# Grandma's Scrappy Patchwork Quilt



## Calico Katie

Sherri at A Quilting Life was recently looking at some of her grandmother's unfinished quilt tops and decided to use one of them as a scrappy sewalong. I love it!! These are large blocks and following her instructions of one step each week, you can have a finished quilt top in a month. I've been wanting something new to work on and this is perfect because it will be quick, simple and a good stash buster. She started this a couple of weeks ago but I'm just now starting to cut my squares. Since I'm starting from behind, I don't feel any pressure to catch up with her and if it takes me two weeks to do each step - no big deal. I'll still have an old fashioned scrapwork quilt top by the end of summer. If anybody else decides to make one of these, I'd love to hear from you. 

Here is her first post about her grandmother's quilt tops.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/06/grandmas-quilts.html

These are the fabrics she's using. I'm just going to dig stuff out of my tubs with no regard to matching or coordinating colors except for darks and lights.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/06/patchwork-resources.html

Here's a neat little tutorial on making nine patch blocks 'cause we'll be making a bunch of those.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/06/scrappy-nine-patch-blocks.html

Here is the first set of cutting instructions.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/06/scrappy-quilt-sew-along.html 

Step 2 of this scrappy summer sewalong is making the nine patch blocks.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/06/scrappy-quilt-sew-along-part-2.html

Step 3
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/07/scrappy-quilt-sew-along-part-3.html

Next week will be the big reveal and she'll be showing us how the blocks go together.


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## Belfrybat

Thanks. I'll check it out. I really enjoyed the snowy winter sew along through the National Quilters Guild. I followed them on Facebook. I'm not yet finished, but I like working with 16" blocks.


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## Calico Katie

The blocks in this are 18" and that's one of the things that appeals to me. I have a lot of other things going on right now but I wanted to look at something new for a while.  I also wanted something that wouldn't take a lot of planning or detail and cutting these 6 1/2" squares is just about my speed for the summer.


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## COSunflower

Calico Katie  Thanks for the links!!!! I have a bunch of quilts to make for Christmas for my grandkids - just nap size. I think I might follow along on this one over the winter when I'm snowed in!!!


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## Calico Katie

Through the years I would see Christmas fabric that I liked and buy it on sale but I never did anything with it. About this time last year, I decided it was time to get it used up and I pulled it all out. I kept pulling and kept pulling and when I go through my tubs, I'm still finding a few smaller pieces. I couldn't believe how much I had! Everything one yard and under, I cut into 5 1/2" squares. I got three lap size quilt tops made before I just couldn't look at it anymore and had to stop. Let's face it, you can only take so much of a good thing.  I still have _a lot_ of those cut squares and plenty of fabric including several pieces that I bought enough of to back bed size quilts. 

If I like this scrappy pattern as much as I think I will, I'm going to make another one using only my Christmas fabrics. I'll scale it down and the finished squares and QSTs will be 4". Instead of nine patches, I'll make scrappy four patches. Because there are so many different colors and patterns in the fabrics, I'm not sure it will actually look Christmasy. My oldest grandson's birthday is December 23, I think he'll be getting that one!


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## MoBookworm1957

Interesting concept.
When I buy fabric(still using stash sigh...)
But now down to 4 large hampers, 6 -18 gallon totes.
I take half of the yardage cut it into 4 inch strips,by colors.
The other half gets cuts into 4.5 inch squares by colors.
Once a month for 30 minutes I cut HS blocks get them made up no rythmn or reason. 
What ever I pull out of the tote. My quilts this year for Project Linus is called Whatever.
Got two hampers full of scraps for Crazy Quilts, whatever sizes,pieces,fabric.
I use the 4 inch strips for sashings.
Absolutely love scrappy quilts.


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## COSunflower

Katie - My oldest son's birthday is Dec. 22nd  He will be 41 this year. I probably have enough Christmas fabric that was GIVEN to me to make a lap quilt!!! Thanks for the idea - I'm going to look at place it in a "pile".


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## Calico Katie

I don't have all my squares and strips cut yet, I'm just doing it a little at a time when I have a few minutes. I want to start accumulating 2 1/2" strips because it seems like I use that width the most often. I also want to start cutting my narrow scraps into 1 1/2" strips to make a log cabin quilt this winter.


