Sweet Sixteen

Back in June, I made the impromptu decision to join the Summer Scrap Bash hosted by Brittany @loandbeholdstitchery basically because it would give me a reason to use the original Cotton+Steel jelly roll that my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness had given me. Not once have I regretted that decision, as it gave me a fun interlude in between other more demanding projects.

I snuck in making 16 patch blocks every chance I could, even making more than I originally intended, to make a larger quilt than I initially thought. At times, I questioned that change of plans, but of course, now that it's done, I'm more than pleased.

The quilt finished at 56" x 72", a nice sized large throw-size. With the pile of leftover jelly roll strips and bits from my quilt top, and the two yards of C+S Sprinkle still left in my stash, I managed to make a pieced quilt back. I began by piecing all of my remaining 2.5" strips end to end. They were in varying lengths and the new pieced 'strip' ended up being nearly 21 yards long!! I kept sewing lengths together, eventually cutting the piece into three segments to piece into the Sprinkle. The bottom left got filled in with my last fat-quarter and another random piece. To say my C+S stash is dwindling is an understatement. But I'm pleased to have used so much of it in this quilt.

For quilting, a simple grid seemed appropriate, and with so many colors in the quilt, I just went with Aurifil 28wt 2021 [Natural White]. Not sure that was the best choice, but I think it worked ok. 

I bound the quilt with my last bit of Cotton and Steel Basics XOXO Black. I can't say I'm thrilled with the result, as the majority of the Xs ended up on the back of the quilt. Uh-oh and oh well. At 56" x 72", the quilt is a nice lap quilt size, and that's what I was after.

Meanwhile, what's left of my C+S stash is a small stack of charm squares (from this quilt) and an even smaller handful of yardage and scraps that are all getting consolidated into my general stash. It's hard to believe it's been a good 10 years+ since I started collecting C+S fabrics, keeping them together all this time. End of an era.