Finished: Scrap Dash

Scrap Dash finished
Scrap Dash finished

As I mentioned when I talked about Gelato the other day, Scrap Dash has been languishing alongside Gelato while I worked on La Pass. I got it back at the same time I got Gelato back.

I don’t get to count the yardage in my 2022 spreadsheet, because I already counted it last year when I got it back from Colleen. I know I should have waited, but I have no self control.

Scrap Dash finished (back)
Scrap Dash finished (back)

This will be a gift for one of my SILs. She doesn’t know yet, but I’ll tell her soon. There is a method to the madness of the back of the quilt. The bluer print fabrics on each side of the fish are shells. There is a small piece of red-violet sea urchin fabric at the bottom making this is an ocean themed back. Except for the batik and the tone-on-tone blue, all of the back fabrics are from the Kaffe Fassett Collective. SIL swims quite a bit so I thought having this type of themed back would be entertaining.

I decided I want to make this quilt again, so I am back to cutting super tiny pieces. Of course, I can use the leftovers I didn’t use from this version.

Finished: Scrap Dash

Scrap Dash Finished Top - June 2021
Scrap Dash Finished Top – June 2021

After years of hunting & gathering and months of piecing, Scrap Dash is ready for quilting. I have a date soon with Colleen to hand it over.

I really like the way this quilt came out. If I am diligent, I can see making a baby quilt, or small child quilt, using a smaller version of the pattern. It is really easy to modify the size.

Finished: Scrap Dash Back - June 2021
Finished: Scrap Dash Back – June 2021

I tried to go with a sea/water/ocean theme. I bought the fish fabric for some idea I had. Now I don’t remember the idea and I, clearly, never executed it.

I decided that, although I really like this quilt, I will give it away. My house is overflowing with quilts and I have to give more of them away. You’ll have to wait to see who receives it.

Scrap Dash Coming Together

Scrap Dash - early June 2021
Scrap Dash – early June 2021

I spent quite a bit of time on Scrap Dash over the weekend. I want to get it done and I need to get the left border on the wall where I can 1) see and 2) piece it.

I focused on sewing the vertical seams between sections on the top two rows. I needed to take up the seam allowances to make space for the last column. I also needed to be careful not to force myself into having to put the quilt together in rows. I think I have walked the line successfully, but we will see.

Scrap Dash Borders

Scrap Dash - end of May 2021
Scrap Dash – end of May 2021

I spent most of Saturday working on Scrap Dash, though I also worked on the Yellow Strip Donation quilt as leaders and enders. I continue to be pleased with how the piece is progressing.

I cut a bunch of pieces for the borders during the previous week. I had sewed some of them together in snatches of time also during the week. On Saturday, I stitched many more together. I also started placing them in their spot on the wall. I now have sections of 3 sides of the borders sewn to some other piece.

I didn’t want to sew the entire border strip together then sew it to the quilt top as one piecing. I am chunking all the pieces and I am glad, because I have to fiddle with some of the border pieces to get them to fit. I am not sure why as my 1/4″ looks good and the pieces are cut accurately.

I have started, in a small way to sew the chunks together. I am not seeing much shrinkage yet as that depends on quite a bit of sewing the chunks together.

Scrap Dash Again

Scrap Dash - Mid-May 2021
Scrap Dash – Mid-May 2021

I spent a lot of time on Saturday working on Scrap Dash. I am pleased with my progress and feel like I can see a glimmer of the end of the project. I am still far away from it, but I see a glimmer.

I am getting more of the border on the wall and will soon start to sew it together. I need space so I can get the rest of the right hand column up, too.

Hooray for progress!

Scrap Dash Excitement

Scrap Dash, May 8, 2021
Scrap Dash, May 8, 2021

I really made good progress over the weekend. I figured out what I need to do to finish this quilt, e.g. how big it is going to be. I also cut more of the 1.5×2.5 inch rectangles. I need a lot of them, so more cutting is coming.

I am at the point where I really want to start sewing blocks together, but I am trying to restrain myself. As I moved the blocks around to make more space on the left, I moved blocks to different positions in order to make them stand out more. Sewing will also give me more space on my design wall, so restraint or no I might need to sew to gain the space I need to finish putting all the pieces on the design wall. I suspect I will never have a large enough design wall.

While you might think the cutting is the hardest part, the actual hardest part is getting each fabric in the quilt to shine. Obviously, each one can’t stand out when the viewer looks at the whole thing, but I want each fabric to stand out when someone looks at it up close. I don’t want fabrics to blend together.

A Little Scrap Dash Progress

Scrap Dash - early May 2021
Scrap Dash – early May 2021

I made a little progress on Scrap Dash over the weekend in between parts of the UCAB and Triple Zip Pouch. I am still using it as leaders and enders, so I can’t help but make some progress. There was a lot of machine foot switching while I worked on the Ultimate Carry All Bag.