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## Calico Katie

Here's part 4 of this QAL and we can see how all the squares, nine patches and QSTs go together.
http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/07/scrappy-quilt-sew-along-part-4.html#more

It will probably be several weeks before I'm ready to put mine together since I'm only working on this a half hour or so in the evenings. There is nothing fancy about this pattern, it's just a plain scrappy quilt that will use up a lot of older fabrics that you're tired of - or am I the only one that has old fabric that I just want to use and get rid of? 

Sherri mentioned a lady who made this same quilt in 1995 as part of a family project. It's a sweet story with a lot of pictures and it made me feel good to be working on this old pattern, too. Here's the link to that story.
http://andreasuzannesquilts.blogspot.com/2017/06/learn-family-scrap-exchange-quilt.html

I have to admit that I like the scrappy family quilts the best. There's nothing matchy about them. Since I'm just using from my stash, I won't have as much variety as they did but I'm hoping mine will still have enough to make it look interesting.


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## COSunflower

What a GREAT story Katie!!! Thank you for including it!!!


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## Calico Katie

I loved it, too. It was so neat to hear about how the women in the family made this a group project. It kind of made me feel a part of it.


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## MoBookworm1957

Katie,
I so enjoyed the story. Wish more women in my family quilted (sigh).
Just my youngest sister and I quilt.
Will be working on something similar in the future.
Right now getting all the hand and foot prints of my cousin's grandchildren collected for her and her husband's Christmas Present.
This quilt will be from their children and grandchildren.
Do you realize how hard it is to get little hand and foot prints from a 2 year old and her 6 month old little sister
without them curling their toes? Next to impossible.


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## Belfrybat

Thank you, Katie. I have all the components cut out but haven't started sewing yet. I might have to go back and cut a few more light squares to make the QSTs as I probably don't have enough definition.


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## Calico Katie

Mo - when I first started quilting, my sisters and I would do a challenge with each other once or twice a year and the next time we got together, we'd have our show and tell. We didn't all live in the same town but we'd get together at our mother's every four months. One time we each had about two yards of the same black floral fabric to make a quilt from. One time the challenge was to make a red quilt. That kind of thing. We did that for almost 20 years and reading that story brought back those memories.

Belfry - To get the contrast I need, I'm only using two or three larger remnants of pale fabric for all my QSTs so the variety in those will have to come from the darks. I figure it will be scattered enough that it won't look too repetitive. I have all my 6 1/2" squares cut and the strips for the nine patches, now I'm cutting the 7 1/2" squares. In one of her posts a couple of days ago, Sherri said she's making her QSTs in groups of 18 squares at a time - nine light and nine dark. That sounded like a good idea to me so I'm going to do the same. That way it won't seem soooo tedious. 

I have a couple of other projects I'm working on and I have to get caught up on those before I start sewing on this one but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm hoping to have my top completed by September 1st.


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## Belfrybat

I got the nine patches all done this afternoon and tomorrow will start sewing the QSTs. They are not my favourite block to make, but at least these are large ones which will make things easier. 
I too used a limited amount of lights as I really didn't have many pastels so ended up using some tone on tone in eggshell and taupe. I'm participating in a mystery quilt on another board, so between finishing up three quilts that need quilting and binding, working on the summer blocks here, the Grandma scrappy and the mystery, I'm a quilting maniac right now. But I love it!


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## MoBookworm1957

I'm repairing a Sunbonnet Sue and Farmer Sam hand stitched quilt now. 
When done it goes back Austin,Texas for a grandmother to give to her 9th great, grandchild.
Working on jungle quilt for Estelle for Christmas. With great big tree, monkeys swinging from the branches,2 & 3 toed sloths in the branches, fox underneath along with hedgehog and a worm on a leaf(me).
Cutting out flipflops for older grand daughter quilt.
Working on RWB swap and what Summer means to me.
Working on fellows grand daughter quilt of miniature horses,fishing poles,painting the barn things her and I were doing while we waited on Estelle and Pop J.
This winter I don't know if I will have time for swaps.
Making fellow and I a Double Wedding Ring quilt out of our old uniforms.


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## Calico Katie

Sherri posted some pictures of her grandmother's quilt now that it's quilted. I've seen at least four different fabrics in it that I have or had in the past. The first picture of the folded quilt, that square right in front that's cream with pink rosebuds? I still have a little of that. It was made in three colors that I know of. They were all cream with the same green leaves but one was pink rosebuds, the other purple and another was blue. My sisters and I made Lone Star quilts for two of our nieces who were married the same summer. We used the pink as the background on one and purple on the other. If I could buy a bolt of it today, I would, because it went with absolutely everything. 

http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/07/scrappy-quilt-finish.html


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## COSunflower

Thank you Katie!!! I saw a lot of fabrics that I think I still have pieces of too!!! I have some quilt blocks that my grandma made before she passed away at 93. She hand sewed them and the fabrics aren't the best but they were from her stash.  They are in a shoe box up in my closet somewhere. I need to get those out this winter after my Christmas sewing is down and do something with them. I think they are in a log cabin design.


