See this envelope?
I don’t know if you can see by the mailing label who it is going to, but it holds very special contents!
This envelope contains:
- 6 blocks for my 2013 Addicted to Scraps column!
- A block for a future 100 blocks by 100 designers issue!
- A very late contract for a quilt that is running in the November issue!
Yes, I was supposed to GIVE the contract to Carolyn while we were in Williamsburg, but we got busy, and I put it off, and then her hubby showed up, and we all packed to go home and --- duh. There it was still in my suitcase! So she is getting it all in one large envelope that will be mailed off today.
This was one of the “MUST DO!” things on my list for this time that I’m home before Bali. My blocks for Quiltmaker are always due in August, because that’s when I’m home long enough to have the time to do them all in one big push.
And I am VERY excited about these blocks ---if you haven’t followed along with my column, be sure to click the “Addicted to Scraps” tab at the top of this blog. EVERY block I do for my column, whether I design it myself, or give an up-do on an old traditional favorite is a way to put my Scrap User’s System into good use.
For example….in the blocks I am sending in, I didn’t have to do ANY cutting of large pieces of fabric. I didn’t cut into Fat Quarters, I didn’t need Charm Squares!
I used the following strips from my pre-cut strip bins: 1.5” 2” 2.5”. I used 2” precut squares. I used 2.5” and 3.5” pre-cut squares. I used bonus triangles!
Making these blocks was a breeze---and because I tackle my scraps into uniform useable widths, they all combine together and made it really easy to pull the colors and fabrics I needed, getting me to sit and sew faster, and giving me the variety I need to give me blocks that I really love.
The hard part about designing and interpreting blocks for a whole year’s worth of magazine issues? I want to turn each and every one of them into a full size quilt!
To celebrate my completing this deadline, I want to do a little Give-Away.
Leave me a comment below, just give me ONE tip you’ve found here that has had a positive impact on your quilting, be it scrap management, or time management, or anything ----let me know how I’m doing!
One lucky winner will get Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks, signed by me --
AND! to sweeten the deal:
I’ll throw in a charm pack of Moda’s Summer Breeze!
Let’s do the drawing Sunday night after dinner time. That’s tomorrow. So get commenting!
Oh – the movie last night? We went and saw “Hope Springs” with Meryl Streep & Tommy Lee Jones. IT WAS AWESOME! Definitely cheaper than therapy, and I wonder how many couples went that benefited from just seeing this movie? I laughed til I cried, and I cried til I laughed. It so hit home in so many ways, but it did it in such a humorous way ---GREAT MOVIE!
See it, and take your significant other with you. Don’t delay! Don’t wait until it comes out on DVD. Go to a matinee…take contraband snacks in your purse if you think the expensive concessions are holding you back. ((After seeing an ordinary bottle of water priced at $5.75 ---my big purse goes with me. Seriously. for WATER?!?)) BUT GO.
Today on the list? Randy’s posted some new Sow-Along blocks last week. I need to get caught up!
How nice is this? To be HOME on a SATURDAY!? I relish these, I really do!
668 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 668 Newer› Newest»Learning how to organize and manage my scraps has helped me use up some beautiful fabrics that I didn't know what to do with. I loved learning how to debone a shirt! .... and today I learned big purse =contraband movie theater ha ha ha
texomagal@hotmail.com
Enjoy following your blog. I want to go to Pennsylvania and hit the quilt shops. I have started containers with scraps cut in usable sizes. My favorite quilt is scrappy and your website helped me get going with it. I like strip piecing, it is a no brainer and helps me relax. Thanks
I love all your tips and tricks. I feel like it's a visit with a friend everytime I click onto your blog. Your positive outlook on life, especially the little day to day things, are my greatest inspiration. Thank you for adding sunshine to my day, several times a day. aschaefer24 at yahoo dot com
My favorite tip is cutting my scraps into usable size strips and storing them together in their own boxes! You are such an inspiration to me and I love reading your blog daily! Thanks for the giveaway!!:)
ONE THING THAT HELPS.....???? How do I do that, I have learned so much, but I think the best thing is we pay good hard earned money for scraps too, so why not use them!! I love all your hints, tips and instructions, and can't wait to get my new book that is in the mail. mjthompson at gondtc.com
Bonnie because of you, I look at every piece of fabric and clothing differently. I now know that every snippet of fabric can be used in a quilt.
ginnylittleton@gmail.com
hi Bonnie, you know I'm a real BH-fan! The importanst tip I got from you was to use the Easy Angle and the Companion Angle rulers -
they are so time consuming and make the piecing so precise!
thank you for your creativity and teaching us
hugs
Brigitte from Germany
Your scrap saver system has really helped reduce the number of bags/baskets/plastic tubs filled with scraps in my sewing room. I also try to use leaders & enders as often as I can so I can put my scraps to good use instead of languishing around in the above mentioned bags/baskets/plastic tubs. Thanks for your ideas and I really enjoy the photos and stories of your vintage sewing machines....you convinced me to take a leap of faith and purchase a Singer 301...just came this week and I love it!!
