Quilts with 2 1/2" strips

 My friend Tina came over this weekend and cut a mountain of scraps.  By mountain, I mean an entire trash bag.  It took her 2 ironing sessions just to get them all straightened out.  She cut them all in 2 1/2" strips.  Some of them were of the less than beautiful variety and some were leftovers from old projects.

This inspired me to go through my mountain of papers laying in various piles around my studio, and several binders where I had previously placed patterns and organized them. This was quite a task.  A task perfect to do while watching football.

When I first started quilting I saved patterns that interested me.  Some of them have been made, and others no longer interest me.  So I started several categories.

• Patterns that I don't like any more (taken to quilt group to gift or recycle)
• baby quilt patterns (of course these could be made larger)
• modern quilt patterns
• patterns for precuts
• scrap patterns
• seasonal patterns (have a whole binder of just Christmas)
• purses/bags/pillows and accessories.
• quilting ideas

I realized really quickly that most of the patterns that didn't interest me any longer were the ones made where all the fabrics matched.  I have been saying this for years....

"Once you go scrap, you never go back"

I think this is true for me.

I noticed that most of the patterns for precuts were also scrap patterns.  I decided to keep them separate for now, but I may merge them in the future.  I have several precut bundles so I wanted to keep these together.  I am hoping this system will work for me and I will use the patterns I have saved.    

My most important observations was that I must think I am going to live to be 1000.  In the future I will be more selective on which patterns I decide to print.  Killing trees is not making me sew any faster.

I have "tackled" my mountain of patterns!!

I came across these great scrap quilts and I thought I would share.  I love the king size version, and perhaps I would be able to shut my 2 1/2" square drawer and my 2 1/2" strip bin if I made it.  After I get to 20 finishes I want to start a new scrap pattern.

No post gets any views without pictures, so I thought I would post a picture of the quilt I am working on.  I am still deciding if it needs more quilting and what it needs.  Sometimes viewing a picture of it helps.

What do you think?  More quilting?  More lines? more of another design.  Decisions, decisions.