I debated whether to wait for ScrapHappy day with this…
But I wanted to share this finish, and I’ll still have a week to come up with a new scrappy project for 15th June. You haven’t seen the back yet, so here it is. It isn’t very harmonious or designed-looking, but it is a scrappy quilt backing in the best tradition 🙂
The binding consists of 6 inch lengths of the blue batiks I used for the sashing on the back, alternating with triples of 2 inch scrappy squares. Because they’re broken up with multi-colour strips, the blues don’t look too repetitive, and doing it this way has enabled me to use up even more scraps without too many thick seams to negotiate.
I’m really happy with how this quilt turned out. It makes me smile just to look at it. There will probably be others of the same sort in my future, because it’s such a good way to use scraps (and I still have those paler blocks to use!), but I’ll try different permutations so I don’t end up with an endless variation on the same theme. What I like about this one is how my $11 dark blue fabric frames the colours and makes each panel seem to be floating on a multicoloured back-lit field. As a previous commenter said: it looks like stained glass.
Now, back to the drawing board. I have a new ScrapHappy project to devise!
talltalesfromchiconia 
It turned out great! Did you do something to prevent connecting seams in the binding to not end up in the corners of the quilt? I’ve debated doing scrappy bindings in the past but sort of dreaded to deal with all those seams in the corners where you’re folding the fabric.
I was aware of the issue, but one of the great things about scrappy binding is that if you need to move a piece, you can! Fortunately there was only one corner where I came close to needing to do that, and a bit of easing took care of it.
Ok, that’s good to know!
Love it! I think the scrappy sashing just lifts it beautifully and the scrappy binding finishes it beautifully 🙂
I do too! Hopefully the first of many scrappy quilts. I can’t quite imagine how it would feel to have empty scrap boxes, but if I keep going, I may yet find out!
empty scrap boxes…? the mind boggles!
It’s the most awesome quilt ever, it deserves to live on your own bed 🙂
I imagine a quilt is the last thing you need over there for most of the months of the year, like us with duvets, but it does need to be shown off.
It will be, just not on our bed, which already has my heirloom hexie quilt on it. I have this one draped over one of the armchairs in the living room, and very handsome it looks too!
I cannot tell you how much I love this quilt. Traditional and very modern all at the same time and just like stained glass.
I agree. And I really love the effect of the very dark blue against the brights, so it probably won’t be my last stained glass quilt, either. In fact, I’m feeling inspired to do a ‘rose window’ version. Now all I have to do is work out how!
It looks fab – and although the scrappy sashing probably proved a bit fiddly, it definitely lifts those blocks.
I have zoomed in on the front, not because I am the Quilt Police (I am more likely to be one of their suspects) but because I wanted to see how small some of the scraps you’ve used were. I think I told you I decided to start a scrappy quilt of my own but, even though everything is from my scrap bin, quite a lot of them seem quite large compared to yours. Is that cheating? A scrap is a scrap after all isn’t it?
There are no rules. Some of my scraps are very small, mainly because I wanted a way to use those teeny bits of favourite fabrics. I tend to start with small ones in the middle, and work out to larger scraps round the outside, only using small bits if I need to fill a space. I like the effect it produces, but there’s nothing that says you have to do it that way, or that scraps have to be a certain size.
Love it !! The back is not bad, it looks “bohemian” and that is very modern at the moment.
I don’t mind it, and it’s also scrappy 🙂
Wow! That looks amazing. I never fail to be inspired by seeing everyone’s use of scraps… especially when they end up resulting in such beautiful objects.
I particularly like the fact that apart from the dark blue, all that fabric was ‘free’! It just goes to show what people are missing when they chuck the scraps out.
It embodies the happy in ScrapHappy. Makes me feel buoyant and lively!
It really is a very cheerful quilt. It would be impossible to be miserable under it!
It’s stunning, and so perfectly embodies,”Waste not, want not!” New is definitely not better in this case!!😍
No, I agree, especially as I am now able to enjoy tiny scraps of fabrics I love and which are no longer available.
I think you should get 2 scrappy credits for this one. Front and back. I love, love, love how it turned out!!!! Such a happy quilt and the borders and binding are perfect for it. You are amazing!