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## Calico Katie

That would be a real treasure! Even if the fabrics are on the thin side, once they're sewn together and quilted they'll be fine. The old fabrics just didn't have the higher thread counts that we're used to. I've put my fabrics for this project away for the time being. I've gotten behind on a couple of other things - partly because I wanted to play with this - and I have to get focused and catch up on the other things.


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## Belfrybat

I have 4 blocks sewn but not squared up. I realised I didn't use as many fabrics as I should have and have too many repeats, so pulled some more FQs out to make more QSTs in different colours. I don't think I've ever made a quilt before with 18" blocks. Takes a bit of getting used to.


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## Calico Katie

I know, those 6" squares look so big! I'm going to be pulling out more scraps for my QSTs, too. For my 6 1/2" squares, I tried not to cut more than 3 of the same fabric. When I started cutting the 7 1/2" squares, I didn't want to use more than one of each because of the duplication. It would probably look fine when it was all put together but since I have the fabric, I'll try to make it more varied. I've never made a big scrappy one like this before but I'm seeing the benefits of it and looking at different quilt block patterns that I could make like this. I wouldn't do all this busyness around the blocks, though. I'd just sew squares together to make a sashing and it would still have the same look.


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## COSunflower

OMGoodness!!! I didn't realize that they made up into 18 in. squares!!! How many does it take to make the whole quilt? Once the blocks are done it should work up fast?


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## Calico Katie

Actually, I think it's the cutting that takes the longest and then making the QSTs. If you look through the steps, you'll see how much you have to cut and sew. I'm going to make this one according to the instructions but I'm already planning another one that will be a lot simpler with the same results. I probably won't start that one until fall but I can post how I'm making it when I get started if anybody else is interested. Yep, I'm really liking the way these big squares use up the fabric!


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## COSunflower

Please post when you get started on it Katie!!! I probably won't start mine till after the New Year as I have a ton of lap size quilts to get made up for my grandkids for Christmas.


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## Calico Katie

Will do! So far my quilt schedule is really filling up fast. I already have three different projects that I want to start in September/October. One is a design for a row by row quilt using orphan blocks. I'm really excited about that one because I have a ton of blocks I've accumulated through the years from swaps. It's time to use 'em up!


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## Belfrybat

Sunflower - it only uses 15 blocks, but the sashing is pieced of QSTs and squares, which give it the stars look. Here's a layout. Like Katie, I'm going with the pattern as written, but this would make up into a lovely charity quilt with 9 blocks and plain sashing.


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## COSunflower

Belfry, do you know what size of quilt this makes up to be? Queen?


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## Calico Katie

I'm not Belfry but the top without borders comes out to 66 1/2" x 78 1/2". This is the picture of the pattern as printed in 1995 in Quilter's Newsletter. It's shown with a simple 6" border so that would bring it to 78 1/2" x 90 1/2". That's how I'm going to finish mine.


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## Belfrybat

Thanks, Katie for the pattern pic. I'm going to leave off the wide outer border and just put a narrow 1" border so I don't lost the star points when I bind it. 68" by 80" is larger than most quilts I make.


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## Calico Katie

I'm getting back on track with this and letting everything else wait. Right now I'm drawing the diagonal lines on the light 7 1/2" squares so I can start making the QSTs. I'm excited to see this start coming together and I'm going to love this old fashioned patchwork quilt!


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## Belfrybat

Be careful when you start construction. I didn't read the instructions thoroughly and started sewing the squares together. Thankfully I put some up on the design wall after I made six of them. I thought there were 15, but some of what looks like squares are actually part of the sashing. There are only nine full squares -- the rest is made up from the sashing strips and nine-patch cornerstones. I'm not real happy with some of my fabric choices but I used 8 FQs plus the scraps I had hanging around. It would be better with fewer duplicates. But it is what it is. I'm going to sew this part together then add onto it as my design wall isn't large enough to take the whole quilt.


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## Calico Katie

The instructions we're using have an odd setting because she shortened it from the original pattern which has 12 separate blocks. Sherri's is 66 x 78 without a border, the original was 66 x 90 without the border. I think your top is pretty and colorful!


