Scrappy February

Scraps. As quilters, Judi and I create a pile of scraps with each quilt we make. Over the years we have made piles and piles of scraps. Oh, and looky there, more piles in the back room. Yes, every piece of fabric 2½-inches and larger is added to a pile from which we will eventually use the scraps in a quilt top. Judi has a system where, at the end of a project, she trims the scraps into a size that best utilizes what remains. Two-and-a-half-inch width-of-fabric strips go in one tote. Four-, five-, and six-inch strips in others. Four-inch squares stay near the sewing machine. Eight-and-a-half-inch squares are stacked on the shelves in the back room. Orphan quilt blocks loiter in the sewing studio until they can be worked into a quilt top … someday.

Well, some day has arrived. We’ve decided to make a quilt top with scraps and/or orphan blocks for each day in February. (It’s a good thing that Judi is on sabbatical this semester!) We’ll have to work quickly, so the designs will tend to be simple, but we’ll still try to make them visually interesting.

Beginning tomorrow, you will find a photo of a newly-constructed scrappy quilt top on our Facebook pages. We’ll press on for the next 28 days — one post each day.

So, here’s to a scrappy February 2019. The weather outside may be dreadfully cold, but we’ll be delightfully engaged in creating something beautiful and useful out of scraps. The skies may be gray and the temperature frightfully frigid, but we’ll be swimming in vibrant colors as we envision someone warmed and comforted by the quilt we’re making. All of these quilts will be crib-sized (about 36″ x 56″) and donated to Project Linus.

As the much-traveled adage says, “When life hands you scraps, make a quilt.” Okay, we can do that.