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 am a beginner quilter and I already of lots of scraps. I’ll have to put this on my booklist. 🙂
I definitely save scraps! I have clear boxes with designated sizes of strips and squares just for scrap quilts. As a matter of fact, I’m working on a quilt right now that uses hundreds 1.5″ strips… I still haven’t made a dent in my pile!
I save every little scrap. I love my scraps!
I have tons of scraps and her quilts give me many great ways to use them.
Thankfully I was able to get in the buying “frenzy” when Bonnie began selling String Frenzy. I am a follower of all things Bonnie. LOL Thank you for sharing your quilts. I have fabric for and have started her yearly mystery and gathered the orange last year for the pumpkin quilt. Hopefully I can finish at least one this year. I have gotten off on QOV and other charity quilts and they kind of get in the way. LOL
I feeel like I am the scrap queen. I save everything larger than 1″. I always have a scrap quilt going because with the pressures of life, most scrappy quilts are pretty much mindless sewing. Love Bonnie Hunter quilts and your quilts.
I certainly do save scraps. It’s just so much fun digging through the collection and selecting just the right ones. It’s also therapeutic to cut up my leftovers to add to the group. I can look at my scraps and my imagination runs wild.
I love scraps! I don’t chuck anything. I’ve only been quilting for a couple of years so I don’t have a ton yet, but I can’t wait til I have enought for a quilt! I save my selvages, too.
I have saved scraps for years and after you leader and ended advice I have Started doing that also. Sooo😊 between my scraps and the ones people give me I have amassed lots. I love the freedom that scrappy gives you. And I love Bonnie Hunters ruler for
Doing half square triangles so you can do a second one every time you make the first one
Linda
I save every scrap! I love Bonnie’s ideas for scraps.
I have saved my scraps for a few years now since starting quilting! I need to start using them !! Thanks for the inspiration!
Yes I save scraps. I keep trying to use them up on my quilts as I keep making scrappy quilts but they keep multiplying
Of course I do….that’s what we quilters do. I LOVE scrap quilts!!!
Absolutely. Even tiny ones which can be used as starters & enders!
Yes I save and your ideas help me design a use! Thank you
I save all my scraps no matter the size. I have made many of my own strip quilts using Bonnie Hunter’s inspirations in her books, and following her blog. I love that lady…she is so fun to follow.
I do save scraps. Some, I’ve cut up into various size squares. I still have a big bin of scraps to go through.
I save my scraps and buy more at our local thrift store! I love scrap quilts!!
Oh, yes, I love scraps. It seems I am always working on a scrappy quilt and very rarely get into my yardage fabric. Working on a strippy quilt right now.
Please don’t ever look into my sewing room! It has an “overflow” of scraps and anything else stitch related!
I save scraps, I use scraps. Including little hst’s.
I gave most of my scraps to my granddaughters, but I’m sure I’ll accumulate a bunch more as I work on the 3 quilts I have in the works [so to speak 🙂 ]
Oh, for got to mention they make great pot holders and mug rugs…
of course have scraps. I have been using many of them to make a heart shaped & leave places for I found a quilted heart FB page
i do save scraps and i use bonnie’s scrap saver system and her leader and ender technique to make blocks for more than one quilt at a time.
I Love scraps-great for little scrappy projects such as runners,potholders,mug rugs and so on. Can’t throw away those wonderful scraps!
I do save scraps but am never sure of what to do with them so I take them to my quilt guild and my enabling friends take them. I am ordering Bonnie Hunter’s book so I will have some ideas. Thanks for sharing this!
I save some scraps. Certainly there are the leftovers from making quilts, and from cutting up FQs for pieces of quilts. I’ve made 3 of Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilts so far.
I not only save them but I use them.
My Grandmother was a scrap quilter and I caught the bug so a lot of the skinny pieces get made into string blocks that make quilts that I donte . They are usually set together with a solid that complements one of the colors in the strings. Fun to see what turns out,,many surprises.
*Broken
Yes, I definitely save my scraps. They are sorted by color and I go to them often! Love my scrap bins!
I have a ton of scraps and I actually made a lap quilt with some. I had sewn 2 or 3 strips together, I made sure the were 5 in wide. I used my tumbler template and cut till the end. I did have a few scraps that were 5 in and left them as is
I quilted it with decorative stitches and called the pattern Briken Tumblers.
Yes I save my scraps, of course I think one day I might actually do something with them!
Yes, I save scraps! I always think I’ll use them for something and I’m looking for patterns that look great with a scrappy look. They work great for community service quilts for my quilt guild. As an added bonus, the scraps get out of my house, which makes me happy!
I have tons of scraps…haphazardly organized🙃
I save my scraps and now it is time to use them. I like the colors you used in your nine patch block.
I save scraps! Oh my, do I have scraps! My daughter made me a queen size quilt out of a basket of my scraps as a surprise. I didn’t even notice any missing, and was so surprised when I asked where she got so many scraps and she said, “out of your scrap basket”.
I have been cutting them into “Bonnie sizes” and have a lot ready to use; however, I may never get them all cut:)
Do I save scraps??? Hehehe….you betcha! I even make new fabric with the smallest of crumbs! Currently I’m making a layer cake of “made fabric”!
I have scraps, but when I go to use them it seems like I never have enough that match each other to do anything with. I think about cutting them into squares, but then what if I need a longer strip? The scrap dilemma!
Yes, I have scraps and love to
Make scrappy quilts,,, love that pumpkin quilt.
Oh yes, I save scraps and scraps from scraps….!
I save all my scraps, you never know how small of a piece that might be needed for applique with a specific quilt.
I save my scraps and need ideas and inspiration. Bonnie’s book looks wonderful! Thanks
Yes I save all but the snips!! Keeping them sorted would be a goal for me.
I’m just sewing strips of scraps together pretty randomly. I did make a pincushion with one block I created. What a great idea to keep them sorted for a tonal scrappy background. Thanks Pat!
I have just 5 scraps! The rest are part of my collection!
I’m glad to discover another way to use my scraps! It’s too painful to toss them!
I save scraps and I use them to make quilts and projects. Sew many fun projects on my list to make using scraps!!!
Yes, I’ve made many scrap quilts for our guild to be given away. Still sorting all that have been gifted to me.
I do save scraps, but have yet to really use them. I love Bonnie Hunter and want to make her quilts.