Scrap Report Two + More on Making a Pieced Quilt Back

Like I mentioned when I checked in with Scrap Report One back in April, I kind of felt like a failure at this year's 100 Day Project, but I am excited to say that I feel like I've made up for it a bit in the last few weeks. I believe that the 100 Day Project officially ended on May 30, so here's my final report on how I've used scraps in the second half.

The potholders I made for my Making Scrappy Potholders tutorial were intentionally made from scraps - both front and back, though I did have to pull from stash to make a binding I liked.

Though much of the fabric used in Vessel was newly-purchased, I did pull yellow scraps from the scrap basket to include in both the background on the front, and on the back. 

And where I really outdid myself and finished my 100 Days of Scraps with a bang has been with the scrappy quilt project I'm currently working on. It's not quite done, but the front and back definitely qualify to be included in this scrap report.

Though I used one yard of Kona Haze from stash for the background, the rest of the front (above) is totally from scrap. I felt like a single background fabric would give some unity to the multi-colored design. Where on the back (below), anything went, and every single bit came from the scrap basket. First I made a panel of all the left over bits from the front. Then, without looking, I grabbed a handful of scraps from the scrap basket, pressed them, and sewed them together. And I did it again. There were a few stragglers from each set that made up a fourth panel. 

Honestly, that was so fun that I did it again, then went looking for larger pieces to start combining the panels together. 

Working on a design wall is perfect for constructing a quilt back this way. Note that my quilt top is still up there, so I figured out dimensions for the back as I went. Basically, I added larger scraps to my scrappy slabs one by one, pinned them up, then moved on to the next. In general, I added wider fabrics to the outside edges, knowing that after quilting, some trimming would happen. But for interest-sake, I did let some smaller scraps reach out to the edge.

I thought it might be fun - helpful even? - to see the shapes of the final pieced slabs that made up the quilt back, with the lines shown above. And yes, I did add one more vertical trip down in the right-hand bottom corner, so that's evened up a bit. This backing intentionally is much scrappier than the one I made in my Making a Pieced Quilt Back tutorial, but the process is pretty similar. But with this one, I reached my goal of pulling every little bit of fabric from the scrap basket. It remains to be seen if I can get binding from the scrap basket as well, but fingers are crossed!

Courthouse Steps

Well, it's my turn to choose our Beesewcial @beesewcial prompt for June 2026. After last year's very personal, small block, black-and-white prompt in Ode to Joy, I decided to go with something on a larger scale this time, with a lot more color; still personal, but in a completely different way. 

I'm asking my beemates to create one large - at least 18" square - improvisational Courthouse Steps block. Untrimmed is great as long as I can trim to an 18" square if I choose to. Some specific guidelines:

• Begin with a pieced black-and-white center of any size and shape
• Construct the logs in cool colors vs. warm colors. Each quadrant can be its own color story, or the same as the one across from it, as long as opposite sides are both either cool or warm.
• Incorporate in your style of improv however you can. For example, my sample block was primarily cut ruler-free and includes some angled seams, pieced logs, and fine-line piecing. Make it your own while still obviously being a courthouse steps block. 
• No applique, please. Machine-washable fabrics only.

I've added to a :: Courthouse Steps :: pin board for ages, and it can be used for inspiration, though not specific details necessarily. I'll ask my beemates to use the guidelines listed above while realizing that Courthouse Steps can be constructed in a myriad of ways. They should definitely do what feels fun and freeing within my limited guidelines.

Lastly, I made the block shown as an example, but reserve the right to make another as my final block for the quilt. I'll decide as we move through the month. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what they do with this modern-traditional prompt.

Cloud Composition

Stephanie @spontaneousthreads got to choose our Bee Sewcial @beesewcial prompt this month, and she chose Clouds. Actually, compositions that include clouds. We were asked to choose one of four photos that Stephanie took that included clouds. I chose one of the front range of the Rocky Mountains at sunset.

From our chosen photo, we were to select a vertical strip, top to bottom, to be the inspiration for our pieced strip, approximately 8" x 40".

A bit of a challenge, right? I kept my photo close by as I began to compose my composition in fabric.

Honestly, it took me bits of time over several days to complete my entire strip. It was hard to keep everything totally 'straight,' and my strip finally felt done at 9"-13" wide and roughly 48" long.

