No Scrap Left Behind GIVEAWAY
Today is my stop on the No Scrap Left Behind blog hop! No Scrap Left Behind is the latest book from the uber talented Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts fame. Her first book Sunday Morning Quilts, written with Cheryl Arkison, is a must have for any quilter's library. And No Scrap Left Behind is sure to become a go-to book as well! It was tough to choose which project to make, but I immediately loved Mini Nines! I decided to make placemat versions of the pattern. Make sure you don't miss the GIVEAWAY at the end of the post:)
This is some tiny town piecing. T-I-N-Y T-O-W-N. For reals. You have to cut very carefully and piece just as carefully. Amanda Jean has some great ideas for getting started on this project! I wanted mine to be super scrappy so I didn't strip piece as she suggests, but I did take her suggestion by cutting longer than was needed and trimming.
I used a mixture of bright blues, aquas, greens and limes mixed with low volume background pieces in greys. I ended up editing out some of these because the scale of the print was too large for the finished sizes of the pieces.
It was fun to play around with the block arrangement! I made twelve blocks per placemat, six light border and six color border.
Voila! Two placemats! I'm going to put them in my breakfast nook, but the lighting is not too great on rainy days (it's been raining for days...), so here they are on the living room floor.
They are all things scrapalicious! I used quite a few favorite fabrics which makes me happy on scrappy projects.
I went with simple quilting 1/4" from the seams on both sides. I used Aurifil 50 wt in 2010 because I wanted to quilting to be subtle.
For the binding and backing, I used Robert Kaufman Essex Linen in Lime. I love the backs too! I decided not to put on a label so the mats are two-sided.
The linen binding felt bulky while hand stitching it, but looks great from the back and front! I think it was more awkward because it was different.
Obviously, Amanda Jean is all about the scraps! The book is full of ideas and tips for sorting and storing your scraps and most importantly USING them! She asked us to share a bit about our scrap storage. I sort into large glass jars. I have a pure color jar, a little bit of grey jar and a muddy color jar. Scraps look best when you are using similar color types, so this works best for me. Plus, if I am seeking a specific color, it's easy to look through the glass and find the color I need. I save anything from 2x2" to just under a fat quarter in the jars.
My pure color jar is always the one that is overflowing! As soon as the jar is full, it's time to whip up something scrappy and fun. These jars are the only scraps I keep. If I make a quilt with a full line of fabric, I pull out the scraps I love to put in my jars. I bundle the rest and gift them at guild. If I have a whole quilt in a fabric line, I'm usually "done" with that fabric in my mind.
It's GIVEAWAY time! I'm giving away a copy of No Scrap Left Behind! If you are a winner and you live with in the US, you will receive a hard copy of the book. If you live outside the US, you will receive a digital copy of the book. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite scrap using tip! One entry per person pleasae. Entries open through May 6! <UPDATE> Entries closed. Mack the Chihuahua will choose a winner using the random number generator!!
Spoiler alert, there's a chance to win at each stop of the blog tour. Make sure you check it out and enter for many chances to win!Monday, April 24: Mary KolbTuesday, April 25: Lee Monroe <--- That's me! You're here!!Wednesday, April 26: Sandi HazlewoodThursday, April 27: Bernie KringelFriday, April 28: Erin CoxMonday, May 1: Katherine GreavesTuesday, May 2: Tracy MooneyWednesday, May 3: Cheryl ArkisonThursday, May 4: Debbie JeskeFriday, May 5: Amy Smart
Go use those scraps! Or at least pet them and dream up a fun project!!
xx LC