Wow! How to narrow all your helpful hints and tips to just one? I now cut all my left overs into strips and sort and label the sizes and values, I use my EZ angle rulers, I know the importance of the 1/4 inch, and I use your leaders ad enders faithfully! It is amazing how much more I get accomplished now. THANK YOU!
Judy Lutz
luzzi2@ptd.net
Bonnie, your greatest gift to me is your INSPIRATION and your fabulous SHARING!!! Leaders and enders and scrap organization is high on the list of tips and your patterns are great!!! Just keep on being YOU!!!!!
Marcia de Aguiar
qlting4fun2000@aol.com
Hi Bonnie! I think what I am most impacted by is your time management...and of course your scrap system! Once I get back from two weeks of back to back trips coming up, I am definitely going to knuckle down and get my sewing room in order...and that is a tall order since it is 1/2 basement and there is sewing stuff in about every other room and the garage!
I so enjoyed 3 days of classes with you! Have a great trip to Bali, and hope to meet up with you again soon!
The leaders and enders tip is the greatest tip ever! I never know what is in the making for the second quilt but know it will be a scrappy, wonderful addition to my stash of flimsies. Keep up the good work, I love your quilt methods, books and blog. Thank You!
I have really benefitted from your methods of organizing scraps and using the easy angle. I would love to receive the latest Quilts from 100 blocks. What an inspiration.
For awhile, I was cutting all my scraps into 5 inch charm squares, a la Nickel Quilts. But a lot of those quilts call for cutting off a half inch off one side of the nickel before you even start. I kept thinking that it was a real waste. Then I came across your website, and the light bulb dawned! I could cut STRIPS and sub-cut them later, when I decided what pattern I was going to use. What a revelation! I still occasionally cut and use nickels, but most of my scraps are now in strips. Thanks for sharing your scrap-users system with me!
Bonnie - you have been inspirational in getting me to use my scraps. Thank you. And thanks for the giveaway. shsue@comcast.net
I love that you've made so many of your great designs available free to everyone. I've made charity quilts from scraps using your designs, and been very proud of my efforts. I hope they've been well received by the eventual owners, the people who saw them when they were done like them.
Oh there are so many comments already. Ihave learned a lot form your blog, and your classes. My favorite tip is to cut a little more when straightening an edge and save it for a strip quilt!!!
the other tip I had was from one of your classes someone had used strawberry and blue berry boxes to store thier pieces in. It works great, they stack on the shelf easily and are viewable clear boxes w air!!!!
Your scrap saver system has really helped reduce the number of bags/baskets/plastic tubs filled with scraps in my sewing room. I also try to use leaders & enders as often as I can so I can put my scraps to good use instead of languishing around in the above mentioned bags/baskets/plastic tubs. Thanks for your ideas and I really enjoy the photos and stories of your vintage sewing machines....you convinced me to take a leap of faith and purchase a Singer 301...just came this week and I love it!!
I was introduced to leaders and enders by a friend. To meet a deadline is an awesome feeling. Congratulations!
Well my favorite tip of yours is to be more organized, and I am trying really hard by cutting strips and putting them in bags by sizes whenever I have scraps!! I hope I win!! Thanks Bonnie!
Jenny in Florida
I have come to love scraps since I started looking on your blog. Every so often I make myself cut up usable squares, strips and whatever is left into boxes that are premarked with its size. I have so many cut up that now I am ready to sew one of the quilts from your book. I have found that if I sat up a little ironing station in front of my couch that I can press one night and then the next night I cutevery usable piece I can. I get so much accomplished and still watch TV. Thanks so much for your hints and your inspirations. I would love one your books. Thanks
Daune: fwalker9@att.net
Bonnie, you have been the single one influential person in changing the way I piece and quilt. You have make quilting fun for me in a way that wasn't before. I think it is the freedom that I have found "no quilt police"! I started reading your blog by accident about 4-5 years ago and soon after, went back and read your blog archives from the beginning. What a path you have traveled and I feel I just went right along with you!
Thank you so much for the chance to win! I love your scrap savers system and have been busy cutting and storing bits and pieces for future projects. ☺
I have learned that making scrap quilts, with what you have, and not being a slave to fabric lines and such is wonderful. Scrap quilts suit my soul and I’m glad I found your blog to help feed it.
