Fun with scraps - Part One

Sewing room tidy-up is coming along nicely, and feels less like drudgery when I take a break from time to time to produce some of these from all those nicely sorted scraps I boasted about in my last post.

Cut pieces are in small project bins near the sewing machine, so I can sew a few more together each time I'm at the machine. Eventually they will add up to quilt tops, most likely for charity donation. Short-term, I just want to use up some scraps!

There are three projects represented here, which is more than I'd intended, but inspiration struck and this is what I'll be working on, in between and around all the summer garment sewing I havent done yet.

First up, HALF-SQUARE TRIANGLES (two ways), inspired by this quilt, although I don't think I'll do the on-point setting. I like the all-prints version for maximum scrap use, and how the 4-patch blocks keep the quilt from being all random.

My squares are 4" for no particular reason. I also love how easy it is to piece these from squares, so there are no cut bias edges to deal with. These are done this way, with two squares each of a lighter and a darker fabric:

I mentioned this HST project to my sister (a more accomplished quilter than I) in an email, and she said have you tried it this way?:

Well that looked like fun, too. Two sizes at once! So I pulled some blue and green solids and more 4" scraps, and started in on those, as well:

Not sure yet how I'll arrange these, but am thinking of a square center of the smaller ones (random assortment), with maybe two rows of the larger ones as a border.  I'm sure to change my mind several times before these make it to the design wall.

Project #3 is the one that has really grabbed me, the CONFETTI quilt, inspired by this one, and following the tutorial here. I could not resist doing something with the pile of teeny scraps I wasn't quite ready to toss. And I have some pale aqua left over from the bedroom curtains that looked like enough for a small (crib size?) something. Here are some in-progress strips, ready to be pressed and cut apart:

More to come on this one, as it is fast, easy, and fun, and I haven't been able to keep my fingers off it today.

Basking in my new (full already!) scrap drawers: many, many, many strips in various lengths, from micro to 2.5" width. Clearly when I get bored with these new project I will have to embark on a string quilt binge. I'm going to try very hard not to start on those until at least one of these is done.

Wish me luck: my track record in the restraint department is not very good.