When I was asked to share my good friend Bonnie Hunter's Book 'String Frenzy' during her book tour I said heck yes! I've been sewing strips of extra fabric, strings of fabric, together for many years.
Bonnie has such a wonderful eye for combining scraps into very effective quilts! You will love her book. So let's see what I selected to work on.
** BUY a String Frenzy for 20% off! **
I decided that I have a LOT of neutrals that are just not getting used. Some are pretty big pieces, others are 1/2 a layer cake square, or a part of a fat quarter that was left.
I decided that Bonnie's gorgeous 'Indigo-a-Go-Go' would use up the most lights. She make this quilt to use her African Indygo prints. It really stretched those into a full size quilt with this pattern!
I've been making these type of strip units almost since I started quilting. I did one great big project that was part of a challenge and then toured to different shows a few yrs ago. It's very zen like to sew strips like this, I really love it! Another reason I was drawn to this quilt was the fact that I got to sew these units.
Because I want my strips to stay in the background, I'm using fabrics that read tonal and don't have a lot of other colors in them
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As I had left over strips, I sew units to it to be used in the next strip unit, see below, it is an excellent way to use up leftovers!
I am EXCITED to use that strip of 'An American In Paris', I've had it awhile.
I decided to go with the pinky/red Figtree and the aqua Figtree fabrics. I have quite a bit of each and love them as a combo.
Lay out all the blocks so you like the placement.
Note that the direction of the strips in the aqua blocks. Some are horizontal and some vertical string placement.
This little surprise is why I love doing these type of quilts!
I have the top of my office assistant loaded up with this project. That way I can pull it up next to my Baby lock Solaris!
See how nice my Koala Studio table is, I love that my machine sits flush with the top and I have a comfy Koala chair to sit in.
I've decided the best way to do this is to make these 9-patch blocks.
I'll mix and match the red and aqua in the blocks so that when I set them the Figtree fabrics will be scattered around. And it's more motivating to me to sew these big 9-patch blocks as I go rather than waiting until the end.
The book has 12 quilts and tips of how to use your scraps. I love Bonnie's stories about each quilt too!
This is another of my favorites in her book, the pumpkin patch.. do you have a lot of orange to use up?
And Dawn's Early Light is so gorgeous with red/white & blue.
** BUY yourself String Frenzy, you'll love it! **
GIVEAWAY – Leave me a comment telling me
Do you save scraps?
leave the comment by 6pm April 11.
Winner is Nancy P who said "Yes I save my scraps, but now I have added saving scrap squares – thank you Pat Sloan. After being inspired by you, I now have baskets of 2, 2 1/2, 3 and 4 inch scrap fabric squares."
Book Tour:
- Friday, 4/5: C&T Publishing at ctpub.com/blog
- Saturday, 4/6: Pat Sloan at ilovetomakequilts.com
- Sunday, 4/7: Sandra Clemons at makeitblossomdesigns.com
- Monday, 4/8: Susan Arnold at quiltfabrication.com
- Tuesday, 4/9: Bernie Kringel at needleandfoot.com
- Wednesday, 4/10: Bonnie Hunter at quiltville.blogspot.com
CLICK to read the legal sweepstakes stuff I'm required to tell you.
895 Responses
I save them, but haven’t done much with them as yet. Most of my scraps are larger pieces, half yards +, so I use a lot of them for applique and parts of other quilts. But I do want to make a couple of her string quilts!
I have some scraps. Just started saving them
I have scraps and I love scraps–I have a previous book of Bonnie Hunter–and I made the “On Ringo Lake” mystery quilt last year–It was a wedding gift to my son and his wife last June. I am amazed at how much you accomplish–you must be like the Energizer Bunny!!
I do love string quilts and I save my scraps just for that.
Yes I save scraps. My local quilt group has a scrape exchange every once in a while.
I have three bins of scraps. Using them slowly.
I’m a chronic scrap saver. I love rummaging through them to make quilts, particularly with applique, although the certainly feature in my piecing as well. I really need to make some crumb blocks, or chuck out the smallest scraps.
yes, depending on my mood!
I save scraps….scraps too little to be useable scraps LOL. would love to win, that you for give a way and chance to win.
I have 2 totes, plus other small containers full of scraps. When the mood hits me , I’ll try and cut different size squares out of my scraps and set them aside. It will take me forever to do this. And when I go into my totes, it is like Christmas, finding different colors or different fabrics I forgot that I had. I would love to do a string quilt, or just a scrappy block quilt. I guess they will be on my bucket list of things to do.
I save my scraps! I’d totally use a book like this!
I have scraps and have been organizing them into strip sets and squares
Scrap quilts are my favorite. So naturally I hope make at least one.
I have a ton on scraps. Trying to corral it now by making blocks.
Love scrappy quilts–that’s what my mom and mamaw made with pieces from the clothes they had made us. Each piece was a memory.
I love to use scraps!
I do have scraps and I am in the process of making my 3 rd Bonnie Hunter quilt using lots of scraps!
I have TONS of scraps, but always seem to have a project going on so I can never seen to get to them. I need to fix that but I’ll worry about that tomorrow. After all tomorrow is another day😊
Yes, I love scraps! My favorite thing to use them for are string quilts. The orientation possibilities are endless & it’s always a great reminder of the wonderful quilts from which they were made.