(Don’t get me wrong, quilts made from fabric lines are beautiful and I like them too, but scrap quilts have a depth and movement that can be lacking in the others.)
Permission to quilt the way I want to quilt; throwing off the handcuffs of the quilt police, and mixing it all up without worry about what other people will think of my quilts. My other greatest turn around due to your books, workshops, blog, website is the ACCURATE 1/4" seam. I was a very frustrated quilter two years ago, sometimes points matched perfectly, sometimes everything was off and then I would struggle to get a top put together. Realizing the foot set-up on my machine was NOT accurate has changed all of that! YAHOO!
nellsheartstrings@yahoo.com
I have loved (and found very useful) the pieced scrap backings. For so long I felt like my backing just had to be a super huge piece of the same thing. After seeing yours and how you incorporate old blocks and stuff I now follow that method. It's great!
The biggest thing I've learned from following you Bonnie and making your quilts is to NOT BE AFRAID of little pieces :*) I look at blocks differently, trying to see behind the simple to how it could be broken down differently and made more interesting. And I have put so many of your time savers into practice! Leaders/enders! Easy angle ruler! Note card templates for marking exact size left-over triangles! Strips cut and at the ready! The list is endless! Thanks for sharing so much with us :*)
OMGish... choose just one thing that I've learned from you... impossible. Before I started reading your blog, my focus was on red and white quilts... then I saw what you've done with the cheddars...and LOVE IT!!! And, I never would have thought about using shirts in a quilt, but was totally excited about the possibilities, and I love how you make everything work together and it always looks amazing!!!! You have opened a whole new world up to me. Besides that, I love your blog and reading about your adventures, and see the pics of what others are doing too. Hope I win the give away... the fabric looks amazing! Thank you!
Tony the tiger said it all
YOU'RE GREAT!!!! I just love to get all the tips on how to manage my scraps. I have the cutting down instructions on my wall and when I finish a project I cut down the leftover according to your wise plan. The pieces get put into labeled boxes and off I go do another project. My goal now is to use up my scaps only....wow what an accomplishment that will be...
GO...BONNIE...GO..... (as i ra ra ra) Great work keep it up we all wmb.inc@gmail.com
I really love the leaders and enders. Paula in ky
When I cut out a quilt, I immediately cut the left over pieces into usable sizes. If I need a quick quilt I know I can just pull from my drawers and whip up a quilt, one of your designs of course.
Thanks for the chance to win the magazine and charm pack.
I have started using your scrap savers system for my own fabric stash, and now have a useful set of building blocks and strips, thanks very much! Finally feeling like I am getting my fabric under control. I love your scrappy patterns, and feel very inspired by your quilts.
Aside from aspiring me to regularly put butt in chair and stitch-your tip about using leaders and enders has been a real time saver. Thanks Bonnie.
ONE tip? OK, has to be leaders and enders. I am a noisy convert - I preach about it all the time. I show off quilts made leaders and enders style and say "I made this sewing between the lines of another quilt!" I'm a total pest.
I really enjoy learning how to save my scraps and set up a scrap system. I have started my own system. I also have participated in your mystery quilt. Thanks for sharing all your ideas with us Bonnie! Enjoy Bali
Since setting up the Scrap Users System, I barely have to go into my stash for anything. Leaders and Ender's book was just what I needed to get organized. I went through every piece of fabric looking for those scraps I tucked into the folded fabric as well as the bags of little scraps. I have made several quilts and have not made a dent in it. Still have many more quilts to make. Having everything pre-cut gives me a opportunity to make a test block anytime the mood suits me!
I've always shopped at thrift stores...now, thanks to you I see "fabric for quilts" instead of clothes...thanks Bonnie, your enthusiasm and generosity is contagious.
You have completely converted me to the easy angle/ companion angle way of making HTS's and flying geese. I love that there is no waste and that they come out much straighter than they used to, You have made me a better quilter for sure!!!!
Since most of the quilts I make are scrap quilts I really didn't have leftovers. Now I cut extra as I'm cutting so it makes it much quicker. I would add one tip to sorting colors. I sort mine by hues so later if I'm doing a quilt with just a couple of colors they are already seperate.
I heard you speak at Quilt Odyssey: you were great!
I am already dividing my scraps into different containers. Am wondering which of your books to buty first. It is overwhelming!
I would have to say leaders and enders. Thanks so much for the giveaway.
There are so many ways you have influenced my quilting...to be more open about fabric choices, to not worry about what other people think about the choices I love, how to use leaders and enders (love that book!) and how to use rulers properly. I also appreciate your giving nature and how much you have shared with the quilt community for free, especially your mystery quilts which I love love love! Thank you Bonnie from the bottom of my heart!