What I really need to do is figure out where the edges are in this quilt. I am not sure if I will add rows and columns or what. Once I figure that out, I will be able to work towards finishing it. Somehow this quilt reminds me of the Corner Store quilt.

More Scrap Dash

Scrap Dash Progress - mid-April 2021
Scrap Dash Progress – mid-April 2021

While I was making progress on the Rings quilt, I was also making progress on Scrap Dash. As I said before, I am using the Scrap Dash blocks as leaders and enders for the Rings quilt. I get more done, which is great.

I started in the middle, because I couldn’t really reach the top row without a stool. You can see that the middle has shrunk up quite a bit.

I plan to put another column of blocks along the right hand side. The quilt is supposed to have the Churn Dash blocks around the whole exterior of the quilt and I plan to follow that advice.

Scrap Dash Progress - mid-April 2021 (detail)
Scrap Dash Progress – mid-April 2021 (detail)

I think the section where I have sewn the blocks looks nice. I like how the 1.5×2.5 strips create a path through the quilt.

Scrap Dash Update

Scrap Dash Saturday Morning
Scrap Dash Saturday Morning

I worked quite a bit on Scrap Dash over the weekend, using the project as leaders and enders while working on my Latifah class project. It didn’t look super before class, though i was making progress. By the end of class on Saturday I had made progress with which I was happy (photo, left). The pattern was really starting to emerge and I was getting excited about putting blocks together. I was able to do bits and bobs in between the Put a Ring On It rings. Every little bit helps.

Scrap Dash, Sunday afternoon
Scrap Dash, Sunday afternoon

I continued working on Sunday, a little more on Scrap Dash than on the rings. I feel like I made really excellent progress. While I don’t have all of the pieces for Scrap Dash on the design wall, I do have a significant number.

I have also started to put some of the blocks together.

Sadly, I found out I don’t have enough of the 1.5 x 2.5″ rectangles for the border. I need to think about whether to cut a million more, leave off the border or do something else.  I haven’t yet used the rectangles in blacks, whites and greys for the center of the quilt. I might try and see if they look good as a border. I don’t think I have enough for a whole border, but it would be a start.

I can’t even think about fitting a border on the design wall, so I’ll have to see once some of the blocks are together and the seam allowances have shrunk up.

Scrap Dash Churn Dash
Scrap Dash Churn Dash

Speaking of which, I have sewn a block or two just to see what they look like and to shrink up the seam allowances so I can fit more on the wall.

You can see the background, which I think really makes the quilt look bright.

More Scrap Dash

Yes, I think I am calling this quilt Scrap Dash instead of 30 Something.

Scrap Dash (30 Something)- April 7, 2021
Scrap Dash (30 Something)- April 7, 2021

I spent some time on Wednesday standing in front of the design wall and rearranging various units. The more I do this the better it looks.

I can also tell what I need to work on next. In this case, I need more half square triangles. I prepared a bunch for sewing at Craft Night, but haven’t actually sewed them yet. The process in this quilt was: 1. cut squares; 2. draw lines; 3. sew; 4. cut apart; 5. square up. I don’t really mind this process, but I wish they had chosen a better system like using the Simple Folded Corners Ruler. I wasn’t able to find a tutorial using the size pieces I had already cut, so I just went with the drawing method.

30 Something on the Design Wall

One of the reasons I wanted to finish the HST Donation Top/Back was to free up space on my large design wall.

30 Something/Scrap Dash- early April 2021
30 Something/Scrap Dash- early April 2021

I have a lot of pieces and part ready to sew together for the 30 Something top and I was having trouble envisioning how the whole thing was going to go together. I needed to get it on the design wall.

I have to say that I was kind of regretting cutting all the pieces for this quilt. Once I saw it start coming together, I got really excited. I think my fabrics look a lot better than the 1930s vintage and repro fabrics in which the original was made.

My background is an Art Gallery black on white called Raise the Volume from the Capsule Collection. I love the look of a background  the doesn’t change amidst all the vibrant scraps.

I have been thinking about the title of the quilt. 30 Something just doesn’t cut it and I don’t like it anyway, but the quilt was not speaking to me in terms of a name. As I put the parts on the design wall, I realized that some of the blocks were Churn Dash blocks and I thought of the name Scrap Dash. I’ll have to see if it sticks.

Anyway, I am having fun with this top now.

30 Something More Progress

30 Something 4 Patches
30 Something 4 Patches

I have been using my 30 Something project as leaders and enders while I work on my quilt class presentations and the UCAB tutorials. It is slow going, but I can see light at the end of the 4 patch tunnel.

There are 4 Patches at the center of some blocks. I decided to use some black and white in those 4 patches, so the quilt had a tiny bit of structure. We’ll see how it looks.

Also, it the photo, you can see that I started making random 4 Patches. Those may end up somewhere in the quilt or as a basis for a super tiny Spiky 16 Patch. We’ll have to see.