Playing with Scraps: Baby Quilt WIP

Hi, I have been in a bit of a quilting/sewing funk these past couple of weeks. If you by chance read Goodbye 2014 post last week, you know I have alot of new fabric and patterns to play with in the upcoming year. I could just dive in and cut up some of those pretty fabrics and create something new or I have four quilt tops needing quilting (two for gifts and two for us.)

I decided to pull some of my fabric scraps out and play with them and make yet another project to quilt (it’s bitterly cold and snowing here yet again….) In February there will be a new baby in the family, so I thought I would make a fun baby quilt for my sister inlaw so the new Grandma has something for the new baby at her house. A quilt is way nicer than having to throw a towel down for the baby to lay or play on.

I made a quilt back in 2011 from a set of Dr. Seuss fat quarters that had like 22 different prints for our new nephew at the time. I do not have a good photo of it to share. I had a stack of 2 inch by 22 inch strips leftover.

This photo is actually half of the strips cut down to 11 inch strips.

In the last 5 years, I have become some what of a “Quilt Pattern Collector”. I have cut way back on the patterns I purchase since I found Pinterest. I collect my ideas there for a while then purchase the patterns I like the most after that.  I have numerous fun patterns that I could make, but have not for whatever reason. I have many that use precuts like jelly roll strips and that is one precut that I usually do not have or use. I end up cutting my own from my yardage or fat quarters.

I have collected various quilt patterns made by Susan Pfau’s  Sweet Jane. She sells on Etsy. This week, I pulled out her        Picnic In the Park quilt pattern. It of course is supposed to use 2.5 inch strips but I have 2 inch. So playing around a bit with what I have to work with, my blocks will be 8 inches square instead of 10.5 inches square. I will follow her instructions as close as I can otherwise.

I have 6 blocks made and should be able to make at least 12. I do not plan on making the pieced scrappy border as I do not have extra fabric. If I rework how I cut the next set of strips, I may be able to make more actual blocks. I like the pieced blocks more than the scrappy border.

I have a piece of the Thing One Thing Two print that is 10 inches by the full 42 inches that I plan on making a border to the quilt with. Possibly adding red or navy to finish it off. I have various other Dr Seuss scraps from the other quilt I made that can be used to make a scrappy backing for the quilt.

I thought a small quilt would be a fun way to practice some different types of quilting on like spiral quilting or an allover scalloped/wavy stitch. I do not make too many smaller quilts anymore.

The baby is due around February 8th and they do not know the sex, so hopefully Dr. Seuss is universal enough for either a boy or girl. I will make a more suited quilt after the baby has arrived.

I am linking up with the newly formed Oh Scrap linky party over at Quilting Is More Fun than Housework and my usual weekly linky parties that are linked on the front of my blog.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to show you the finished quilt top by the weekend.

Happy Sewing until then,

Shelley