The biggest tip I've had from you is the easy angle ruler - now I can make hsts that need no squaring up!
Thanks for a great giveaway!
One of the best tips you have provided was how to store and cut one's scraps into useful and accessible storage arrangements. But that is only one ditto to all of the above because I check in everyday to see what is new.
Thanks Bonnie for all your help.
My current favorite tip of yours is that a fabric isn't ugly if it's cut small enough!! I LOVE buying from the scrap bin at my local quilt shop, just looking at the pieces with color and value in mind. I wash it and cut it up faster than you can imagine and add it to my scrap bins. Thank you for the great tips!
Nancy
njnielsen@comcast.net
Your scrap system is the only way I can survive the random donations given to my chapter! I make scrap blankets for Project Linus and my blanketeers would never be able to use all of the random fabric given if it weren't for your expertise! Thank you so much! We were absolutely paralyzed by our stash! michelle.troch@comcast.net
My scraps used to sit all mushed together in several bins so that when I wanted to use them I had to dig through and press and cut before I could sew. Your scrap user system showed me how to sort, cut, press, and use them up. Now I have bins sorted by color and size and can get to the sewing part much quicker! Ronda~phonygal@msn.com
Love your site. I have learned so many tips and tricks.
I had never had a plan for scraps before. I need to use them, and will work on organizing them instead of just tossing them in a pile. I bought a small drawer bin to store them, so I can start your system.
Leaders and enders are my favorite thing to do because they just make so much sense! But I love scraps and have been gifted with a lot of them, having the scrap saver system makes them manageable too! I love being organized.
Thanks Bonnie!
Darcy_Hansen@hotmail.com
I had never had a plan for scraps before. I need to use them, and will work on organizing them instead of just tossing them in a pile. I bought a small drawer bin to store them, so I can start your system.
Just reading you daily blogs and seeing how you organize your time is totally inspirational! I keep trying but I could never keep up with you! Keep up the great work. Love following you and your travels.
Wendy in San Diego
Scrap management has REALLY been the biggest help to my quilting!! I had so many scraps just tossed into bins everywhere in my sewing room, with no rhyme or reason. Whith your system, i am slowly but surely getting it all organized. THEN, there are so many of your designs I want to make!! It will keep me busy for a LONG time. and I can always use more fabric, lol!!
Besides inspiring me to go beyond my boundaries, You have been instrumental in helping me reign in my out of control stash :) Thank you for all you do!!
Melissa
mel112503@bellsouth.net
I've used your tips on getting consistent 1/4 inch seams - how to cut the fabric using the edge of the measurement line instead of the middle and how to check my seam allowance before I sew a whole bunch of seams just a wee bit off! I'm getting better... Thanks for all you do for quilters!
Two big things I've gotten from your blog are lots of inspiration and the kick in the pants I needed to get my scraps (and I have a great sufficiency!) organized. But the real eye-opener for me was the idea of using cotton shirts for patchwork. I bought my first group of shirts for a song and that material was so helpful that I went back to the same thrift shop where I managed to strike a sweet deal with the proprietress: a donation of good books from my collection for my choice of more cotton shirts/fabric!
I would certainly love to win - thanks for the opportunity!
LEADERS AND ENDERS WORKS GREAT FOR ME TOO, ALSO THE SCRAP USER SYSTEM, TAKES UP WAY LESS ROOM FOE STORING, AND ALLOWS ME TO BETTER SEE WHAT I HAVE! THANKS FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN!
gailacker@yahoo.ca
I got knowledge that fabric cost apx $10 a yard no matter the size. I love the scrapsaver part and I'm loving how my quilts are looking. I love scrappy. I'm spoiled to your paterns no others inspire me to dig in and sew, sew, sew. Shirley
HELLO! I THINK YOU'RE DOING GREAT>SO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE+STILL YOU COME OUT ON TOP! MY TIP WOULD BE:"READ MY PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS TWICE!" LIKE THINKING YOU KNOW WHAT IT SAYS+YOU DON'T!
THANKS FOR SHARING A NEAT GIVEAWAY!
msstitcher1948@yahoo.com
Bonnie - I am a faithful follower - I love everything about your blog. I have been collecting 2 inch squares for a ender/leader project!
Deb
debpersson@gamail.com
I have learned that you don't have to go buy fabric when you want to make a quilt, see what you have to work with first! Love all your patterns, Bonnie! Can't wait till your workshops in KY on September!
Kay Pucciarelli
kpucci@communicomm.com
I always new scraps had value but your reminderthat they cost as much as yardage inspires me toremember to use them.
