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Saturday, October 4, 2014

What to do with leftovers!?!

I got my miniaturized version of Kim Diehl's "All In A Row" sewn into a flimsy.
I've named this mini "No Big Diehl".
 Here it is with the book next to it to give you some perspective. It is just under 12" square.

 I had a few leftover tiny 9-patch blocks (3/4"), so I had to put them to use. This is what "materialized".

I shared with you the little pinwheel kit I received from Kathie (Inspired By Antique Quilts blog) to replicate her little quilt shown here. That flimsy is now all sewn up.
Since I cut my pinwheels smaller than Kathie's, I had some little 1¼" squares leftover. I planned to sew them into little 4-patches with some of the blue fabric as squares in between them. 
But before I could do that, another little bundle of fabrics arrived from Kathie to recreate a little churn dash she shared recently that I just fell in love with! You can see hers here.
I couldn't resist these rich reds and browns. and very soon I had made my own version. I had already dug a few red/brown repro prints out of my stash before her fabrics arrived so I slipped a couple of my own fabrics into the churn dash mix. Isn't that red print in the setting blocks and borders gorgeous?
Even when I try I can't make things the right size. After getting all of the pieces cut for this little beauty, I realized I had cut the HSTs too small, so I had to reduce the size of the churn dash blocks. I set out to make 4" blocks, but these are just under 3". I added the little brown border to increase the quilt size a bit. I will bind it in brown, too. It is the perfect fit for a new-to-me second-hand table that just found a home in my bedroom. When this gets quilted,  it will reside here.
The leftovers from this little project will go back to Kathie. She didn't have time to cut a kit and just sent me everything left from her little quilt. It was way more than enough! I'm sure she can put it all to good use.

Another blogger who has been generous with her leftovers is Terry (Terry's Treasures blog). She just completed the top of a beautiful barn quilt seen here. She offered me the bonus triangles and I gladly accepted. As I have been working on all these little projects shown above, I have been getting some of these bonus triangles sewn together.










I've already made a few little pinwheels, trimmed them down to 3" and used the Disappearing Pinwheel method to cut them up, ready to create little ornaments.











Do you save your quilt leftovers, or do you pass them on? I have long enjoyed the challenge of creating something from my Mom's quilt leftovers. I could probably do a whole blog post on those projects. Why do other people's leftovers seem more appealing than our own? : )

Until next time,
Janet O.



32 comments:

  1. its so fun to visit your blog posts, always so inspiring and I want to go sew as soon as I finish reading and staring/studying your pictures.
    OK that little nine patch quilt OMG its adorable, I still can't seem to get to work with these small pieces 1" finished is my limit. but your inspiring me to give it a go again….
    love your versions of my two little quilts and so glad you could use my leftovers.
    I love working with others scraps too, leftovers….just is fun!!!!
    your Kim's quilt is just so amazing, you should be so proud of yourself!
    Kathie

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  2. Love all your minis! It sure didn't take long for you to get started on those leftover brown triangles! Those little blocks are adorable! :0)

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  3. Great eye candy this morning! It is all so cute. And yes I save my leftover parts. They are favorites of mine.

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  4. Your miniatures are so well made and so tiny; they always amaze me! Yes, I do love that red in the borders and it looks wonderful on your new oak table.

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  5. Nice post today. I like the miniature version of Kim's quilt. You seem to have found a niche in the quilting world with your little quilts. I do not use the little triangle cut-aways but sometimes save them for others to use.

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  6. I love your miniatures!! I always find your blogpost so inspiring and do not take the time to comment...just had to this time!! I do keep my leftovers...so many possibilities! Happy Saturday!

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  7. Shall I begin sending you my leftovers????? I am so amazed at what lovely things you create from those tiny pieces....great job!

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  8. I do save them. I have a basket with HSTs sorted by size into plastic baggies. I recently added "tons" of 1 3/4" HST from the quilt I made for my GS's high school graduation (Bonnie Hunter's Star Gazing). I will either use them for doll size quilts or make them into pinwheels for possibly a donation quilt. One time I added borders to make them all one size for a donation quilt and it turned out cute with the background all the same and different sized pinwheels scattered over it. Of course I have strips saved for strip quilts too and other strips cut to size and squares of different sizes (Bonnie Hunter's system). Sometimes I put leftover blocks on the back or even randomly on the front of a string quilt for donation. I think I have enough scraps for at least 10 quilts - not minis either!

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  9. Oh my, Mini Goodness! Nice to see how tiny you are going. These Minis work up faster than full-sized quilts.
    Yes I have a bunch of bonus Triangles saved, just in case I need a scrappy sawtooth border or some tiny hourglass or pinwheels. Enjoy the week-end. I'm hand stitching. "Betsy" is being Bad again...:(

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  10. Janet, you are my hero!!!! You always amaze me at all you create! Simply inspiring! I love what you did with you version of Kim D's quilt!!! 12"??? Amazing! I love it!