Of course, I told Stephanie I'd be happy to shorten it, but as I expected, she asked me not to. I have no doubt she'll work her magic once she has all our strips. I know she will.

A Maker's Thought

It's been a while since I've share a post like this, but something happened last weekend that I don't want to forget. Plus, it serves as a very good reminder that our gift of making is something pretty special, and being able to share that beyond ourselves is worth the risk.

So remember those green potholders I shared a few weeks ago?

I made them to be able to write a tutorial on how I make scrappy potholders, and at the start, I didn't really have an idea of an eventual recipient. But for some reason, as I was making them, it came to me who I wanted to give them to. There's a server at a local restaurant that I visit fairly often. Usually it's mom and I or hubby and I, but whatever, she sees us coming and welcomes us in. We chat about our week and no matter the day, she makes us laugh, serves us well, and makes us glad we came.

So just before the last time hubby and I were headed there, I whipped up a gift bag and popped the potholders in. I can't say I didn't question whether taking the gift to her was a good idea. I mean, I've never taken a gift to a restaurant server before. But I just wanted to show our deep appreciation for the joy she adds to our visits.

After our order had been placed, I told her I'd made her something. She pulled up a chair to open the gift bag, peeked in, and wouldn't you know? She nearly cried. That there were potholders in the bag was meaningful to her. That they were handmade was meaningful to her. She thanked me over and over again. 

All this to say, if sharing one of your handmades crosses your mind, just do it. Risk feeling foolish. Risk an apathetic reaction. Because there's a good chance you'll experience what I did.... sincere appreciation from the recipient, and a personal gratefulness for your own giftedness as a maker.

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 4A + 4B and 5A + 5B

Anxious to receive this month's assignment for our guild BOM, I was happy to see I FINALLY got to use my green accent colors - Konas Peridot (darker) and Olive (lighter). The assignment consisted of making four pairs of quarter log cabin blocks.

There were actually 4 sets of mirrored blocks, and the problem with making the pair above and then taking a break, was when I came back, I repeated the exact same process again, rather than making them with a mirrored layout. Oops. Eventually, I got it right....

On the second set, I paid better attention and got it right the first time.

Of course, I'm curious how these will 'fit' with the other blocks I've made, and IF some future blocks will include all six of my palette colors. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to be done with this month's assignment and moving on to other projects.

Floral Stitches Year III - The One

Though I decided not to continue with the Dropcloth @dropcloth Floral Stitches Series into a third full year, I did receive the first one, so of course, I stitched it up!

Knowing this would be my last flower sampler for a while at least, I tried to really enjoy the stitching, adding extra layers of stitches wherever I fancied.

Gotta say, I enjoyed stitching this farewell flower very much.

Pascal Carrying Case Sew Along

I do love a sew-along. I've done two with Kristina of Center Street Quilts
@centerstreetquilts - the Hemingway Pouch and the Nightingale Zipper Case. So when I saw she was doing one with her new Pascal Carrying Case, I thought, why not? 

For fabric, I chose a Speckled Canvas Metallic by Rashida Coleman Hale in Sarah (green) for the main exterior; and a Fableism Camp Gingham in Sunshine for the lining. I wasn't 100% sure about choices for the interior pocket and bindings, but had a few options chosen so I could decide as I went. But I did find a nice taupe webbing in my stash, so I had enough to get started.

Day One's assignment was to sandwich and quilt the main body of the case, where foam stabilizer was one option for the middle layer. I knew from previous projects that that would be a good choice, and used Soft and Stable from byAnnie. I had planned to quilt a grid, but when I sat down to my machine, a serpentine stitch sounded fun. And it was!

For Day Two, we were to prep our bindings and strap. There was an option to cover the webbing - or not - and since I had some that coordinated so nicely, I'll be using mine au naturel.

It's not unusual for me to pull supplies for a project and then change my mind midstream. After Kristina sent her tips for Day 3, I realized she used zipper by the yard, so I switched to that; and decided I liked a different fabric completely for my case's pocket than I'd originally chosen. But I never regretted the combo I ended up choosing.

For Day 4, it was quick work to secure the webbing strap, including the hardware. I was really happy to find perfectly coordinating thread in my thread stash for both the exterior and the strap (which also matched with the lining!).

