Saturday, January 13, 2018

Squares to make more squares

What do you do with your fabric leftovers at the end of a project?  Most of the time I just stuff mine into their respective boxes and jam the lids on, but sometimes I cut the smaller pieces up into standard-sized squares-- 1-1/2 inch, 2-inch, and 2-1/2 inch.  I've been collecting these separately from the other scraps for a long time, and I've traded some with friends for variety.  You would think with the Squared Away project that I would use up a bunch of squares, but I have literally thousands of these babies. This year I'm either using them or losing them-- every square must go! I think you know the feeling!

We all know the best way to clear out fabric is to use it in a project, so as another RSC18 project I'm using some of the bajillion 2-inch squares to make these fun little 9-patches:


These are made from colorful squares surrounding a white center square and will finish at 4-1/2 inches each.  They are super fast to make and would make a good leader/ ender project if I didn't stink at those.  I never can keep the project straight and end up getting all confused.

If you've been around for a while, you know that blue is not my favorite color, so I'm really stunned that I managed to make 10 9-patches with light blue squares:


Since the color of the month also includes light neutrals, I also made some with white-background fabrics:


And a couple with tan backgrounds:


And, amazingly, I managed to eke out two blocks from gray squares:


Who knew I had enough gray squares for TWO blocks? These are fun to work on, if only for the little surprises in the squares.  For example, I came across a cowboy,


some hedgehogs,


and I'm pretty sure that's a mosquito square!


At the end of the year, I'm planning to set the blocks into a dancing 9-patch layout and have one or two donation quilts, depending on how many blocks I can end up with.  I suspect that there will be a lot of yellow and pink blocks, so we'll definitely have to divide those between two quilts.

So that's another of my RSC projects for this year!  I have one more, using the 2-1/2 inch squares, but I haven't really started on that one yet.  It involves sorting the squares by color, and you know how tedious that can be!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  The hubs seems determined to add some insulation to the attic, and since it looks like this outside, I don't know that I'll have any choice but to help:


After a good hot shower, I plan to shut myself in the sewing room and add a border to an unfinished quilt.  Hope you have some stitching fun too!  Or at least some sunny skies!

Sharing at soscrappy for RSC18.

19 comments:

scraphappy said...

Those little nine patches will make great leaders and enders. Hope you get your quilt bordered and your attic insulated. Sounds like a busy Saturday.

Louise said...

Lots of sweet little objects to spy in your nine patches! Bees, butterflies, hearts, pins, feathers...

I must have missed that RSC this month included light neutrals. I had very few light blue scraps, so maybe I'll make up some gray blocks.

Libby in TN said...

Great idea for using up your little squares; a dancing setting will be perfect for them!

Deb A said...

That will make a pretty quilt! Good use of those leftovers.

Quiltdivajulie said...

No sun - lots of gray snow clouds. But since most everything is shut down here, DH is in his studio and I am headed upstairs to mine.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love 9 patches! You are so organized to have the squares already cut, and ready for some enjoyable sewing!

gayle said...

You can never have too many 9-patches! Those look like fun, and will make a terrific dancing quilt!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Sunny skies here, but like you, I plan to work in my sewing room. Enjoy!!

Kate said...

You've gotten a great start on using up those scrappy squares. Hope you get done with the attic in time for some fun sewing time this afternoon.

Cathy said...

I make RSC blocks from project leftovers...like your cute little square of squares! And I don't leader/ender either!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That is a great idea! Cute blocks

Kathy S. said...

Such pretty blue scraps!

Adventurous Quilter said...

I know what you mean about having thousands of squares! That's why I chose a 25 square block for my 2.5" squares, it feels like they go down fast 😂😍

Ellen said...

I am trying to leader/ender but it does get complicated. ;) Cute collection of blocks!

Edith said...

Your little nine-patches are so cute, and the little surprise fabrics are extra fun.

Anthea said...

Goodness, such dainty 9-patch sewing! I'm new to RSC & look forward to seeing your collection grow!

KaHolly said...

Good luck eliminating those scrappy squares you’ve accumulated! You are aware that they multiply while you sleep, right?

Preeti said...

Hey, if you want to make squares, you go right ahead. I am sure they will be plenty but not enough and then you will buy some solids to make them into a quilt and then you will have solid leftovers. It is a vicious circle. Ok, it is a circle but we enjoy it, so nothing vicious about it. I am always here to help :-D Dancing 9-patch? Now, you have my attention.
My scraps often end up in a Scrap Vortex.

Bernie Kringel said...

These are cute Mari. I do cut scraps to various size squares but I don't have quite the collection you do. Except maybe 5" squares. I have tons of those.
What is a dancing 9 patch?