Lisa
You, Bonnie Hunter, are my inspiration! You have tamed my PILES of scraps my Aunt gave me so I could have a stash when I first started quilting this past April. My friends who read your blog taught me about your Enders and Leaders before I thought I could quilt. You, and their introduction to you, got me started in this wonderful hobby! I copied off your Pineapple pattern and gave it a whirl. There's no turning back now!
Bonnie, your greatest gifts are your Passion, Inspiration and selfless Sharing of your life with all of us!!! Leaders and enders and scrap organization has added a whole new dimension to Scrap Quilting!!! Thank you for being YOU!!!
Marcia de Aguiar
qlting4fun2000@aol.com
Leaders and Enders are my new time saving tip.......I'm working with them while sewing the farmer's wife blocks! The leaders and enders will turn into a mini pinwheel quilt for my granddaughter! Thanks Bonnie for all your inspiration!
The most inspiring tip I use is that if the fabric is still ugly you just haven't cut it small enough!!. I think of that a lot when I'm cutting and sorting for a project --
Thanks for all of the inspiration to use my scraps --
cherylrandleman4@gmail.com
I like your scrap savers system, and all the tips you give us. I was doing some of savers system, by cutting squares. I appreciate all your historical input from your trips and the beautiful pictures. It many times lifts my day.
Jean in Ia,
jetanner31@gmail.com
One? Just one!!!! Hmmmm-3M reusable mounting strips on my machine to get uniform seam allowances. And everything that everyone else said!!!
I use your scrap management system and it has made quilting with scraps sooooooooo much easier! When you need them, they are right there already cut! :)
My favorite tip is the bonus half-square triangles. Whenever I create a square in a square block, flying geese, or a snowball block, I sew that additional line on the other side of the marked line, cut and save the bonus half-square triangle. I enjoy reading your posts and really appreciate all that you share.
The tip that has changed the way I sew the most is BONUS TRIANGLES! Before your class in Oak Ridge TN where you showed us how to set up your machine measurement to get perfect HST without squaring up, I NEVER kept the small trimmings. Now I have lots of perfect little HST waiting for projects - gonna have to get some more bins! Thanks for sharing so much!
Teresa in Tennessee
ONE! Just ONE you say! Oh, but let me count the ways...YOU have changed the way I look at quilting! If you hold me to ONE, then let's just say THE ENTIRE SCRAP USERS SYSTEM! When I discovered that on your website, I spent months creating my own and I love it! I continue to add to and take away from. I have so many wonderful scrap quilts created from your system using your patterns!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Leaders and enders are the best tip I'm using now. I am sewing mini pinwheel squares while doing my farmer's wife blocks. The mini pinwheel blocks will be a gift for my granddaughter! Thanks Bonnie for all your inspiration!
I think for me the one tip would be using the Easy Angle ruler. How much easier it made making all those half square triangle blocks. And when I first decided to try it on your strong recommendation on your blog and I was slightly confused by the math and I asked a question about why I didn't need that extra 3/8 - you replied to my questions so promptly. Thank you!! I am still wondering if you ever sleep though!! LOL.
I've learned so much from your blog. It's hard to pick just one as they've all been so helpful. Leaders & Enders has been one of the most useful tips.
Thnx for the review on he movie, can't wait to see it.
Chain piecing - saving time and thread!
Thanks for all your wonderful patterns!
Sarah
Chain piecing - saves time and thread!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I love leaders and enders...I get so excited when I see those little blocks start to pile up!
I think the best idea I've gotten from you is your scrap managment system of cutting stips, squares and rectangles. And bonus triangles are AWESOME!
THe tip that I have found most useful is your scrap management "system". I was just stashing them nilly willy and now I actually sort them!!! Thanks for great reading on your blog.
I love the scrap saver system and Bonnie....I also learned from you to relax and enjoy the journey.
I'm thankful for the Scrap Saver System, but Bonnie...most of all I'm grateful to you for helping me to relax and enjoy the journey.
You give me inspiration when it comes to scraps. Thanks for the chance!
Organizing scraps changed my life! It's all soooooo easy now. Next project is cutting to size. I'm really a newbie to all this organization. Thanks for the kick in the you-know-what.
Ellie
elliefpw@sbcglobal.net
I love, love, love your Leader/Ender concept! I have now completed 3 (3!!) projects from Leaders/Enders and am working away on the fourth! The best part of it? I'm just plugging away on those 4 patches and half-square triangles while concentrating on another project, paying no attention to the mountain growing from such a simple idea. All of a sudden, a need for a quick quilt arises, and lo and behold!, I have all the parts made to throw that quilt together in a heartbeat! This has happened twice, now, and I owe it all to your brilliant Leaders and Enders! Thank you for constantly inspiring me!
Love all your "scrappy" ideas. Am hooked on the little bow ties. You are an inspiration. Enjoy reading about your travels.
