Every year the Dutch Modern Quilt Guild organizes a Quilt Along (QAL) with a Block of the Month (BOM) and I normally don’t participate. There are various reasons for that, one being that I prefer working on my own projects. This year the guild decided to try a different ‘…of the month’, namely colors! Ohhh that sounds so liberating! No specific blocks to do, just a monthly color to use in any of your blocks or projects.
That is FUN!
That I can do!
I am adding a personal challenge on top of the color requirement. I want to use up my scraps. In 2021 I already dug out my scraps and cut them up into 2.5″ squares. I did sew some of them up, but the rest was neatly stacked in a box, mostly left untouched.
Each month when the guild releases a new color I get out the small but stuffed boxes of scraps which are sorted by color already. Since 2021 the content of those boxes has grown again. There is quite a lot of fabric in those boxes, so just working one project wouldn’t really make a dent.
So… I started four projects to work on each month for the whole of this year 🤣😂. Two of these four projects will have a specific size and purpose, the others two have not been determined yet. I will regard those projects as ‘block builders’, meaning I will see how many I have blocks at the end of the year and decide on layouts and purpose then. They may be used for class samples or charity quilts.
When I don’t have enough color variation for a month for a I am allowing myself to use fabrics from my non-scrap collection, which are mostly Fat Quarters anyway.
Project 1.
The first quilt project will be similar to a quilt that I pieced as a course sample for the Basic to Epic course that was released this February. You may not have seen this quilt yet, I used it for promoting my Basic to Epic Course. The original quilt has a very limited color palette in red, white, pink and browns, but that will be different with the version with the 12 monthly colors.
This new quilt is intended to become a large wall hanging or maybe a bed quilt. I am being very careful with the color selection and trying to make the colors work together. Each color will be represented in dark, medium and light.
So far the monthly colors have been grey, pink, green, orange and purple. The top row (in the picture below) is what I have already cut out. The purple (dark mulberry / magenta / raspberry) pile of fabrics is the selection for this month. I am trying to pick the warmer hues so they will work together. I will have to see which of the grey fabrics will stay and which ones will go. Some may be too cool. As I didn’t really had a set plan in January, I cut a lot of grey. There is plenty so choose from later on.
Project 2
Quilt project 2 isn’t really a quilt yet, but a series of nine patch blocks blocks that I can turn into quilts later. I am not picky about the hues for this project. Anything goes!
I do sort the squares, so similar hues end up together in a nine patch. I try to spread some fabrics over various hues so those blocks work work together later on.
Project 3.
This project is inspired by a coin quilt I saw on Instagram by the quilter Laurie. That quilt is so fun and bright it caught my eye immediately. All hues, shades, tints and tones from each of my monthly colors are eligible to go in my wall quilt. I will be alternating lights and darks. Each color will be combined with the other colors.
I came up with a plan to create a quilt which will contain about 1700 little rectangles 🤯. I did the math before I started and it didn’t put me off, ha ha!
Project 4
The last quilt project will use up most of the small crumbs that are left after all that cutting. I am sorting the scraps into piles of similar hues, whatever works for the fabric scraps that I have. The photo below shows the last bit of lighter and brighter orange scarps.
I sewed them to a paper foundation (roll of paper from a cash register). I have not made up my mind yet for layout or color placement. We will see, I may use these units for baby quilts or maybe something bigger.
Isn’t it amazing how many strips I was able to piece from that little pile of orange scraps?
You know what? I still have some scraps left!
Do you have great scrappy quilt ideas that I can save for next year’s attempt at scarp busting? I am sure I will have gathered a new pile by then.
Hugs
Esther
ipatchandquilt 
I’ve been doing the same thing – trying to make a dent in my scrap bins. No matter how hard I try, they seem to stay full. I’ve been cutting mine into 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles and sewing them into pairs while using them as leaders and enders. I now have a pile of over 250 pairs that will get make a simple quilt in beautiful rainbow colors.
Good luck with your scraps!
Hi Julie,
That sounds like a great plan. It would indeed by lovely and bright with all the colors and fabrics!
Would live to see your quilt one day.
Hugs
Esther
Love all your ideas. I need to try something like your last one, piecing small pieces together.
And love the quilt for your practice quilting.
You have a really good assortment of colours, so why not try a colourwash quilt? If you can build in a secondary pattern by varying the saturation, that would make it even more interesting.
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