Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Scrappy Crumb Quilting

A while back I mentioned I was working on my variation of a Scrappy Crumb Quilt andthats I want to do some doll size ones for the three youngest granddaughters and a large one for myself. Several asked me what is a Crumb Quilt and how do you do it. I also promised to post some pictures of what I had done so far.

I started with scraps left over from cutting scraps for Bonnie Hunter's Scrap method and for the Scrap Therapy method. I had stuffed a shopping bag with them. I sat down with some strips of fabrics various widths from one inch to a couple inches wide. Length didn't matter. I put the strip under the presser foot right side up and sew with 1/4" seam though that really doesn't have to be accurate and grab a scrap from the bag put it on top of the strip with right sides together. and sew. When I get the first scrap sewn down I picked up the next scrap and sew it to the strip. Sometimes I just sewed scrap to scrap. Both ways it's just keep a chain going from strip to the next strip or scrap to scrap.

The top row of this picture shows a strip with the various scraps sewn to it. You'll notice the scraps are all odd shapes for the most part. You cut the strip apart between the scraps and with scissors or rotary cutter whack them apart. I just eyeball doing that...doesn't have to be all that straight. Even up the four sides some. Then take those pieces and sew to another strip or another piece of fabric or pieces sewn together. The next row in this picture shows where some of those sewn together were sewn to another strip.

Here are some small pieces. First one shows a green pink scrap from Lilly P. fabric (from when I was in college and my aunt sent me fabric from Florida to make my version of a Lilly P. look alike) sewn to a larger nautical scrap from my almost 15 year old grandson's little rompers I made for him. Ont the far right one you'll see a blue scrap sewn to a pumpkin scrap sewn to another blue scrap sewn to a pink plaid blouse I cut up.
Here are some of the units sewn together. In the upper left corner of the far right unit you'll notice the selvage showing int the blue piece next to the black with pink flowers print.


A couple of the units sewn together making some small rectangles or blocks.


Here are some small units. The ant fabric in the middle is sewn to a blue print wit selvage showing. The piece to the left you'll see a stripe sewn to a giraffe print which on the side is a blue odd shaped piece sewn together to even up that side.

Some more units the one on the left upper are two different green prints sewn together and that sewn to a stripe and then to another strip. Basically the same thing but much tinier pieces below that one.

As you have noticed there is no rhyme or reason to the method I used in sewing the scraps together.
Here are two larger blocks I ended up with making. Just kept adding units to units or to strips and before long....

And another one. These two will most likely end up being sewn to more and being a doll quilt.

OR I may take a square ruler and lay it down just any ole way and rotary cut around it to have a wacky-wonky block and sew to a solid color strip to join the same size blocks together. On this bottom picture you can see where I sewed a unit (daisy on purple to a bubble looking one with selvage showing which was sewn to a dark paisley to a blue gingham) to another unit about the same size ( blue gingham with two tiny scraps to a butterfly print and navy gingham) Those two units were sewn to some more units about the same length or width and then to some strips.

2 comments:

Laurie said...

How cute Elaine, and so easy! I really need to do one of these, have a ton of scraps. Thanks for sharing and will show a picture when I get one done.
Laurie

Elaine Adair said...

So are you 'Elaine' also? Good name.

I'm saving this post as NEW so I can look more carefully how you are making the crumb quilt.