Can't wait to see what you tell us about Bali.
Darlis
darlisj@kinex.net
There are so many tips it's hard to choose just one but I think the use of rulers and the proper way to cut and keep that elusive 1/4 inch seam has made life soooo! Much easier now I have half square triangles that are bonuses and really fit into quilts without trimming everyone. Thanks for all the info you give us. My hand quilting has improved with the proper thimble as well
Donna Gauch
Love your scrap management system. I always know what to do with the scraps from finished quilts. No more throwing them in a pile to deal with later.
Judy in WA
your quilts are so inspiring because they are scrappy! now I am braver putting all different sorts of fabrics together in a quilt, whether it is a batik, calico or novelty! they can play nicely together!
Organizing my scraps as soon as I am done with a project. It helps keep my whole space more organized.
Your Scrap User's System has inspired me to get my scrap fabrics better organized. It makes life so much easier when I go to use them, and that increases the odds that I will actually use fabric that I already have.
I was inspired when you came and spoke to our guild and intorduced me to 'bonus HST'! I kept saying I hated the waste and Can I tell you I now have a HUGE drawer of HST for later use!! :o) Thank you for sharing with us!!
I think scrap management has been the biggest help to me. Keeping organized has improved my quilting time. Thanks for the tips and all the sharing.
You have helped me sew better 1/4" seams using a piece of moleskin as a seam guide on an old Simger in a cabinet, you have taught me how to twist open the center seam on a four-patch and how to efficiently cut pieces for half square triangles using the easy angle ruler. What I appreciate the most is that your website is one stop shopping, when I need to know something about a technique your site is the first place I go. Plus it's so much fun to follow the Adventures of Bonnie in Quilting Land! I hope to be able to learn from you in person sometime soon. Dawn (ddswimmer@yahoo.com)
Leaders/Enders!! Love reading your blog, Bonnie! -Kathy jtwilson.kawilson@gmail.com
The one tip was to use the 1/4" tool to set margins on multiple machines. I met you at VQF and had one machine for class and one for in room sewing. By using the little yellow guide I was able to make blocks on both machines which went together beautifully. You also got me out of my quilting slump. Your energy is infectious and Quiltville has kept me energized. I have finished the mystery quilt we started at VQF, another mystery quilt I started with Kim Einmo, a baby quilt, and I'm working on a quilt using hst's cut from my batik stash.
Thanks for your tips and passion for quilting.
Have been a fan for a long time and use leaders and enders with a blue ridge beauty pile just waiting to be made into blocks. I especially like your mystery quilts. That's the way I get quilts done. My twin granddaughters(who are only 7)each have a quilt put away for a wedding gift. Hope they like your mysteries:)Karen. rkrunge@gctel.net.
You have taught me how to sew a better 1/4" seam using a piece of moleskin as a seam guide on my old Singer in a cabinet, you have taught me how to twist open the center seam on a four-patch and how to efficiently cut pieces for half square triangles using the easy angle ruler. What I appreciate the most though is your website is one stop shopping. Whenever I need to know something I go to your site first. Plus, following The Adventures of Bonnie in Quiltland is so much fun. I hope to learn from you in person sometime soon. Dawn (ddswimmer@yahoo.com)
I'm really trying hard to adopt your scrap management system - it is a process, for sure, but I have to say your leaders and enders method is the way I roll now - love it!
I read your blog every day and find your life and teaching inspiring. How you manage to fit so much in. I like your strip piecing method and patterns. Thanks for the giveaway.
Bonnie, I had never thought of using mens shirts until I stumbled across Quiltville years ago. Now all of my son's and husbands cotton shirts go to the quilt room when they are worn out and make appearances in my quilts now and then. You have been a great source of motivation for me! Thanks so much!
So many tips and so much inspiration from you. My favorite is COLORS. Red, maroon-red, pink-red, barn-red, orange-red, they're all red, and when used together they make quilts sing and dance. Thank you for all the inspiration and kick-my-butt motivation I get from reading all that you do in a day!
You help and inspire me daily, but if I have to pick just one tip, it is what size scraps to keep. I now organize by the useful sizes as I cut for other quilts. What a timesaver!
Sue
sullivan36@sbcglobal.net
Bonnie, I would say the Leaders and Enders tip is my favorite. Also, you taught me that when I am sewing a bunch of HST, keep them in groups of ten to take to the ironing board and press them open while still attached. Time saver and keeps me more organized!
Your energy amazes me. I thought my life was busy, but yours is busier!
