Scrap Report One

Honestly, I pretty much feel like a failure at this year's 100 Day Project, where at the start, I declared my own 100 Days of Scraps. It all started on February 22, so we're roughly two-thirds of the way in, and though I've done very little in documenting my scrap usage, I have been sewing with them here and there.

I did finish the scrappy quilt I began on day one of the 100 days - Strings. And the front is truly 100% from the scrap basket. The back and binding is a mix of scrap and stash, but I still feel really good about the scrap usage in this one.

The pyramid pincushions I made for my retreat buddies were also 100% from scrap. The cute pattern is from Mira @bluebellhillcrafts.

Backgrounds of my Leaf Study bee blocks may have been from stash, but the leaves themselves were scraps, which just added to the fun.

And much of the fabric used in those Pixie Baskets was from scrap. I don't think I ever showed that these ended up on our Easter table as little party favors, filled with candy. Gotta say I loved the response from the family, especially the "do we get to take these home?" Yes, indeed. Oh, and these cute baskets are from a tutorial by Heidi @fabricmutt.

Imp wasn't quite from the scrap basket, but I did choose small pieces from my pink stash. If a piece is foldable, I often keep it with my yardage, for times such as this. So while some pieces may have been close to a quarter yard, most were much less, and all that I pulled got used up in either the front, back, or binding.

Though I originally intended to use more Essex Homespun scraps in my Pantone project, Billows, they really weren't a usable size. But they are the darkest spots you see below, so I did use a handful of them. I also used up that gold gingham, which I'd gotten from a scrap stash bundle from FabricBubb, which I counted as scrap since they were in random small-ish sizes.

Lastly, all the Maple Street Pouches, a pattern by Svetlana @sotakhandmade, were made from a mix of scrap and stash. I could have just kept on making these, I enjoyed them so much.

So, definitely not the 100 Days of Scraps I anticipated. And truth is, there are still several weeks left. So I'll try to at least keep squeezing them in as I can. 

Patterns to Try | Patchwork Zip Up Tray Pouch

After trying - and loving - Aneela Hoey's @aneelahoey patchwork version of her Pop Open Pouch, I knew I needed to try another pattern I've had lurking in my Patterns to Try file - her Patchwork Zip Up Tray Pouch. 

To start, I cut and pieced the necessary 2.5" squares from a Cotton Couture Charm Pack. Shown below is just the exterior panel; there were also two patchwork end pieces as well.

The patchwork panels and the separating zipper were a breeze....

.... though things increased in difficulty somewhat from there.

• Piecing of heavy interfacing were inserted to create the four sides of the pouch, and for some reason, I needed to trim them ever so slightly to fit. Easily done, and the sides seem to have ended up evenly enough.

• Creating and attaching the patchwork tray ends was a bit of a mind game - maybe it was just me. Thankfully, I was able to get them attached correctly, but it took some real concentration and reviewing of the instructions. No worries; it just took some time.

• The trickiest step of all (for me) was the final one - the hand-sewing of the binding. The stiffness and shape of the pouch made it difficult to get in there with my needle to take the needed stitches! In theory, it should have been easily done; but in practice, I found it frustrating and spread it out over several days. Until I didn't. I was just two-thirds finished with the first end when I gave up and went to the machine, setting it up for a zig-zag stitch. My closest matching thread was not really close (though pretty), and the process was still cumbersome, BUT I'm happy enough with the end result. I will note that I glued the binding down before starting in on the zig-zag, and I think that helped a lot. Of course, the end that was partially hand-stitched was easier yet.

The finish is unique, darling, oh-so-practical, and I have already put it to use. I probably won't be making a bunch of these, but the pattern does get rave reviews, so other folks haven't found the tricky parts as daunting. The tray finishes at 11" x 4" x 4" closed and 11" x 4" x 7" open, so has the capacity to be a very useful addition to one's sewing practice.

Billows

It feels like my Pantone challenge entry has definitely been a journey, but it's done now!

Choosing fabrics was the easiest part. Once that was set, I decided to make a bunch of slice-and-shift blocks, as that at least was easy to get started on while I was on retreat.

I'd originally hoped to include some Essex Homespun Yarn Dyed in Natural scraps, but turned out that not many were a usable size, but I did use a handful. I also began incorporating a colored print - an unidentified orange-ish elongated grid that I'd gotten in a FabricBubb scrap bundle.

Once I was home, I made even more blocks, then got them all up on the design wall to see what I had to work with.

After sharing on Insta, it was suggested that I rotate the whole thing, so after removing all the blocks from the wall, I slowly began to rearrange the blocks into a real layout, including the rotation. In piecing it all together, I added some filler blocks with larger/longer pieces of that striped fabric. Once squared up, I had a quilt top that was 45" x 47".

You can see the entire process of creating a pieced quilt back in Making a Pieced Quilt Back, but basically, I went from this....

to this....

