I have no excuse but to start making things in the studio (besides masks).

I thought I would start with my fabric scrap collection for my first non-mask project in my “new” studio.

I have long history of fabric scrap addiction (yes I am that person at a quilt retreat who stops people from throwing out their larger scraps in the trash and offers to “adopt” them) and so I have quite the collection of fabric scraps.

I keep them organized in bins at the bottom of the IKEA bookcases in my studio:

2020-04-01_08-21-41_752These bins contains scraps organized by color.

I also have them organized by themed collections of scraps in bags stored under my cutting table:

2020-04-08_15-37-07_529One of these collections, is a collection of scrap triangles, most given to me by other quilters when they trimmed these triangle when piecing blocks for their quilts. The triangles are in various sizes.

By sewing two scrap triangles together, I can created a scrappy “half square triangle” (HST) which provides many design opportunities. This is what I did with a bunch of scrappy fabric squares which I turned into HSTs back in Spring 2018 (see post Pillow Popping with the Untethered Soul), and created a pillow top:

img_3758

I do have a basket of fabric scrap squares that I could have used to make HSTs for the project I am about to tell you about:

2020-04-13_19-01-44_210But I’ve decided I want to start using (and cleaning out) my ridiculous collection of themed bags of scraps (mainly given to me by other quilters) and my scrap triangle collection had gotten out of control.

So I dumped the entire collection of fabric scrap triangles onto my cutting table:

2020-04-09_19-03-43_244And pulled out this awesome book by Amanda Jean Nyberg, No Scrap Left Behind, for ideas.

2020-02-25_08-07-59_262

I found a pattern in the book called All Sizes which uses several different sizes of HSTs to create a scrap quilt with smaller HSTs progressing to larger HSTs.

I did not want to violate copyright laws by photographing the quilt pattern inside the book but I did find an image of the quilt on Pinterest:

2020-04-13_18-55-18_876
Image credit: Pinterest

The pattern instructs you to create HSTs the standard way from two contrasting squares (if you’ve never made HSTs or are not quilter, here is a link by Blossom Heart Quilts explaining how HSTs are commonly made – HST Tutorial).  However I decided to manually make HSTs by sewing two scrappy triangles together.

So to make this happen I had to sort my giant pile of scrap triangles into light and dark in order to manual create the HSTs (to get a nice contrast with a HST you use a light fabric and a darker fabric). The process was tedious but fun (I listened to great music while sorting, sewing, pressing/ironing. and trimming).

2020-04-13_07-46-58_5802020-04-13_18-49-57_5092020-04-11_19-57-59_7212020-04-13_14-27-35_0182020-04-13_18-49-14_566 Eventually my “hot mess” of scrap triangles, turned into this on my design wall:

2020-04-13_18-49-31_482

No it doesn’t look anything like the pattern of the Pinterest finished quilt image I shared above but it is in progress. Initially I placed the HSTs in size order on the design wall but my organization fell apart after a while of trying to just randomly get all the HSTs I’ve made onto the design wall (to get a sense of how many I’ve made so far).

Also, you might have noticed that the Pinterest finished quilt image has white as the light on the HSTs. I’ve was very loose in my interpretation of “light” to contrast with my darker triangles. I did not have many white/cream or other light colored scrap triangles. So I had to use medium fabrics often as “lights” and you will see some bold fabrics in the mix (like deep/strong yellows, etc.) as “lights”.

2020-04-13_07-47-06_160But hey – it’s going to be a very scrappy quilt!

When the quilt top is complete, I am going to toss any remaining scrappy triangles. They were originally headed to the trash bin before I rescued them. It is okay if some now make it to the trash.

I think there will be very few scrap triangles remaining when I am done; and I think this is a one time scrap quilt experiment with scrap triangles. (Next time I make HSTs it will be using contrasting squares)

And I plan to say “no thank you” when other quilters offer me their scrap triangles in the future!