Molly
Who knew you could recycle old shirts into quilts? I guess it does make sense if you think about it since our foremothers (is that a word?) used old clothing to make quilts but I had never thought about it until I saw it here because stores are just so full of wonderful fabrics. As they get more expensive, buying and deboning a shirt is much more cost effective and I like the way the shirt fabrics looks with my other quilt shop fabrics.
I am not "Anonymous" but can't figure out how else to post this.
ANYWAY, Bonnie ----------
You keep me motivated - I am still working on project we started when you were in Tyler, TX - hopefully I will get it finished! A new project is a blue and yellow quilt.
I REALLY NEED your give away this time!
(And I definitely need to go see "Hope Springs!"
You are sooo active & such an inspiration!
Sheryl Moore
Tyler, TX
sheryl85338@yahoo.com
As I'm hand quilting a "Hidden Pinwheels" (your design) quilt, I reflect that I've learned to manage scraps. I'm a scrappy quilter (making tops with scraps left from garment sewing) and you've made me feel more accepted in a 'buy special fabric for a quilt' world. Thanks for ALL you do!!
I love the fact that you tell us what to do with scraps and make beautiful things from them. I sort save and organize my scraps so that I can use them for one of your ideas. Thanks!
Cutting my left-over fabric into usable sized strips has really been a great hint. Sometimes I hit that drawer when I just need a small piece for applique.
Scrap management is very helpful. Glad you get to stay home for a little while...:)
I'm a faithful follower and have learned so much from you - the scrap saver's system, leaders-enders way to save time and thread, how to get an exact 1/4", how to use the EZ angle rulers, for using men's shirts (I have an ever-growing collection) and so much more!
You are just invaluable!
I've enjoyed a lot of your tips and a lot of inspiration from your blog. But I think that the most important thing you have taught me is the advice that it does not have to be quilting cotton to be usable - it has had the most impact on my quilting because it is not just more frugal but also more fun!
I've become a leaders and enders addict, and that's made a big difference in my productivity. No wasted time, no wasted little scraps of fabric that mean nothing. Every seam I sew is either for the project I'm making or for a leader/ender that will eventually be part of another quilt. Thanks for the advice and the inspiration, Bonnie.
I have gotten so many projects finished because of leaders and enders.You don't even realize how fast a project can get done.
I DON'T want to get your staff, firstly because I don't like the Summer Breeze selection, and secondly because the mailing fee would be enormous to Hungary :))) But I do save a huge amount of time with your tips, the first I have used is the 2,5 bin :))))
Love you :)))
Kata from Budapest
cskata@index.hu
I DON'T want to get your staff, firstly because I don't like the Summer Breeze selection, and secondly because the mailing fee would be enormous to Hungary :))) But I do save a huge amount of time with your tips, the first I have used is the 2,5 bin :))))
Love you :)))
Kata from Budapest
cskata@index.hu
I love your Scrap User's System. It makes SO much sense to cut all the smaller fabrics into usable pieces. I've got so many smaller pieces that I just keep passing by because I don't really like them or there just isn't enough for what I want to make. I've just started pulling these ones out now and am getting ready to start cutting them up into strips that I can pull out easily at any time and actually USE them instead of having them just take up valuable space. Now if you just had a tip for having more time to get this done, I'd be forever grateful!! :)
One tip only is hard but what I thought of first was ironing in sets after you have sewn many pairs together. I hate ironing and just doing that has changed my attitude when there are gazillions of pairs to be sewn. mary
I have followed your blog for a long time...you were beginning your massage therapy course when I started. I have used so many tips from you - thank you for being so generous with your knowledge! - but the one I use most often is simply cutting strips. Be they 1.5 or 2.5 inches or somewhere in between, when I finish a quilt the leftovers get cut into strips and thrown into my plastic bins for projects down the road. Thanks so much. I have learned lots from you!
Your scrap management tips have had the biggest impact on my quilting. My scraps are now much more organized & I can actually use them now. Thanks.
I finding tidying has the greatest impact! Just clearing a surface helps!
Can I mention 2 tips? I have finally tamed my scraps! They are ironed and organized- useable in other words! And I'm loving the leaders/enders idea. I'm getting so much more done now.
Thank you for being willing to share so much of yourself and your work with all of us.
Leslie
leslie_combo2@yahoo.com
I love leaders and enders. I cut cut cut with my Accuquilt baby go and keep them in a bowl by my sewing machine. I'm so amused by how much progress I make on my leaders and enders quilt in between the others that I sew, but some times I get so excited I just want to work on the leaders and enders.
The best tip you gave was not to cut 3" squares or strips. Because they don't play well with others. I have since stopped cutting them. I had my sewing room organized like your scrap saving system gor a long long time. My friends thought I was a little OCD. Your book was released and I was fully redeemed! Thank you! It makes scrap quilting so much fun and so quick.