For batting, I used a leftover piece of Quilter's Dream Select, a little lighter in weight than my normal Warm and White. For quilting, I chose to use the Tower of Triangles design from Jacquie Gering's WALK. I'd used it once before, and though a bit time-consuming and involving a lot of reverse-motion quilting, I liked the unique shapes it created across the quilt. For thread, I used Aurifil 50wt 2021 [Natural White], keeping things as light as possible, but not stark.

To finish, I used the last of my Cloud Dancer, Cotton Couture Soft White, for binding; and the quilt, which I've named Billows, measures 43" x 47". The 2026 Pantone Quilt Challenge linkup will be open April 20-27, and you can bet I'll be there.

Entry Details

Project Title: Billows

Quilt Dimensions: 43" x 47"

Country of Residence: USA

Weave Got This! :: :: Blocks 3A & 3B

With a gap between quilting projects, it was the perfect time to get my guild BOM blocks done for this month!

We're still working with the strip sets we made in February, but creating much more intricate blocks than we did last month.

The two sets of two are mirror images of each other and measure 17.5" x 11.5" unfinished. IE. they are good sized blocks!

So that's it for this project for now. Still anxious to see the other colors in my palette come into play.

A New Cutting Mat

On Day 11 of IGQuiltFest2026, we were asked to share about our studio cutting stations. I shared mine, and also a plea for recommendations for new cutting mats.

I currently had one from Quilter's Select, 24" x 36". It had served me well, but both sides had become quite worn. Luckily, I got several good recs, several of which I'd never heard of before:

• Martelli, - This brand got good reviews from several folks, and it even offers an extra-large (30" x 60") version that I might have been interested in. But it was out of stock everywhere I saw it. There was a 26" x 38", but is it terrible to say I just didn't like the colors?
• Havels - Which is pink and numerated both left and right handed on each corner (but apparently not confusing). Sounds like it makes it good if left-handers share the space with right-handers.
• Olfa - Comes in green or gray. Pretty sure this is what I had for my first many years of rotary-cutting.
• Alvin - Comes in several colors, including translucent. I noticed later that they offer a wider variety of the larger sized than most - good to know.

But what I ended up ordering was:

• From Riley Blake Designs designs, advertised by Christopher Thompson aka the tattooed quilter @thetattooedquilter. The person who recommended it said it was not as slick as others. I liked the black on one side; white on the other. One thing I noticed is that it only has 1/8" markings around the outer edges, where mine from Quilter's Select has them on every inch cutting line. I thought I could live with that, so I ordered from Fat Quarter Shop, and boy did they pack it well. It was shipped flat and taped to the side of the box. 

So it feels good to have that task taken care of for now. If you love/don't love your cutting mat, I'd love to hear about it, for future reference.

Bingo Update

Just checking in with a Bingo card update! I don't have a bingo YET, but I have completed over half of the experiences I'm hoping to achieve this calendar year.

Here's what I've accomplished so far....

• Gift handmade – Made Pop-Open Pouch for Felicity @felicityquilts on January 4

• Take a class or workshop – Improv for Everyone workshop with Maria Shell @mariashellquilts on January 3

• Make a new-to-me pattern – Made Treasure Pouch pattern by Larisa @stitchingnotes on January 19

• Finished the 2025 BOM – Finished Calendar Cascade BOM quilt on January 27

• Take a photo with one of my quilts and share – Selfie with Calendar Cascade on February 2

• Try a new skill or technique - Used decorative stitches on my Janome on February 23

• Hand-quilt a project - hand-quilted Pillars on February 26

• Participate in a sew-in or retreat - Went on Basket Case Quilters retreat March 19-23

• Make a scrap quilt - Finished Strings on March 18

• Participate in a multi-day creative challenge - IGQuiltFest March 1-31

• Add a new tutorial to the blog – Posted Making a Pieced Quilt Back on April 8

• Organize my fabric stash - Sorted and neatened every cubby on April 8

• Donate a charity quilt – Donated Strings + Full Circle (pieced and quilted by Cordelia @notmadebyrobots then I bound it) to Seattle MQG Giving Committee on April 8

• Donate to the guild free table - Donated fabric, pattern with templates, stencils, and Christmas scraps at meeting on April 8

So it feels pretty good to have accomplished all of those goals already. There are a couple more goals I'll be actively working on over the next several weeks - Enter a quilt show or exhibit and Finish the Dropcloth Floral Series. So I'll be back (in a few months?) with another update - unless I get a Bingo!!

Guild Member Highlight

What a surprise it was to recently get an email from our guild co-presidents: "We've had interest from some guild members in having you as our spotlighted member." Well, how about that?! After responding that I'd be happy to, I was asked to fill out the slide below, and then at our April meeting last night, to tell briefly about myself and three quilts that I'd like to share.

The three quilts I chose to take with me were all what I considered representative of my style (do I have only one? I'm not sure I do.) - all improv, all scrappy, all with pieced quilt backs.

