Scrap Attack: Herringbone Block
If you've been hanging around for a while, you might remember the Herringbone Block tutorial I wrote up when it was my turn to lead a charity quilt with do. Good Stitches. I was drawing inspiration from Holly of Bijou Lovely's beautiful Herringbone quilt, but made a few modifications in order to make a longer, more narrow block.
Well, coincidentally, this block is quite ideal for eating up string scraps. And good golly, do I have a mess of those! I don't sew often with strings. I've never made a simple string quilt, nor do I work much with log cabins. I think both patterns are stunning worked up, but haven't really felt drawn to dive in to them myself. To be honest, something about sewing strings feels so repetitive and boring to me. But, what's with that since sewing a bunch of small squares together can't be much different? Motivation is unfathomable.
One thing I appreciate about the herringbone block is that the strings are arranged in an interesting pattern from the get go. It makes completing each block a bit rewarding. I should have made a ton more to add to this quilt! I think that urge got buried under other quilty plans that popped up here and there. You know how that goes...
The finished quilt is 44" x 55" - a great size for the little one it's destined for. This quilt is the collaborative work of the Love circle, who sent me herringbone blocks over the winter holidays. It will be mailed tomorrow to Wrap Them in Love, who collects quilts for needy children the world over. Anyone can send quilts to Wrap Them in Love. If you have some languishing quilt tops, why not finish them off and put them to good use? Or, to find out more about how to join us at do. Good Stitches, see here. We're always welcoming new members who are active on social media and enjoy working in a modern style.
I love the surprise of each quilt block that arrives in my mailbox. I asked for blocks that included lots of color and a pop of black, with no brown. Although the different blocks are distinct, they merge into one collective interpretation that also proves how scrap-friendly this design really is!
I had lots of fun making a bright, playful backing to match. I started with a yard cut of "Rabbit Trellis" from Laurie Wisbrun's Modern Whimsy. It's such a happy print, and so vibrant! And, would you guess it's organic too? Robert Kaufman produced the entire Modern Whimsy collection on organic cotton. It has a nice, substantial feel. Anyhoo, I added to that another Herringbone block from our circle and some random childish fabrics, like that Argyle Remix print and the Mushroom Houses from Woodland. Plus a nice pop of black on the back too!
Happily, this unknown rainbow stripe was a perfect binding - it has a bit of black in it too! Since I didn't have quite enough, the Rabbit Trellis trimmings helped out. Isn't it lucky the way those bunnies ended up dancing across the front of the binding!
Just in time, I remembered to add a do. Good Stitches tag. And she's done! Yay. I have to say this quilt has such a seriously 80's vibe. I mean, all those bright colors in such a wild layout with black, black, black. Totally 80's. And I love it.
How about you? Are you making a dent in your scraps? If you need inspiration, look no farther than the Scrap Attack Flickr group. There is some amazing work going on in quilts of all styles! And, I'm keeping a running link list to all of the Scrap Attack posts here. At the end of February we'll catch each other up with another link party and then early March I'll announceprizes to be handed about at the Festival of Scrappiness. Be sure to have your quilts done by late March so you can join the Festival!