Scrap Busting Quilt, Steps 3 & 4 (a continuation of the January 9, 2019 post)

Good Afternoon,

I have had a few uninterrupted hours out in the studio this past weekend.  It recharges and relaxes me to just "be".  The wonderful thing about sewing or quilting or pretty much any hand craft, is you have to be totally present and immersed in the project.  Because of the amount of focus you need, you really can't think about anything else.  It is wonderfully therapeutic!

I often tell my students that counselling is about $200/hr.  A good deep tissue massage is about $100/hr.  A queen sized quilt top is about $200 in materials.  Not that I a discounting a good counselling or massage session, but for day to day stress relief, quilting is a pretty great bang for your buck!  On going, daily therapy, if you will!

This Scrap Busting  project that I am currently working on has given me some peace and a quietness to soothe my busy mind.  It is a time to just be totally present.  I am certainly enjoying the process. 

*****The first two steps for this project can be found in the January 9, 2019 post.***** 

All seam allowances throughout the piecing process for this project are a scant 1/4"

For Step 3, you will need 96 white/neutral 2" square units and 192 print/color 2" square units.  Sew a print square onto both sides of the white square, to make 96, 3 piece units.  Press towards the color/print squares.

Step 3:  96, 3 piece units using 2 print and 1 white, 2" square pieces, pressed to the print squares

For step 4, I sorted out into 5 piles, 96 units each, the remaining white/neutrals and prints, 2" squares.  There will be 3 piles of white and 2 piles of print squares, alternating white/print/white/print/white.  

Step 4:  5 sorted piles of whites and prints, alternating w/p/w/p/w, with 96 units in each pile

Sew these together to make 96 strips, each measuring 8" long, when complete and pressed.  I sewed mine together in pairs of one white and one print.  I then joined the pairs together.  And finally the final white square onto the opposite end,  to make 96, 5 piece strips, starting and ending with a white/neutral 2" square. 

Step 4:  96, five piece strips, measuring 8" long, pressed towards the print pieces

I am now ready to audition fabrics for the centers of each of the big, finished 11" square blocks.  These units from Steps 1-4 will become a part of those blocks.  I am looking for a single fabric that will pull this all together and give this scrappy collection of pieces a bit of continuity. 

Following Steps 1-4 will net you the 4 different strip sets that you will be using to make the final 11" square block.

The four different strip sets from steps 1-4 are complete and pressed

I will be back with the final step for this block once I have found the center fabric that I am happy with.  I will then show the assembly process for the whole 11" finished block.  

We will then explore a layout for this quilt top at that time.  Stay tuned!

It is a warm, but overcast day today.  Papa tells me that today will be the last warm day for a while, so I had better take advantage of a nice walk today.  And with that, I am going to take the beast out for a run.

Until next time,

Gremlynn