For a long time I didn’t save my scraps and now that I joined Pats FB group and heard about Bonnie a while back I save all my scraps within reason , so yup I save scraps
I have scraps in bits and pieces, chunks, strips and squares. Love to make string quilts
I have loads of scraps. Some are playing nicely in sorted stacks and others are still hanging in totes waiting their turn to come out and play. I love making placemats for the different season’s out of the longer pieces.
I love scraps. The more patterns and colors the better. My granddaughters love to play in my colorful scraps.
sounds intriguing. Scraps would be the larger size pieces, strings..
long,rectangular pieces, and crumbs would then be those odd shaped little pieces that may or may not have room for a seam. I am not really one for actual patterns, I kinda like just sewing the various pieces together, then combining them all together until they resemble something close to being useful.I mostly do this in between following a pattern to shake things up a bit, and when I am feel a bit on edge. Needless to say, this scrap pile quilting tends to happen quite a bit
YES!!! I save scraps and I use scraps. I like to make foundation pieced spider web quilts with unique fabrics. I also follow Bonnie Hunter and love string piecing!
Scraps! Are you kidding? I think my sewing room is about taken over by them.
I have so many scraps that I need to do something with.
Scraps are the best! I think it would cause me pain to throw out even the tiniest tidbit. 😉
I don’t have a lot of scraps. However I do enjoy savin them. I usually store them together by color. For me that is easier. Fun projects
I have made some strip placemats & then used decorative stitches. Lots of in!
I save scraps and sort by color.
Save scraps? You betcha! My daughter got me hooked on scrap saving when she challenged me to join her in one of Bonnie’s mystery quilts. (Note: this was my very first quilt) As a result I have learned the value of saving those gems. As a matter of fact, I finished a Quilt of Valor today using my scraps. Scraps are priceless.
I save scraps….and truthfully it is high time I use some of them up! I loved how you used the neutrals in that one pattern….looks like a fun book.
Love your blog and ideas and it is quite fun to look around on here. Have a great rest of your weekend.
Glad that I’m not the only one. If they have scraps from trimming, they become mine. I do this mostly at my Tuesday quilt group.. I like to sew scraps together if for no other reason except that’s what I live for. I like making crumb quilt blocks… that is where you just sew the scraps together until you feel like squaring it off.
Yes. I have quite a few scraps that I’m saving for a scrap quilt. I also save stray 2 1/2 inch fabric strips.
I save scraps – buy scraps from my guild too. But scraps have to be 2” to save, Smaller ones go for dog beds
I save every scrap! You never know when you might need a little spot of that color. Also working on a one inch finished postage stamp queen sized quilt, with no repeats! Love the scrappy look.
Yes, I save scraps – everything 1.5″ square or larger – I’ve even taken a class from you!
I have boxes of scraps and have never really known what to do with them. I almost threw them all out a year ago until I decided not to. Figured I would find a use for them sometime.
I save scraps and selvages. I have started QAYG blocks with the selvages and I have a bunch of 4-patch blocks from 2-inch squares. And I cut large chunks of leftover fabric into 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 inch strips. Last Christmas I made Trip Around the World placemats for my parents using all scrap fabrics in Blues and whites (my mom’s favorite colir is blue).
I use all scraps over 3/4″ I use Bonnie Hunter’s scrap user system.
I have scraps and I love scrap quilts! My aunt’s quilts were mostly scrap quilts so I’ve loved them all my life!
I always save my scraps. I just can’t part with them. This spring I was cleaning my sewing room and I was going through my huge tub of scrapes and was going to throw the small pieces. I had them in a bag to go to the garbage and I just couldn’t throw them. Instead I made a mattress for my dogs kennel. She loves it. I sorted the rest idaby colors & put them in separate containers. Now it’s so much easier to find the color I want. The trouble is every time I make something I have more scrapes. I told my husband he will have to bury me with them.
Yes I have, use and gift scraps!! Your display is neat!! Thank you.
I do save my scraps! I have a HUGE Pail that had clean car litter that I just toss my scraps into. When it’s full, I cut them up into different sizes. The ones that are smaller than an inch goes into stuffing for pillows and cat beds.
Oh my gosh do I save scraps!
I sure do have scraps! I am a scrappy girl and never toss out fabric, oh no, after all it’s paid for fabric! Keep right down to 2 1/2″. My friends think I am a bit odd, as I put together fabrics that make them wrinkle their nose a bit, but the combos always look great.
I save scraps but don’t get a chance to sew much…Still, I would love to win. Thank you for the opportunity to play!
I have scraps. Amazes me how Bonnie Hunter takes scrapsj, tears them into strips or sews tiny pieces into strips, sews the strips together, and then uses the colors to create such gorgeous patchwork quilts. Sometimes if you look really closely at her quilts, you start finding unique prints, things, like it’s a where’s Waldo sort of fun. Everyone needs to try to make something from quilt scraps at least once.
It has been fun saving scraps and think I am now ready to try a strip block. I have been following Bonnie’s scrap method for the most part and made 2 of her patterns. Just finished the top of your Christmas Holly and Bright.
I do save scraps, but unfortunately even though I have several of Bonnie Hunter’s books, I’m not very good at sewing them together to make a quilt!! (But I am working on a leader/ender quilt)