And tada! On Day 5, I just needed to add some binding, and my Pascal Carrying Case was ready to use. Though in all honesty, I think sewing on the binding took me longer than any other step. It wasn't hard, just a little finicky. But all turned out well in the end.

I really like the clean lines of this case.

And I'm super please with the details.... 

I also love that my Kindle fits with room to spare, and I think the charging cord will fit fine in the zipped pocket. Yay!

Vessel

Twice before, I've participated in the WELCA (Women of the ELCA) triennial gathering quilt challenge - in 2017 with Refiner's Fire; and in 2023 with Both Sides Now - so I was eager to participate again. This year's challenge was to create a quilt interpreting the I am Worthy gathering theme, incorporating the pink and yellow colors in the gathering's logo.

The finished perimeter of the quilt needed to be within the range of 100" to 320", though when the challenge was first announced month's ago, it was 60" to 100", so I was already planning for a relatively smaller quilt. Once I realized the change, I luckily didn't need to change my plans much, just making sure my finish 'fit.' Once completed, my Vessel, depicting a Kintsugi pot on a patchwork background measures 22.5" x 34" or a perimeter of 113".

The fabrics I included in my piece were Kona Azalea for the pot, Metallic Cotton in Gold by Windham Fabrics for the gold 'cracks', and for the background, a combination of Kona Banana Pepper, Essex Sunshine, Cotton Couture Lemon, two unidentified textured wovens, and quilt a few unidentified yellow solids from my scrap basket. Once the quilt top was complete, I created an improv-pieced quilt back using all the leftover bits.

For quilting, I echo-quilted the pot using Aurifil 50wt 2530 [Blossom Pink], to quilt between the metallic veins. Then I match-stick quilted lines 3/16" apart over the background with Aurifil 40wt Variegated 3920 [Golden Glow] for quilting and 1135 [Pale Yellow] in the bobbin.

Bound with Cotton Couture Lemon, Vessel is now ready to submit. 20 quilts will be selected to be shared at the triennial in July. Entries will be judged by a panel of selected quilters (full reveal, I was asked to be on the panel of judges since I apparently was a winner in 2023, but I won't be at the gathering) for originality, adherence to selected themes, workmanship, creative use of materials and overall design execution. There will also be a people's choice award and a quilters choice award. Winners and qualifying entries will be auctioned at the gathering, with 50% of the proceeds will go to Women of the ELCA and 50% to Lutheran World Relief.

As part of the entry form, I was asked to Describe how the quilt interprets the gathering theme. Here is my artist's statement:

The inspiration for Vessel came through a Lenten sermon series, 

where a pot was demolished, and used as a symbol for our lives, 

broken, yet beautiful in their brokenness. 

The vessel, repaired in the Kintsugi style, reminds us that our worthiness 

or value does not require perfection but a willingness to be shattered

and recreated. The mender comes to us, descending into our fractures and imperfections,

creating a renewed strength and purpose that didn’t exist before.

Linking up with Quilting JETgirl's Favorite Quilt Finish {May 2026}.

Umbrella Prints | Slow Stitched Needle Book

So, two things kind of morphed into one with this little project. First, I had a stack of UmbrellaPrints that I got from my friend Cindy's @liveacolorfullife destash back in February. Then there was the hand-stitched needle book made by Mira @bluebellhillcrafts, that came with an invitation, Slow stitch a needle book with me. It kinda felt like they would go together nicely.

I used a double-thickness of Aurifil 12wt threads to do all of my stitching, loosely copying the designs and stitches Mira had used on hers.

Maybe I should have used some brighter colors so they'd show off better, but then again, I enjoyed with low-key palette.

The needle book cover was attached to the lining with a blanket stitch, and in the pair of photos below, you can see the prints that I pieced together for the book's interiors, leaving that one selvage showing as a hint to the origin of the fabrics.

I chose to add just two pieces of felt, creating 4 pages to store needles. I tried to follow Mira's instructions for securing them, with three rows of stitching down the center. Not perfect, but I think it'll work fine, and it does give the book a bit of a spine.

So that was fun! Closed, the needle book measures 4.25" x 5.5". Something a little different, and something that will come in handy, for sure.