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## COSunflower

I LOVE your colors and fabric Belfrybat!!!! It looks so cheerful and will be a VERY comforting quilt!!! I can hardly wait to start mine later on - after my Christmas kids quilts are done. My sister from near Seattle is sending me a bunch of her novelty kid fabric scraps from sewing for HER grandkids since I can't find anything cute here.


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## Calico Katie

I've been chugging right along with this and hope to have it finished in the next few days. I have my QSTs and nine patch blocks made but need to square them up a bit. I've also been seaming fabric for backings. I have five more of my quilt tops ready to pin baste and put on my stack to quilt this winter. If I can get just half of them finished by spring, I'll be patting my self on the back!


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## COSunflower

Don't forget to show us a pic of your top Katie!!! I LOVE Belfrybat's colors!!! I love the block pattern and may incorporate it when I make my grandkid's quilts - just a smaller version - nap size!!!


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## Calico Katie

It's done! I finished sewing all my sections together for my patchwork quilt top and I really like the scrappiness of it. I haven't put a border on it yet. I'm going to put it back for a while so I can decide what I want the final size to be. The Ohio Stars don't show up very much on mine because it's so scrappy that there isn't enough light and dark difference to make the pattern stand out. It would look _great_ on a bunk bed in a log cabin. 

As much as I like how it turned out, I won't make another one using these instructions. While putting it together, you see pretty quickly how you could make a much simpler version. I've worked out a more streamlined design, complete with measurements, and will make it later in the fall. It was really nice to use so much old fabric and smaller pieces that had just been taking up space.


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## COSunflower

Take a pic and show us Katie!!! When I make block patterns I seldom follow the formal directions as I too like to streamline things and sew my parts assembly fashion so that it goes quicker. I almost ALWAYS make a simpler version with my own measurements. I look at a picture of the quilt design I want to make, draw the basic pattern on paper and then go to my graph paper and calculator to make my OFFICIAL pattern.  I think that is half the fun too.


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## Belfrybat

Katie -- would you share your streamlined version? I'd like to make a second one of this pattern from all the left-over pieces of the FQs I have but am not looking forward to all those QSTs. 
The current one is on hold while I finish up the swap here and a quilt for my dentist who is retiring. But hopefully I'll get back to this before the end of the month.


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## Calico Katie

One of the things I haven't learned how to do is take pictures and post them. I'm hoping my daughter will be here this weekend and I'll ask her to show me how. Better yet, I'll see if she'll just do it for me. I have no shame. 

I'm trying to get some things finished this month, too, so I can clear the deck for my fall sewing and quilting. The first week of September, we can start a sewalong using the simpler design. It will be about the same time frame as the one we just finished from A Quilting Life, three or four steps. Hopefully we'll all be ready for a new project and a few others will join us.


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## Belfrybat

Oh, definitely yes to a sew along. I like them much better than mysteries. 

I came across another pattern using large pieces I want to make. The pattern shows the "old" method and the video shows a much easier stream-lined method. I like the colour scheme in the video very much. 

http://quiltingtreasures.com/images/projectsheets/Holiday Metals Quilt_B2C.pdf


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## Calico Katie

Sherri posted some pictures off her scrappy top. It was interesting to me that hers turned out the way mine did. You don't really see the stars - just the great scrappiness of it and you see the squares in a square alternating with the nine patches. I think the ladies paid more attention to their fabric placement for that original pattern because the stars are very clear.

http://www.aquiltinglife.com/2017/08/my-scrappy-quilt-sew-along-finish.html


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## Belfrybat

The stars on mine are fairly noticeable. I made sure the QSTs had good contrast as she specified in her directions. See the pic of mine above. I haven't done any more on it since I have other more pressing projects.


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## COSunflower

Sherrie's FREE QUILT  turned out so beautiful and it DOES look like a Fall quilt!!! I think a quilt along sounds like fun too!


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## Calico Katie

All I have to do now is quilt my patchwork top! No idea when that will get done, though, since I have other things to finish first. I put a plain 3" border around my top, bringing the size to 72" x 84". I'm going to start cutting my squares this week for our next patchwork quiltalong. I want to make sure I have all the right numbers before posting it the end of the month.


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## Belfrybat

Sure wish you would post a pic. Mine is still on hold, but I might go ahead and finish the smaller size and make a queen size when you do your sew along.


