Getting Sidetracked

I decided it was time to go into my sewing room and get started on this month’s plans, but first to do a bit of a tidy up……well, not much, just to at least get to see my cutting mat and get the ironing done that was on my chair, so that I could actually sit at the sewing machine.

In the process I notice this little pile of ten fat quarters.  They came to light a couple of months ago when I was looking to find a plastic container to put another project it and I noticed them, all alone in a tub.  A bit of a waste of space.  It reminded me how pretty they are.

Their history is that I purchased them on a stall at a local market quite some years ago for next to nothing.  They were obviously the remains of a fat quarters pack and when I look at them I can see why they were destashed.  They are nearly all very large prints.  The range is “Secret Garden” by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller.  After having a little google, it appears the range of forty prints were released in 2011.

So, what to do with them?  It needed to be simple, with large blocks to showcase the prints, but I didn’t just want to do squares.  Yesterday, I noticed this pattern in my folder of ideas for donation quilts.  I liked that idea, so tweaked the measurements to suit what I had.

Fortunately, all the fat quarters were just over 21 inches wide and 20 inches long, so I could make it with blocks that finish at 10 inches.

Now to find a suitable sashing.  White or cream would not have enough contrast.  I got out my tubs of solids to see what I had that would suit and have sufficient yardage.   Nothing really worked, then I spied a fabric in the tone on tone tub that Brenda had destashed at Scrub Stitchin’ last year. Yes, the colour was perfect. There was 36 inches in the piece and best of all, it was 54 inches wide.  While I had my shower, I did some maths in my head and I reckoned that there would be enough of it if I just had sashings and no outside border.  I double checked, and yes it would work.

I could get four blocks from each fat quarter with next to no waste.  That would be 40 blocks, or five by eight.  Eight rows would be too long, so I decided to go with seven rows and then use the remaining five blocks on the back.

Today, I got everything pressed and started cutting.  After having checked all but two fat quarters yesterday to check their length, the first one I picked up to cut was only 19 inches long. Grrr.  Oh well, I could still get two blocks out of it.  One other was cut crooked, so I could only get three from it, so just as well I had worked on having some spares.

Everything else went swimmingly, and I now have a quilt cut and kitted up to take to Baradine.

The only left overs are about six inches of the teal, which may still need to be used, plus some tiny teal squares.  The fat quarters only had a shaving top and bottom and the selvedge off the side.  The bigger chunks may still get used on the back, along with the extra teal.  Time will tell.  I think this is a time that I want to use up every skerrick of the fabric, so will do something with the selvedges and whatever else ends up being left over. 

It will all be a bit of fun.