Postscript

I am still hand quilting Seattle Scrappy (see post Seattle Scrappy (What’s on the Design Wall)) in case you wondered what became of that piece. I keep it on the stairs railing next to the recliner I sit in when watching television in the living room, so it is always handy to work on:

2020-04-12_09-25-53_726Someday it will be done…

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

36 thoughts on “No Scrap Left Behind (half square triangle craziness)”

  1. Love it. I am the quilter that hands off her scraps lol. I did try to hold onto them and they got out of control plus I had that quilt that bled and I in all is lost mode. I mean how do you prewash scraps after all. Your quilt choice is going to be great.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Okay then it might be dangerous for us to attend a quilt retreat together until I am sure that I have perfected my “No, thank you” 🙂
      Yup, no prewashing for scraps so you are taking a chance…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh but the fun we could have. I have friends I say no to because they have asked me to. I hide scraps and bring them home from them 🤣

        Liked by 1 person

  3. You are amazing — a lesser quilter would have quaked under that pile of scrap triangles! Love what you are making — it has strong energy.
    PS: I am also working with HSTs, making a pinwheel background in greens for a proposed appliqued tree from bird fabric. (As I reread that sentence I realised that it would not make sense to a non-quilter, but I am sure you understand.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much and perhaps a more sane quilter would have run away from this pile – ha! I look forward to see what you make from HSTs and I am about to head over to your lovely blog to see what you’ve been up to (I keep falling behind staying on top of the blogs I follow) 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Wow it’s lovely, but do I really believe you are going to say No to scraps? I love scraps because I like making textile pictures- so I do eep saying yes. I love the way you have organised your fabrics.

    Like

  5. Great looking quilt with all those colors and patterns and solids and sizes. I love what you have started. As a quilter we know that light and dark colors are simply a suggestion in many of our minds and this proves that point. Scrap quilts are the best. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. OMG I’m so impressed– sometimes I save the bonus triangles — sometimes I trash them. I love how you have the patience to put them all together to create a stunning work of art! Good thing you live far away I would definitely give you all of my scraps!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much! It was more like a relaxing meditation to put them together. I had to slow down and focus on matching like sized triangles. I am not always up to tedious work but for some reason this was very calming to me during these times. Noooooo – you are trying to be an enabler – ha! I do not need any more scraps (but you know I’d want them!!!) 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. Hi there, this is my first time on your blog and I found the designs of your quilt lovely and unique.
    By the way, I am new in blogging and I hope you can support me. Just recently, I made a challenge to myself to visit at least 10 blogs for the next 21 days. As I visit blogs, I will leave comment and put your link on my blog too. Hope you can visit my blog too.
    I followed your blog too.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Wow, that´s a mammoth task, but I´m sure it will look great in the end, I love scrappy! and from what I´ve seen from your blog, you´re great at making scrappy look amazing, just like your Seattle scrappy.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Your quilt is wonderful! It will look different from the original, but isn’t that what makes it YOURS? I like what you did, and have no argument for your plans with leftover triangles. =) The Seattle quilt looks great over the banister. I know it will be so beautiful when you finish the hand-quilting and are snuggling under it … because it’s beautiful right now!

    Like

  14. Pingback: Creative Strength Training – tierneycreates

  15. my stash extras are ‘PAPER’ – I suppose it’s like quilting and fabrics – I need a bit of paper that is say 4 x 4″ and the sheet I’m cutting it from is 6 x 6″ … I then have these extra pieces that are a nice colour, painted strips, coffee dyed patterned bits, or I can see the outline of a flower, leaf, whatever.

    It can’t be ditched, I know I will need it…

    A few months ago I realised that the shoebox storage was expanding…so now I’m trying real hard not to make another shoebox!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Of course you will need it 🙂
      I feel the same about those fabric scraps…
      Oh and I do still have some pretty paper scraps from when I was papercrafting (and someday I will return to that and need those 15 year old scraps!) Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Like

  16. I love Seattle Scrappy’s colors and fabrics. Can’t wait to see how the triangle quilt turns out. What fun!

    Like

  17. Love the scrappiness! I do wonder though whether you’ll really be able to say no when there are so many lovely scraps from beautiful fabrics… just imagine what you could make from them! 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Pingback: And on the 8th Day…Part II – tierneycreates
  19. Pingback: What’s on the Design Wall: “All the Trimmings” – tierneycreates

Comments are closed.