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## MoBookworm1957

decided at the last moment that the last 3 Project Linus Baby quilts will be scrappy quilts, (size is approx 36x36 squared.)
Then will be done with Project Linus. Will be time to start Christmas quilts then,also scrappy of some sort.


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## ejagno

Thank you so much for sharing this quilt along. I can't wait to work on this.


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## MoBookworm1957

ejagno said:


> Thank you so much for sharing this quilt along. I can't wait to work on this.


You should come and join us on the next quilt block swap on swaps and tutorials here on Homesteading Today.
We have so much fun.


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## COSunflower

Yes Ejagno!!! Please join us on the swaps!!! They ARE fun!!!


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## Belfrybat

ejagno said:


> Thank you so much for sharing this quilt along. I can't wait to work on this.


I'm in the process of making the Grandma's quilt and want to make a second one so am so glad Katie found an easier way to making it. I hope you will join us on the quilt-along.


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## Calico Katie

Daughter took a picture of my quilt top with my cell phone and I've been trying to figure out how to post it here. I can open the gallery and select the picture but don't have a clue what to do next. I opened this thread on my cell phone but I just don't understand how to post it from my gallery onto this page. Sorry. If dd has time this week, hopefully she can sit down and work it out for me. I am clearly not a technical person.


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## Calico Katie

Fingers crossed --
View attachment 61820


woo woo woo!! I don't know what I did or how it happened but it looks like the attachment worked!!


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## Calico Katie

I've started cutting out my pieces for the simpler version so I should be ready to go in a few days.


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## COSunflower

OMGosh Katie!!!! It is beautiful!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! Can we wait to do the quilt a long till school starts the first week of Sept.? I have grandkids from the coast visiting and have to finish up my summer blocks for the swap and mail them next week now. It would probably help others that might want to join but have kids getting ready for school right now too. I can hardly wait though - thank you for doing this!!! I am going to see if I can get a tablet this weekend and then I will be able to post pics as we go along too.


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## Calico Katie

You can really tell that there was no planning or arranging of colors. I put my pieces in a paper sack and did the old grab and sew technique so I had a few of the same fabrics that ended up next to each other. Doesn't bother me at all! I wanted a genu-wine scrappy quilt and that's what I got.


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## MoBookworm1957

Katie,
That is the method I use when making a scrap quilt. Nothing like pulling out random blocks or fabrics.


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## COSunflower

Katie! What a GREAT idea!!! One of my biggest problems is trying to decide on colors and patterns! I am going to do the random pick sack method also!!! I LOVE how yours turned out!!!


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## COSunflower

Mo - are you going to join us??? It would be a wonderful way to use up some more of that fabric that you keep finding!!!


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## MoBookworm1957

I think I will.


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## Belfrybat

Well, phooey, the attachment doesn't come up for me. Would you try posting again? 
And when you start the quilt along, might I suggest starting a new thread? 
Katie - do you have a computer? It is much easier to attach photos from one.


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## Calico Katie

I somehow downloaded it from my cell phone through my computer but I'm not sure how it actually worked or why it's gone now. I'll try again. I had planned to start a new thread for the new quiltalong when we actually start it.


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## Calico Katie




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## Belfrybat

I can see it now. Very nice. I see what you mean by "losing" the stars, but the overall affect is great.
I'm also glad you figured out how to attach pics as it will make the sew-along much easier to follow.


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## Calico Katie

I think I turned my QSTs the wrong side or something but a scrappy is a scrappy in my book! I'm making my top for the next quiltalong and I'm watching my light and dark placement a bit more so the pattern will show up. I do like it a lot so will probably make a second one during the QAL. That would give me one for each of my grandsons. I'm also taking pictures as I complete my sections but they seem to turn out a little fuzzy. Maybe I blink when I click the camera.  I'll keep practicing though.


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## ejagno

So glad to see you all working on this quilt. I have been a little preoccupied with Harvey, which made it's 3rd landfall right over my house. Thankfully, we have only very minor damage but now it's time to get life put back together. Our community is currently home to thousands of evacuees and we are busy feeding them good home cooked meals at the shelter. I hope to join in on the next one possibly.


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## Calico Katie

I'm so glad you didn't get a lot of damage. It's going to take a long time for Harvey's victims to get their lives together again. This quiltalong will be right here waiting for when you have the time. I also have another quiltalong planned for down the road a few months. God be with you and everyone on the coast who has been affected by the hurricane.


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## maxine

I couldn't get it to pull up either.. darn it..


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## maxine

Oh now it's there.. magic!!!!!! I like it very much.. cool


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