De-Stashing begets a Lozenge Quilt

De-stashing the studio...we all need to do it. And mine is way over due.

I pulled out a bin of some assorted "over 10 year old" fabrics. How do I know they are at least 10 years old? Well, I recognize some from quilts made prior to 2005 and some from 2000 or earlier. I needed a plan. I hand examined each piece. If it was of questionable quality, I tossed it. Poly Cotton...Gone. I did not look back. If it was a phat quarter or smaller it cut it up into 3.5" x 6.5" bricks, and from there 3.5, 2.5 and 2 inch squares. If it didn't qualify for those it went into the string bin. Love that Scrap User System. Notice the language of that...scrap USER not scrap SAVER.

If it was larger than a phat quarter I took off a couple of 3.5" strips and sub-cut that into bricks. And didn't that feel good. This was a place to use the odd and unusual pieces. So in this quilt you will find old 1980's chintz, PEI lobster, and screaming hot buffalo wings. This is the quilt that when the grandchildren need a picnic quilt in the garden, I will give them this one instead of a ratty old orange tarp

Next up...Lozenge Quilt. I know that Bonnie Hunter had that as the L/E for 2014. I also remember her saying it is not a race!! And so while I was at it, and I needed a break from cutting, I hauled out the 2" bin and started marking light neutral-ish squares with a drawn diagonal line for a sewing guide. Shown here is about half the quilt.

The thing I learned as I went along though, and I want to share this with anyone that doesn't see this before I did, was not put dark corners on dark bricks. I lost some definition of that pretty little pinwheel that got created where the blocks meet.

Behold the completed Lozenge 2017

I free styled the long arm quilting with simple loops and leaves.

Binding is on, and the quilt is ready for picnic duty at a moment's notice.
love and hugs
Kathy