After making a postage stamp quilt last year, following a tutorial provided by Red Pepper Quilts, I decided to kick back and have a bit of fun. The result was a large pile of improv log cabin blocks. I picked out my favourites, and combined them with a bit of Shot Cotton from Spotlight, and some strips of various pansy fabrics left over from the Pansy Monstrosity quilt.
My daughter saw it, and offered to buy it, which meant of course I gifted it to her.
My friends call my quilts “excessive”. This describes both my colour choices, and the amount of fabric I buy in order to complete them. They have advised against building up a stash, but like all new quilters in love with quilting fabric, this has fallen on deaf ears.
For example, the postage stamp quilt required a large scrap collection, which I did not have. As only my second quilt, I had some pansy fabrics and bits of batiks to use in it, which obviously wasn’t enough. So I sallied forth to the quilt shops in my neck of the woods, and bought strips of fabric. Lots of strips of fabric! Only 4-6 inches wide, but I only needed a single 2×7 inch strip of each to make the postage stamp quilt, so there were left-overs.
Batiks, marbles, solids, prints….I bought whatever caught my eye.
At the end of this process, I had enough scraps left to make two coin quilts, this scrappy log cabin, and the pile is still there. This mystery of scrap quilting, that the scrap pile never grows smaller, was new to me. In an effort to reduce the pile, I donated scraps to my daughter, nope, pile still there.
Another log cabin lap quilt, using the 16 leftover blocks from this quilt is underway. Gulp! I think I need to start planning my quilts, since I had more blocks leftover, than I actually used in the quilt.
I am over log cabin blocks for now, so I might pay a visit to Crazy Mom Quilts archives, and start looking at her scrap projects. Pincushion anyone?
Linking up (eventually) to TGIFF, Link a Finish Friday, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Crazy Mom Quilts.
quilts across the aisle 
I laughed when I read this post, there are those us us who buy a little, and then there’s the rest of us! At least you have been trying to use up all those scraps!
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Actually my latest effort to use the scraps up has been labelled as too bright by my kids. They kindly suggested I use it as a quilt back.
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I’m in the process of using my scraps too! Love your log cabin quilt…gorgeous!
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I love your log cabin quilt! nice job using up your scraps!
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Thanks for your kind comment. I’m determined to make a proper log cabin at some stage, but suspect it will create more scraps for me to use up. Sigh.
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This is so pretty! Love all the wonderful colors, such eye candy.
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I enjoyed reading your post on your projects and seeing your gorgeous quilts. How did you make the wonky log cabin? My goodness you are busy sewing. I am saving scraps for a postage stamp quilt. I am fairly new to quilting and am having a hard time cutting into all the pretty fabric I buy. Not sure what help there is for me.
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Hi Karen, I made the wonky log cabin blocks after reading a few tutorials on line. The rest of the quilt just sort of came together. I hear what you are saying about cutting up your fabric, the only consolation is that there is a constant stream of new fabric being released. That hasn’t stopped me from stashing some collections, until a suitable quilt pattern is found. Have fun with your new hobby.
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Great attempts to use your scraps. Great finish. Thanks for linking up with TGIFF.
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