Charm Quilts

Bronnie, your stash sounds like mine -- lots of different fabrics but not a lot of most of them. And your idea sounds great to me. I think rectangles would be fun, but I would probably do something to them..... I don't know what I'm talking about so don't worry. I could never handle a quilt with 500 pieces all the same. But I do think they're beautiful. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Sunny

2 x 3 inch finished will give you 24 fabrics for 1 x 12inch finished block. 96 scraps gives you 4 x 12" blocks. 480 scraps gives you 20 x 12" blocks. thats a 4 x 5 layout. tho on point is bigger with added side/corner tris. is that a size you had in mind? need bigger, how about some sashing

hmmmm, just thunk'n outloud... could perhaps do a watercolour type layout to get some sort of pleasant design maybe so it looks like various traditional blocks with the watercolour placement within each sashed 12 block or sash between each 12" block or sash in groups within the 12" block and bigger sashing between the blocks, maybe sash into rectangle groups somehow to carry on the rectangle theme, or use all your solids or those that read as solids for multi coloured sashing sash multi colours within the 12" blocks and black or one colour between the

12" blocks or add a few different shapes somewhere, maybe triangles around the border or goodness there is no end of ideas. (i've gone back and added ideas to my list here, lol) on point might or might not work for you. tho it gives more places to play with scraps. maybe those triangles could be made of scraps of triangles, again sashed in groups within the big triangle. just start writing things down, make sketches, play on paper as much as you feel like you need to then cut and sew like the mad woman quilter that you are. :)) cant wait to hear what you decide. across the ditch in muggy auckland, j.

"Bronnie" wrote ... I'm thinking of making a scrappy/charm quilt; maybe 2x3in vertical rectangles. I have the idea to cut a rectangle from EVERY fabric I have in my stash. I guess that might number 500 or so. (I mostly have under half a yard/FQ/scraps of any one fabric, no bolts like a lot of you have.) Question: has anyone done this and used every single fabric? I am thinking that once I have them all cut out, just sort them into two piles of lighter shades and darker shades and work out a placement utlilising the difference regardless of color or pattern. Do you think rectangles might be a bit boring? Would triangles be better or on-point blocks?

Bronnie

How about!!: The idea that came to me was 'bricks'. So, I Googled for 'Bricklaying Bonds'. You will need to look at a few of the sites before you get much variety; but, if you could bear to cut two shapes instead of one, you can get some very interesting patterns - a whole row would be the same at least. I found the English bond (which is one row of stretchers alternating with one row of headers i.e. rectangles and squares respectively) most appealing. You could do it with vertical 'bricks' if you wanted it that way round!

I don't think such a scrappy quilt could be boring >g< . In message , Bronnie writes

Wow Jeanne, there's a plethora of ideas you have - thanks ever so much, and I really like the idea Patti has of making a brick type pattern with the rectangles offset. Thanks for the math too. I've started cutting out some rectangles 2x3 'cos I decided 1.5x

2.5finished would be better, and in a couple of hours I had 100 and that was just the purples/burgandy drawer, so I'm figuring 500 is conservative - more like 700-800 I would guess. I have 'tons' of blue and green scraps. I don't have traditional florals or novelty prints - most are solids/tonal/batik//hand-dye/nature/indigo types. The sashing ideas are great too. I'm going to play in EQ6 and see what I can come up with using your tips. I'm gettin' excited! DH has returned to work for perhaps 6-10 mths after being retired for 18mths so the house is quiet and I have lots of time on my hands. He figured it made fiscal sense to accept a well paid job that fell into his lap, what with the stockmarket imploding..... Downside is no vacations for a while. Shall keep you posted on how this will progress.

Bronnie

Thanks Pat - great ideas too.....maybe vertical placed rectangles x several rows and then a row of horizontally placed ones.... eg IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIII

------ IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIII etc.

This is going to get interesting

Bronnie

Thanks Sunny, you and me the same with the stash I think! See responses below.

Bronnie

I've done a couple of charm borders using flying geese. Did the same idea as you and cut a little bit from lots of different fabric. The second time I arranged them in colour gradations that matched with the center part of the quilt....blue to green to gold to brown..... that was a lot of fun to do. To do a similar thing as the main part of a quilt you could have rows of flying geese moving up and down or around and around.... If you do them paper pieced it's pretty easy to do a goose at a time.

Allison

The bricks design was the first thing I thought of too. I think having DH head back to work for a while has lots of advantages. More time to quilt and you can pad the bank account for future trips!

Very nice! And a flannel backed plastic tablecloth makes a good design wall. You can easily roll it up with the blocks inside to get it out of the way or to move it. I always take one when I go to a retreat.

Julia > Scrap/Charm/Stash quilts can be fun if you take have time to play with

Wow, I don't usually like scrappy; but that is beautiful. And, I love the idea of pinning to a sheet. I don't have a design wall (nor enough plain wall to put one up even if I got one!!), but sheets I have a-plenty and could do this. After my 'bright' quilt, maybe I'm headed towards at least an element of scrappy? >g< . In message , monique writes

Howdy!

Rem> I'm thinking of making a scrappy/charm quilt; maybe 2x3in vertical

Thanks, Sandy. I especially enjoyed seeing fortunecity's pictures. There are charm quilts nearly side-by-side showing the effects of skinny sashing, wider sashing and no sashing at all. Very different effects and a comparison I'd never seen before. Such beautiful quilts. Polly

Love that quilt Monique !

Dee in Oz

ie"

Thanks Sandy for those links. Bronnie

I love your quilt, Monique, especially like the flying geese border!

Lovely quilt Monique. This project has the added bonus of refolding and tidying my stash drawers! Cheers Bron

I was lucky enough, when laying out the goose border, to be able to put the quilt on the floor of our church's student center and then run up and peer down on it from the balcony. Nothing like a little distance to make geese that are in the wrong spot pop out! I also ended up turning the whole quilt 180 degrees within the goose border after seeing it from afar.

M> I love your quilt, Monique, especially like the flying geese border!

Hi Bronnie,

Being a lover of scrappy quilts, I think your concept is fascinating and a heckuva lot of fun! I've never done a quilt like you're suggesting, but I do have quilts in which I've allowed myself to use the same fabric only a certain amount of times in the quilt--usually 3--and that's because I didn't have enough different fabrics.

I've also done some watercolor quilts, and shading like you suggest is very powerful. It can make for a really stunning effect. If you are going for shading, any shape will work fine, imho.

Michelle in Nevada