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January 2021: USE IT UP!

I find, in this life, you tend to get what you pay for. I was always taught that if a bargain seems too good to be true, then that is probably the case. The same goes for fabric; good quality patchwork cotton is not cheap, but it is well worth the investment. A certain saying about silk purses and sows' ears springs to mind. If you are going to spend your precious time making a beautiful quilt, why would you want to make it of cheap fabric which will not wear well or last very long? Now, anyone who knows me, knows I hate wasting fabric - I am very careful to cut economically and I don't throw anything away unless it is a seriously slim sliver. So what do I do with all these scraps and bits? Well, I make little projects of course: mini quilts, purses, brooches, appliques, EPP - nothing goes to waste. If you have been quilting for some time and have amassed a quantity of scraps you can even make a full-sized quilt from them. Remember, in this instance, "scrap" does not equate to "rubbish" all this fabric was expensive when it was bought, just because you only have a 6 x 8 inch piece left, it hasn't lost its value! This month we are hoping to encourage you to USE IT UP. Lovely though it is to buy new fabric, it's a luxury many can't afford especially just after Christmas, but there are still lots of things you can do.

There are an enormous number of scrap quilt ideas on the internet, from the truly scrappy where the maker has (bravely!) put all the pieces in a box and pulled them out at random to use regardless of colour, to the more colour co-ordinated designs. I must admit I lean towards the latter since I find the idea of anything totally random very difficult to embrace, I know it is good to push oneself and work outside your comfort zone but really there are limits!

Periodically I sort my scraps by colour and cut a variety of squares and strips from everything big enough. I find cutting very therapeutic since it gives the brain a chance to wander off while the hands are busy. Lots of my patterns and ideas use squares and strips so it is great having them as a ready cut resource to dip into. Later in this missive HH has also shown a great way she used up some of her scraps, and I would recommend you have a look. So read on for a variety of ideas, inspirations, patterns and projects to get you thinking, and sewing, your way out of the post-festive slump. And be sure to look at this month's SPECIAL OFFERS page.

AitchBee and Helen Howes

Contact us direct on newsletter@modernartquilters.co.uk


This is OCEAN STAR: RAINBOW by AitchBee - Newly launched Block of the Month. Click on the picture for more details
Packs of hand-dyed fabrics by Helen Howes. Click on the image to visit her website for more details and availability


You might recognise this as MY SMALL WORLD by Jen Kingwell. Several of my regular students are enjoying making this design from their own scrap bags - indeed some of the pieces are very small!

Fellow Aussie, Crystal, of the the blog Raspberry Spool managed to get an interview with Jen at QuiltCon 2015 and it makes fascinating reading
We have long been fans of Bonnie Hunter and regularly read her blog, Quiltville. Bonnie describes herself as a 'hopeless scrapaholic' and has lots of patterns and ideas on her blog, in fact there are all sorts of interesting things to look at!

The joy of scraps is that you get to use innumerable fabrics in a quilt. This quilt, for example, would look so boring in just two or three fabrics - which is all you actually need to make it - by using lots of different fabrics it immediately becomes interesting. The only consistent fabric is the neutral cream of the small diamonds, which runs throughout and holds the design together.
Click on the image of these delicious Oakshott scrap packs to see this month's SPECIAL OFFERS: Patterns and fabric to get the creative juices flowing.
Scraps and equilateral triangles - two of my favourite things! This lovely image, and accompanying tutorial, is found on the blog Rebecca Grace Quilting. 

As with Bonnie's design above, by having every other triangle in unpieced fabric you avoid the chance of too many seams meeting at the edge of blocks.
You don't just have to use your scraps to make quilts! Here Sheri, of Whole Circle Quilts, gives an excellent tutorial for making binding from scraps. If you have never done this - give it a go - it looks amazing on a quilt!
Oh dear, when you actually start looking around, it would appear that there is a whole sub-culture within the quilting world that are obsessed with scrap quilting. This rather beautiful runner is by Sarah and is on her blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict. She, too, is trying to get to grips with her scraps - so encouraging to hear that it is not just us who can't throw away fabric.
Cindy Grisdela, justly famous for her improv designs, wrote an extremely useful article on 'Organising Your Scraps for Improv' to go on the C&T Publishing blog. While you are there have a look at the other articles and free patterns - you might just find something to inspire!
We return to Raspberry Spool for a look at a quilt pattern you can purchase as a download. This is CABIN FEVER, and it sounds very interesting:

"The Cabin Fever quilt starts with the traditional log cabin quilt block and completes it with free hand quilts to create a new and dynamic block. Try your hand at free hand curves - there are no templates and no seams to match, a perfect introduction into curved piecing."
Some years ago, in an attempt to induce me embrace improv, HH taught me how to make random roses like these as part of a joint project we were working on. I found it challenging, but by working on a small scale I did achieve a measure of success. Although improv still doesn't come naturally to me - I always over-think it - I have an secret passion for these little blocks.

These lovely examples made by Kathy, and the basic information on construction, can be found on her blog Quilted Under the Influence.


Emily Dennis of Quilty Love has designed this QUILTY HEARTS quilt especially for scrap-busting. You can purchase it through her website. This particular version is a baby quilt - loving the jazzy backing on that - and black & white prints, perfect for baby, of course.




This truly scrappy quilt is by famous quilter Victoria Findlay Wolfe and came out of her book called '15 minutes of Play'. It forms part of her Trunk Show and you can see this, her Grandmother's quilt that inspired it, and more of Victoria's quilts by following the link on this month's PINTEREST board


Made Cloth, whether it is totally random like Victoria's version above or more monochrome like the yellow  sections in HH's version left, is a great way to use up scraps and strips. It can then be cut like any other fabric and used in blocks as usual. I think the rather formal cutting of the blocks works so well here with the randomness of the made cloth pieces.

Click on the photo to see HH's tutorial on making your own cloth.
HH has been very busy this month, click on the picture and you will also find a second new tutorial on the page for her SWITCH bag. This is a fantastic way to use up and repurpose small quilts... Intrigued? Go and take a look!
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