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.