Often when we are bogged down in a project - or several as the case may be with me at the moment, it is nice to take a step back and see what others have been up to.... so I made contact with Anita Eaton and she shared some thoughts of what she is currently thinking and aiming of working on for her next quilt.
Her first words were.... "I am considering making a scrap quilt. My stash is too big! Lately, I have done small projects and they do not make much of a dent in the scraps." She went on to add....
Choosing a Design:
I looked at Pinterest and started thinking about why certain quilts appeal to me. I seem to like a wide spectrum of designs from very traditional to modern. For instance I greatly admire Elizabeth Barton’s quilts...
![Elizabeth Barton's quilt "where bong tress grow"](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0443/0253/2763/files/Elizabeth-Barton-Where-Bong-Trees-Grow.jpg?v=1683836987 "\\"\\"")
Scenic Paradise by Ruth Blanchet made with Hoffman Fabrics
So with so many options, what does one do?
The Process of Elimination:
For this project an intricate pattern is too time-consuming for now so that eliminates appliqué patterns along with patterns with many small parts. (I expect to move in the next few months so I would like to finish the quilt this winter before getting caught up in the chores related to moving.
I am restricted somewhat by what I have in my stash. After all the whole purpose of the project is to reduce my stash. So at this point since I have very few solid fabrics or batiks that rules out some kinds of designs.
Fabric Choices:
My fabrics choices are floral fabrics with whites or red and white black and white or red white and black. I have a big bin of the red white and black fabrics and a drawer full of florals. It seems that for this project a black and white or a red and white quilt is going to be the choice since I have several quilts with all three colors.
So taking these thoughts and considerations I put a clearer perspective on what I should create with a list of defining rules.
Purpose:
- bed quilt queen-sized with strong masculine design (most of our quilts are floral)
- and most importantly, use stash fabrics
Color:
- black and white
Some of Anita's Black and White fabrics
- red and white
Some of Anita's Red and White fabrics
Design: easy and quick
Possibilities:
- larger version of “Rainbow Peaks” with bigger blocks
- make a pile of black and white 1/2 square triangles and just play with them until I find a design I like since they can be used to make stars straight lines borders and all kinds of intricate patterns. Using color value to design as I did with Crystal Charms is a great way to create a new design. \n
- use the Feathered Star Christmas quilt pattern use two different star blocks as borders one set 8” blocks framed and the other larger stars would be 12” blocks. The middle star is somewhat intricate but the other blocks would be fairly simple to make.
My next step is to pull out the fabrics and assess the quantities and which option would be best.
That is Anita's thought process for scrap quilts... in fact you can apply it to any quilt process. Will it help provide some guidance for your next quilt?
