50 Quilt Tops from Stash?

I plan to get a little more involved in using up my stash now that I have a new Bernina and can quilt much more easily. I know now of 2 women who spent 2 years using up all their stash in many, many quilts. I have UFOs and excessive stash, so I'd like to make an updated 2 year goal to try and dwindle that down and complete projects. For now, I want to make the goal of finishing 50 quilt tops. I don't typically make small children's quilts, so this is fairly ambitious, but at the same time, the goal is not to get them all quilted, either. Once I have the tops done, then I will know what fabrics I can use for backings.

So, this goal starts in November. A finish will be either a top or a quilted/tied quilt that is primarily made from stash or a UFO.

Using Up Stash

I recently completed a wonderful Floral Triple Irish Chain. All but the white and the binding was from stash. This was fabric that I originally purchased in the 90s to make a watercolor quilt. Never made it, but now it is gorgeous in the new setting. This particular quilt uses 2.5 inch strips. Bonnie's instructions below are for 2 inch strips and squares.


Once or twice a year, I go through my scrap bin. I pop an audiobook into my MP3 player and I cut up a selection of fabrics into my neverending Drunkard's Path and Apple Core collections. The remainder is cut into 2 7/8, 2.5, 2 and 1.5 inch strips and squares. This prevents the scrap bin expanding into the mess I had it before as well as USES fabric that isn't getting used. I have PLENTY of squares for applique, so no need to keep all of this. Having precut strips and squares also helps a lot to get down and working on a project.

I save TONS of 2 inch squares and 2 inch strips. I love leader and ender projects and just wanted to bring your attention to it. Bonnie, over at Quiltville, provided easy instructions on how to use up your accumulating 2 inch squares in some eye popping quilts!

http://www.quiltville.com/leadersenders.shtml

Getting Some Stashbusting Done!

I'm finally cutting into some fabrics that have been hanging around for years. First, I started my Dad's Train quilt. Simple. Yep. Ok.. What I opted to do was cut out 5.5 inch squares from the various train fabrics and do a square-in-a-square method to frame them. I mention this on here because it is a great way to stashbust any kind of novelty fabric. Use a large print for the blocks and use a small print for some of the frame. I use Easy Angle to make my square in a squares. There's a small amount of waste, but they are perfect every time. Decide how big you want the square to the half inch. The surrounding square is done by cutting a strip the same size with an Easy Angle. Sew. Trim. Done.

Square In A Square Using Easy Angle
http://quiltville.com/sqinsqtutorial.shtml
http://quiltville.com/sqinsqchartpf.html

Slow stashbusting

Seems I'm buying fabric at the same rate I'm using it, thus the stash is staying the same. Used some in swaps, bought more for another swap (I have few pastels) and took advantage of a buy 10 get 10 free fat quarter sale. I now have enough variety of 30s repros that I can feel comfortable that I need no more of that for current planned projects. I will need to buy some 30s repro solids, but that purchase can wait for some time.

I finally used up the game characters fabric, all 4.5 yards, in pillowcases. A quilt was probably 4 or 5 years away while a pillowcase could be enjoyed NOW! My sister is huge on gaming (Guild Wars), so I made her a pillowcase for her specialty pillow as well as 2 king sized ones. There was enough fabric left for my king sized pillow too!

New Years Eve Mystery

If you want to bust stash, try Bonnie's Mystery Quilt on New Years Eve Day! I'm not sure what color scheme I will be doing, but I hope to be able to bust stash on this.

Log Cabin Quilt top Done!

I finished the Log Cabin quilt top this week! I'm just waiting for a nicer day to lay out the backing, batting and top to roll up to tie (I need to do it outside). It is a queen sized quilt 82x96 inches and primarily made of stash. I swapped for many of these fabrics using stash in a 10 inch square fabric swap (green, gold, brick red and beige). Pieces were cut using Shar Jorgenson's (Quilting from the Heartland) Log cabin templates. Alas, this project did not use a lot of stash, but I had plenty for all the blocks. However, log cabins generally are great stash users especially if you have enough fabric of each type to do long strips.

Fabric Used:
8 yards for the blocks (stash)
1.5 yards black sashing (new)
3.5 yards border and binding (new)
7.5 yards flannel backing (new)

Tree Quilt using 2 Novelty Fabrics

Is it stashbusting when you deliberately bought fabric for a project and just didn't get around to it? Hard to say, but this pattern is stashbusting, so I'm including it.

Here is the Vikings Twee Top. I bought the deer and Vikings fabric in early 2007 deliberately for a quilt for my BIL and then didn't know how to combine it. The trees had been cut out for 5 or 6 years. I started doing the trees and had an AHA! moment. Deer, Vikings and trees have absolutely nothing in common but have everything in common with my BIL (Vikings fan, hunter and has 80 acres with lots of trees). Think about it. Do you have novelty fabrics you have no clue what to do with? Think about combining them based on someone's hobbies or interests.

This quilt used up 10.5 yards of stash fabric and 9 yards of newly purchased fabric. The remaining Vikings fabric goes with my sister to make an additional project. The flannel was a deal at $2.50 a yard and it is football fabric!

Fabric Used:
3.5 yards deer fabric for borders and binding (stash)
3 yards of Vikings fabric (stash)
4 yards estimate for tree blocks (stash)
1 yard purple block sashing (new)
1/2 yard dark purple narrow border (new)
7.5 yards flannel backing (new)

Pattern used (FREE!) at this website.
http://www.ezquilt.com/patterns/winterpines/winterpines.htm