Thursday, September 19, 2013

Love Those Scraps--Part 2

Wild Scraps 1, Log Cabin Style
46" x 60"
Back on August 1 I posted pictures of the two scrap quilts I was working on. These are both quilted and bound now and I took them to guild meetings to get someone to hold them for photographing. They were so much fun to make--starting with a square or rectangle (from 4"-8") and adding strips. Wild Scraps 1 has strips on all four sides; Wild Scraps 2 has strips on only two sides, like an Offset Log Cabin. It's hard to decide which way I like best--just whatever gives the most exciting mix of colors and textures.
WS 1 seems slightly more orderly and predictable, while WS 2 is more chaotic. In WS 2 I did not always orient the starting square in the same place in the finished block--in other words, some are in the lower right (SE) corner, some in the upper left (NW) and so forth, which seems to blur the lines of the individual blocks and rows of blocks. I definitely plan on continuing with this free-form style of quiltmaking.

Wild Scraps 2, Offset Log Cabin Style
61" x 64"

5 comments:

Joy V said...

Love both of these quilts Martha. You have given me a great idea to use up some of my scraps - my guild is looking for more quilts suitable for older boys for our local hospital.

Martha Ginn said...

Thanks, Joy. These were fun to make. However, they don't seem to reduce the scrap inventory. I'm also doing some free-form quilts ala Rayna Gillman, so I love having strips left from other projects.

Tanya Brown said...

Those are very energetic! I've been mulling over trying a similar technique. Alas, as you've pointed out, the scrap inventory persists despite such efforts.

Martha Ginn said...

Tanya, I highly recommend this technique; some people draw pieces out of a sack or box and let the design find its own way. I can't give up this much control, but the decision-making is quite entertaining!

Martha Ginn said...

Wild Scraps 1 was a gift for my great-niece, a freshman at Colorado State. Here's what she wrote when she received it:
I can't even express how excited I was hearing that your quilt had come in, I love it! Especially all of the bright colors and the inclusion of ocean themed fabrics; you're so talented and I always love seeing what you come up with. Thank you for creating this beautiful piece for me and I can assure you I'll treasure it forever. It's already coming in handy in my chilly dorm up here in Fort Collins, CO, it's the perfect layer to accompany all the late night studying I do!
Thank you again so much for this amazing gift, lots of love,
Tessa