Let It Be - 2020

Side Chairs - 2024

Sundry - 2025

After briefly sharing about the quilts, there was opportunity to ask questions, and I found that fun. I remember one about my quilting style (mostly straight/ish lines in some form) and another asking what kind of quilting machine I use (my current Janome domestic or my JUKI).  Anyway, it was very fun for me to share with my guild, and am so grateful for their interest in me and my work.

Earlier in the week, I realized I'd need a good-sized tote to take the quilts in, and I knew that the Workshop Tote by Jeni Baker @jenib320 would be perfect. I'd made the patchwork version before, but time was short, so I'd need to do the plain version this time. That would mean 3/4 yard cuts for both exterior and lining, and wouldn't you know, for the exterior, I found a perfect 80% cotton/20% linen canvas blend from VESSEL by Alexia Marcelle Abegg @alexiamarcelleabegg in my stash.

For the lining, some Essex Homespun in Natural coordinated nicely. And though the pattern calls for 1" webbing, I had 1 1/2" cotton webbing in Chocolate that would work nicely, and have been very happy with the result. (Random: I'd gotten both the canvas and webbing in a Studio Mystery Box from Anna Graham @noodlehead531 last year. Love that they were both so perfect for this quick make.)

Anyway, the tote sewed up in little more than an hour, finishing at 16” tall x 16” wide x 8” deep, which held three good-sized quilts quite nicely. Pretty perfect.

Making a Pieced Quilt Back

There are so many ways to make a quilt back, and I'm usually inclined to make a pieced quilt back, using up any leftover pieces - both scraps and yardage - from the making of the quilt front. As I make the backing for my Pantone challenge quilt, it seemed a good time to record my progress.

So this is how making a pieced quilt back starts, at least for me. I lay out all the scraps I have left from my quilt front, so I can see what I have. In this case, I have very little left of the yardage I started out with, so I've also grabbed a few smaller coordinating fabrics from stash, in this case, both print and solid. And then I just start piecing the smaller bits together. This time, I started with that small 'checked' print scrap.

Before long, all the little bits had become a piece measuring 18" x 20". Now it was time to start adding some larger pieces to the mix.

I started with my favorite of the 'new' prints, along with the smaller of the fabrics from my original neutral pull. By now, it measured 24" x 25", where my goal was around 50" square.

Up onto the design wall it went, and I began to pin up more pieces of fabric in places they might work, including another coordinating print. You'll notice that I 'build' the quilt back right on top of the quilt front, so it's easy to see how large it needs to be without continually measuring.

When I really like what I'm seeing, I may start actually piecing parts together, before I even know what will go in the other areas. So at this point, I've totally sewn together the middle horizontal section. I just have to figure out the top right corner and the very bottom.

Well that was easily done! I very nearly used the last of my original neutral stash filling in those two final sections, and we have a quilt back!

The finished backing measures 50" x 52", and I'm really pleased with the balance of the colors and shapes. They don't all come together this easily, so I'll take it as a win! Now time to get basting. Let me know if you have any question, ok?

Patterns to Try | Maple Street Pouch

Last fall, I began an infrequent series, Patterns to Try, making small projects from new-to-me patterns from a folder I keep on my desktop. Easter Sunday afternoon, after brunch with the family and the kitchen clean-up, I needed a small palette cleanser of a project to sew. Svetlana's @sotakhandmade newly released Maple Street Pouch was just the ticket. I swear it took me longer to choose fabric and lining than it did to sew it up!

The exterior fabric - from Field Study by Anna Maria Horner (now Perry) - has long been a favorite, and the piece I had left was just perfect for this pouch, which was the medium size of the pattern, finishing at 8" x 3.25" x 2.5". And I thought that new gold gingham I'd purchased on retreat recently was the perfect lining. Though there are instructions for using a metal zipper, the pattern primarily uses zipper-by-the-yard, so that's what I used. And I enjoyed making the first so much, I decided to go ahead and try the larger size before moving on to my scheduled sewing for the week.

 The large measures 9" x 4" x 3" and is a nice size - roomy, but not huge.

I really had fun choosing fabrics for both of these - other than the gingham, they were small pieces of beloved prints that have been in my stash for years.

One thing I should note, is that I did not quilt any of the exterior panels, as the pattern actually suggests. No real reason and they turned out just fine, but I'll consider doing that in the future.

Also, if you're zipper-wary, using the zipper-by-the-foot is really an easy way to go. You do have to get the zipper pull on before you start - this video from Sullivan's Trim @sullivanstrim is really helpful - but from there, there is a distinct advantage. At least on my machine, I don't need to use my zipper foot. I just leave my 1/4" foot on and it works beautifully. I do sew across the ends of the zipper so the pull doesn't accidentally slide off though, but since the zipper teeth are actually nylon, it's easily done.

At any rate, these cute pouches were just the refreshment I needed before diving into a pieced quilt back. I wasn't going to make the small version of the pattern, but I think I've changed my mind....