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  11. You are just simply amazing!! I am not sure my fingers could manage all those teenie tiny pieces of fabric!! My favorite is your "leftover" quilt with the cheddar border!! Fabboo!! :-))

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  12. Wow, Janet you create lots of inspiration for us all to drool over.....love those civil war prints on your darling quilts!!!

    Carolyn

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  13. I agree that other people's left-overs have a great deal of appeal. I suppose it is because the fabrics are new to us and we have become too familiar with our own stuff. I have participated in a couple of shoeboxes full of fabric scraps exchanges and always enjoyed the results!

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  14. I love the little red and brown!
    And what a perfect, new table for your room :)

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  15. Always incredible eye candy over at your blog! Loving your new header too. I do save my leftovers, but making something from them is another story!!

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  16. I do save my leftovers but... I must admit that I come from a long line of certifiable pack rats who have only gotten better at it with each generation. Throw something away? OMG - sacrilege! LOL I love your latest minis, especially the brown and red one - so pretty on your mission oak table! Thanks for the continued inspiration to stretch ourselves by going smaller and always working on techniques and accuracy.

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  17. Now food leftovers I would eat.....but these tiny weeny fabric leftovers are just too small for me.
    I love the red and brown mini, Janet what patience you have to sew this small.
    Love this post.
    Julia

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  18. Wow, Janet! You've outdone yourself! I save leftovers but aren't as good as you are at doing something with them. I recently finished stitching together half square triangles from long ago leftovers. I'm going to use them to make a table runner or placemats for my dining room table. Just have to settle on a design. All your little quilts are beautiful! Especially love that itsy, bitsy 9 -patch!

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  19. Some leftovers get used, but generally, I have to admit, most small pieces get tossed out. Kind of like the stuff in my frig.

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  20. First I loved the quilt in your header - the mustard border really is great! Then I saw your red and bown...well, decided they are all fantastic! Someone's leftover scraps is like going to a workshop and thinking the person next to you has soooo much better fabrics....fabric brings a disease to each of us and we don't want a cure!!!

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  21. I, too, use leftovers... but not nearly as teeny-tiny as yours! I cut all my leftovers into usable sizes and toss them into the appropriately labled bins (1.5", 2", 2.5", 3.5" and 4.5" squares) as well as "bricks" in similar go-with sizes; employing Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System. Anything smaller than 1.5" either gets tossed into the "strings" bin or into a "crumbs" bucket for art projects for Pre-K students. It all gets used up, but my quilts made from them have a scrappy "anything goes" sort of personality. Your minis are truly gorgeous and look so planned and unified, each one is even prettier than the next; well done, my friend! You are the true leftover user extraordinaire!

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  22. Leftovers? Well, 350 degrees wrapped in foil for about 20 minutes usually gets mine heated up! HA!
    But only, if only I had some leftovers like yours!! What a feast I would have!!

    W-a-y to cute girlfriend!!!

    I'll have seconds please……..

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  23. My goodness! You are amazing! I love that you work so well with those tiny pieces!
    Kristie

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  24. lovely little churn dash quilt...and yes i do save my leftovers or find a home for them...

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  25. Oh yes! All in a Row is perfect!!! And I love that gorgeous red print from Kathie - I can see why you needed to make one of those churn dash quilts - it's adorable! I always have such fun seeing what you make in teensy-tiny blocks - amazing!!! I was ironing open some tiny leftover hst's last night that were cut from another project and wondering what I would do with them. My immediate thought was - check out Janet O's blog, I bet I'll find the perfect idea there!!! I love playing with leftovers like that too - its' so much fun to see what will happen when you start playing with them. So far though, my leftovers haven't become works of art like yours LOL!!!

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  26. Janet, that turkey red you're using for the background of the churn dash blocks is one of my favorite colors! I love what you made with the leftovers. I didn't know you're open to receiving leftovers... I've got a few (!!) for you!!

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  27. Love-love-love those miniatures! Fabulous work! Reminds me I need to get to work finishing some little star block ornaments for the church craft sale!

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  28. Gorgeous work Janet. How cool that you are receiving the leftovers from others for your minis! The Churn Dash quilt is lovely - imagine mistakely making it smaller than you intended!! I save all my leftovers... often join them up into HST but haven't really got them further than that stage yet! You are so inspiring with what you do with yours!

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  29. I thought I'd come over and cough on you a little but I see you have the door locked!!

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  30. I love all your mini's. I can't imagine making such tiny little pinwheels. You are amazing.

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  31. The same reason other people's scraps seem more exciting too! Who knows?! We are a little bit nutz, huh?
    Your little quilts are wonderful!

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