Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!
It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.
With Floribunda safely entered in the Show and my sewing room cleaned up a bit (I’m ignoring the mending for now!), i was able to turn my attention to the pile of prepared and laid out blocks awaiting assembly. Only two done, but still, better than none, wouldn’t you say? It’s nice to get back to straightforward stitching with a regular foot, rather than quilting, assembling and attaching binding 🙂
ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.
Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).
Kate (me!), Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Kerry, Claire, Jean, Jon, Hayley, Dawn,
Gwen, Bekki, Sue L, Sunny, Kjerstin,
Vera, Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Bear,
Carol, Preeti and Edith
See you next time for more scrappy loveliness.
talltalesfromchiconia 
such fun blocks! love clicking on them and seeing the prints in them.
It’s fun for me to open up a bag of scraps and discover all the cuteness. I do love mixing up the prints and colours.
I enjoyed enlarging the pics too, Kate, and for some reason I had a flash bag to a sewing final in my freshman year of high school. We had to sew three projects in a two and a half hour time frame, which included a simple apron and a pillow cover with nine squares. Why that would pop up after all these years is anyone’s guess. I’m glad you continue to have fun with scraps while inspiring the rest of us.
Maybe some of the fabrics reminded you? Either way, I’m happy to have stirred a memory for you 🙂
Thank you, Kate. It’s fascinating what stirs various memories. For me the strongest ones are often smells.
I hope you are feeling well.
I’m doing very well, thank you! My doctor is very pleased with me, and I’m quite pleased with myself, having now lost 20 pounds since May 4.
Kate, what fantastic news! I’m so happy for you. I’m impressed, too. That’s an amazing weight loss for just a few weeks. I’m sure you’re feeling better, too. Outstanding.
Well, it’s certainly easier to haul myself around 😉 Seriously, I do feel better, and that probably also has a lot to do with controlling my blood sugar properly.
In Home Ec, we had to sew pilows that were our initials. I hated it… I saw no purpose to it. So, I ignored the teacher and made a fancy little apron with a ruffled edge… and I did it all by hand in less time than it took the other kids to sew their initials on machines. The only machine in the HomeEc lab that I ever used was the treadle one. I never liked machines… they terrified me.
My sewing machine is a great friend. She’s called Ariadne, and I take great care of her…
Mine is a Singer… I call it “Machine”. It’s seldom out of it’s box. I may take it out soon, though. I REALLY do need to get two twin sized quilts made before fall to replace ones we lost in the fire a few weeks ago. (Grrrr… Reminder: Never accept gifts from inlaws). I think I’ve become “entranced” with the basic square here lately. I’ve got boxes of Hexies cut and waiting, too. I just need the dreaded TIME!
Yes… that’s the sewing supply you can never have too much of!
It’s nice to follow your own path. In my experience, most creative souls prefer to venture off the narrow path.
Two is much better than none! I like them!
And three is better still, but I finished the third too late to include it in the post 🙂
I didn’t quite finish my project either 🙂
Isn’t it funny how a person who sews and makes stuff herself can look at something that someone else has made and think, Oh my god, that’s just more magical than anything I could ever come up with. As you know, I’m able to mix colours and patterns quite successfully and sew them into squares, but I WANT YOURS.
Would you like some of my scraps to play with, or is it the combinations I put together? Either way, the former is in generous supply and the latter is down to the old assemble-and-squint-at-it trick, as well as making sure you have plenty of bold graphic prints in with the bitsy florals and pastels.
I think it’s that it’s been made by someone else. I have enough scrap fabric to fill a double garage (and it does, believe me) and when I get down to thinking about what will work next to what, I have no problems there either. Very often the things I buy at markets are things I could have made myself, but there is something special about another person having made the thing. I’m probably not explaining myself very well.
Ah, I know what you mean. Choices and adjacencies you wouldn’t have made yourself, but which really appeal.
Yes, but also partly because I always think other people make better things than I do!
What a lovely bright and cheerful use for all those scraps. Congratulations on the weight loss, you’ll be fashioning new clothes soon.
You know, I think I’ll wait until I’ve lost a bit more! I think I’m on a roll.
Every time I open your posts my mind fills with ideas on another project. Beautiful as always and I love all the bright colours 🤩
I’m waiting for the day you use your littlest scraps!
Hopefully my fingers still work well to hold them 😅
Fingers, er, crossed…
😋
there’s something very relaxing about assembling squares!
You’re so right! And cutting them too, you can disengage the brain and just cut without worrying about quantities or whether you have enough fabric!
I see somebody has been fussy cutting. Got to get those little bears and owls and angels in somehow.
I’ve fussy cut where I could, and if I can get a pretty flower or leaf, or a particular stripe, then I’ll do that too, even if I’m off the grain. With squares this size it doesn’t matter.
Looking great so far! How many blocks are you planning to do?
I think 30, 5×6. They’re happening quickly, so I think the top will be ready quite quickly. Not sure what I’m going to do about the back yet.
Two is definitely better than none but there was no way you would have none. 😉 I’m ready for some fun sewing too. Working on cushions for the front porch furniture. I have no idea what I’m doing so I’ll muddle through until it’s done. Then maybe time for fun again. I love the randomness of these blocks.
The randomness is what makes them fun to make and fun to look at!
Love them!
Me too 🙂
Thank you for the inspirations, Kate. Because of seeing your posts about these little squares, I was inspired to make the wee quilt that’s in my post this month. I really need to set aside time to trace and cut out more squares this week. I have an empty shoe box just waiting to be filled.! 🙂 ❤
Cutting the squares is always the most tedious part. I get past that by doing it in my Days For Girls sewing group on Saturday mornings, so I can gossip and drink tea and catch up with friends whilst I cut, cut and cut again…
I like to trace/cut pieces in the evening while watching the news (about the only thing we watch on tv). By then, I’m usually too tired to sew a straight line. We don’t have a hand-sewing club here… just a quilting club, but the people are simply mean so I stopped going.
Yes, we have one like that too. They invited me to join and then nobody would talk to me when I went!
I’m so far behind! There are so many pretties to see and work to admire; I just don’t have enough time or energy to keep up anymore it seems. Oh well, it’s mostly good things keeping me away. It is nice to return to simple, straightforward sewing at times, isn’t it? 😊
It definitely is. I’m relishing having a bit of time for this quilt, as opposed to being nose-to-grindstone with Floribunda. I hope you’re staying well and the family is flourishing.
looking good, ever onward!
Just a few left to go, then!
Lovely use of your scraps, I need to get a move on with my scraps – he pile is growing and I eventually want to make a crazy quilt.
It can be quite fun and satisfying to cut scraps into useful sizes or shapes and then get rid of the little bits, not to mention the saving on space!