I gave myself a small pat on the back for the scrappy, scrappy sashing and binding. Now, what next? 🙂
I know you will come up with something. 😉
Absolutely wonderful! I think the back is a perfect compliment to the front. And the binding echoes the sashes between the blocks. Fabulous, all the way around!
It just goes to show: scraps CAN make you happy 🙂 Glad you like it!
Man! THAT is wonderful!
I knew you’d enjoy anything that featured a rainbow 🙂
You are so right!
I love it, both front and back!
The close-up effect of the back is actually nicer than the photo. I don’t mind it at all!
a quilt to be proud of ^^
And proud I am!
It glows, Kate, just like a stained glass window. It will bring you so much pleasure to look at on the bed, or snuggle into.
It’s a lovely quilt to snuggle under, and I can play ‘which quilt did this scrap come from?’ all night if necessary!
This is a wonderful finish and I really love those Kaffe begonias added to the back. The angel wing begonias are a favorite of his collection. In your comment to Tialys you have given me a clue on how to start a scrap quilt. I have way too many scraps and hadn’t any idea on how to begin. Thank you, Kate!
Generally, what I do is bring out my box of, say, red scraps, find two little ones in fabric I love, and put them together. Then it’s a question of find more, and arranging them around the first two until I end up with a square at least 2 or 3 inches larger than I want the finished thing to be. I try and use the larger ones around the outside to give me a more stable edge. And that’s really all there is to it. There are more formal ways to do it which produce a different result (Amanda Jean Nyberg’s Scrap Vortex, for example), but I like my version 🙂
I looked that up and it seems far more intense than I want to go. Your’s is beautiful and looks fun to make. 😉
I think my way’s a lot quicker, too, as I don’t have to cut anything to size much.
The scrappy binding is fabulous! I am so glad that you did not give up on the scrappy binding idea, although I did think after our chat that the right psychadelic print might have achieved a result that would have been a passable plan B.
I think the scrappiness adds to the ‘twinkle’ effect of the border because of the variety of light and dark, big and small pieces. A psychedelic fabric would have been fun, but would not have worked the same way. So perhaps it’s just as well I didn’t have any scrap fabric of that sort, and size.
Love the way it turn out!!! It´s a really scrappy quilt, so great 🙂 I wish I could press your “like” button, but my program (or WordPress) want let me. It just sais “Loading”. I have contacted WordPress and are now waiting for their answer.
I get that problem with some blogs I follow. I find if I quit out of them, and then load them again I can sometimes make the like appear. And of course, you can always hit Like by clicking the star when you see the post preview in your Reader…
I’m so glad you like the quilt. I think it’s one of my favourites, now.
Thank you for the advice! I got an answer from WordPress, but you need to be a professor to follow that 🙂
Yes, they’re not very helpful unless you’re a bit of a coding expert.
It’s gorgeous!! The dark blue just works so well with all the colourful scraps.
Doesn’t it? I love the contrast that pulls everything together, but it’s not as harsh as black. I considered white or grey, but you see such a lot of white on quilts, and grey was a bit dull by comparison. Dark navy is fast becoming my favourite go-to for this sort of thing.
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This is stunning, Kate! Love it 😍
I’m so glad you like it! It’s a very happy quilt, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t the last scrappy quilt I’ll ever make; the process was quite addictive.
I’ve only ever made a small one, for my first son. It was used for both sons and all grandchildren, and is still going strong. But sewing is not my strong suit, sadly. X
We all have different strengths. That little quilt must have been very well made if it’s still doing quilty duty in the family 🙂
It’s certainly a lovely finish, and definitely scrap happy! It would make a great show entry in scrap quilting – our guild has that category!
Ours doesn’t, it’s only a small local show, and this one would have fit perfectly into the ‘Small Quilt’ category, but time was not on my side, and with being unable to go to the show this year, I didn’t think there was much point… I’m pleased with it, though, and wouldn’t hesitate to make another to gobble up more scraps!
It’s that scrappy border/binding (sorry I don’t know the correct words) that I love the most
Binding round the outside, borders/sashing between blocks 🙂 Thank you, I’m really pleased with how it turned out myself!
Thank you for sorting me out! 😊
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