Scrappy Challenge Review

I have been participating in Angela's Rainbow Scrap Challenge since 2011 and have made many wonderful blocks and quilts as a result of her inspiration. Over the past year I have focused on 6 scrap projects and have successfully made progress on each one. AND I have not started any new ones, which is a miracle! 
Let's review:
1) Palm Branches 

This block pattern ("Red Herring") is a free pattern and tutorial from Kristy at the Quiet Play blog. The blocks finish at 6" x 7" so they use up a lot of small scraps. Although I haven't worked on this recently, I still really like it, and enjoy having a paper piecing project that I can play with from time to time. This project will continue next year.



2) Carrie Nation
I made my first block as part of the Votes For Women project and enjoyed it so much that I started making a scrappy rainbow version. I have my layout in mind and now am making extra blocks to fill in the colour gaps. Orange blocks have been made since this photo was taken, and now I am working on more green blocks. This should become a finished quilt in 2015.




3) Alamo Stars

This project has been in production for over two years now. You can read about the Alamo inspiration here. I still love making these tiny blocks. They are 2.25" and are like little sparkly jewels. I always have a few blocks cut and sitting on my sewing table to use as a leader/ender. I try to sew a few each month, and this project will definitely continue into next year.


4) Pumpkin Seeds
This has been my "learning to applique" project and it has been great practice. I am filling in the missing colours, and am finishing some orange and some blue blocks this month. This will be up on the design wall in the new year to make more decisions about size, layout, borders and colours needed. I think I am ready to progress to a more challenging applique project soon.

5) Omigosh
This project is a life time commitment! The blocks are so tiny and the quilt needs a bazillion, so it will be added to regularly. I love that it uses up the 1" scraps that other people throw in the garbage. I have made over 50 of these blocks and plan to double that number this year.

6) Spools
I also really enjoy sewing the spool blocks, but I think I have made more than enough for a large quilt. I started putting them on the design wall and discovered that there were enough blue and purple spools to make a quilt! I think it's time to work on a layout for the spools.






7) Crumbs
I haven't worked on this one much this year. I have enough blocks now to finish it, but just haven't. It could be a quick finish if I set my mind to it. I wanted to make a scrappy rainbow border for this quilt. Maybe I should put this one on the UFO list?








8) All Tied Up in Knots
These blocks have been finished for a while, and I have been contemplating a layout for them. I finally got some inspiration when at a quilt show in the fall. I plan to make a pieced border of on point 9 patch blocks between the knots. I need to create a floor plan to figure out what the colours for the 9 patches will be. This will be a task for January, so I can sew up the sashing blocks throughout the year.

So that's my Scrappy Rainbow Challenge summary. I didn't finish anything from my scrap blocks this year, but added a lot of new blocks to my various collections. Time to get some of these turned into finished quilts!