I have learned several things and incorporate in my newly found quilt making passion:
keep the collars and sleeves on deboned shirts (used to threw them away)
I look for "ugly" patterns and colors, and USE them, they really do spice up a block
I look for logo fabric...recently bought a pair of shorts with CORONA beer bottles on it.
wouldn't have considered any of these, but do now thanks to you!!!
scraps, scraps, scraps, scraps, scraps, scraps! That's a huge influence.
I benefited greatly from the leaders and enders tip. I am always so excited when i finish a few bonus blocks while piecing another quilt! Thanks so much for sharing all the tips and patterns.
One of my favorite tips of yours is to use leader/Enders while sewing. I have probably made 3 or 4 extra quilts doing most of the sewing as leader/enders.
Sharyn
Hi Bonnie! So far I've cut strips and squares for readiness, but the most important thing I've learned from you is freedom of color choice - no more matchy matchy! And for some reason, after I read your posts and "feel" your energy, I get up off the couch and get busy! You are an inspiration in so many ways!
Elaine in MA
Ehquilts@me.com
I've slipped out of two good habits for being prOdictive in my studio. I need to get my computer OUT of there and I need to get back into the routine of spending the first and last 10 minutes I'm there tidying. It's amazing how much neater things stay and how mich less time I spend hunting for things. Judging by the state of my space it's been awhile since I slipped out of that routine ... Sigh
It's a tie, Bonnie! Stash management or leaders and enders. I so appreciated meeting you in the mystery class at Vermont Quilt Festival. (I'm the one with the Singer 301 you petted.) I love all your books, especially String Fling (with Santa Fe String Star).
Cricket
cricket_iscute@yahoo.com
I saw your trunk show and lecture on your scrap management system 2 years ago at the Quilt Odyssey. I have been using it ever since and love it. It's been wonderful to be able to go to the bins and pull just the right size strips when I want to start a project or need to find sashing etc. my friends and I pulled from my precut strips when preparing to come to your classes this year at the Quilt Odyssey.
Thanks!
Awesome on getting those deadlines met! If I win please sign a piece of that fabric for me!
Awesome on getting those deadlines met! If I win please sign a piece of that fabric for me!
I shall be hard pressed to ever throw out another scrap for as long as I am sewing! :D Since following your blog, I've not thrown out scraps!!! I've been able to use or share even the smallest of pieces....to which I am thankful....This summer I have created quilt tops, all unique thanks to those wonderful scraps that used to hit the trash...now they are all ORGANIZED....a big improvement!
sowingstitches [at] yahoo [dot] com
The leaders and enders has really worked for me. Getting two things done at once----fantastic.
Mary K
imqltr@q.com
The most helpful tip for me was to always sew 4 patches together with the same either dark or light side up when chain feeding them together so the seams will always be going in the right direction. Hope you know what I'm talking about. Also love the center junction thing with a 4 patch. Sue in Pa
I love the center of the four patch when you open it up and make all the seams go in the right direction.
When I'm in the Good Will Stores I always look for potential quilt material in the shirt section. It really is addicting!
I'm new as a commentator but I hope I will win the magazine and charm pack!
Thanks....
I am just now learning to manage my scraps. I've been making a quilt with them but can tell I need to study your system better and get reorganized. Thanks for all your efforts!
barberg@sbcglobal.net
Bonnie, Thanks for the opportunity to win this giveaway! I love your website and blog and especially your wonderful organizational tips. They have made my quilt production much more efficient. I am retired and with a limited budget so I depend on my stash for almost all my projects. Your website offers me the path to beautiful quilts with all your ideas and patterns. Keep on keeping on! A grateful piecemaker!
Judie judieharron@yahoo.com
Since I came across your leader and enders practice it has been nice to have another quilt on the way rather than little pieces of fabric with tons of "tails".
Looking forward to the drawing!!!
Enjoy your stay at home.
Bonnie,
I just found your Yahoo Group and your blog a few weeks ago so I haven't been around long enough to find and use your tips :( but I'd love to be considered to win the charm pack and magazine. I love your Yahoo Group and your posts and hope to learn lots in the future.
The tip I found most helpful is cutting leftovers and scraps to usable sizes. I am working on the Short Trip from my 2.5" strips. Will use some of my 2.5" squares for a Mondo Bag. Love your system.
Liz
Oh, my. Leaders and enders was like a revelation. I've completed two quilt tops and probably have saved dozens of spools of thread, to say nothing of the irritation of having rethread the needle. So, I've already won. Thanks for your site. I visit almost every day.
love reading your daily quips and snips. visit antique stores and travel with you as I love doing those things but can't for various reasons. Have gotten many tips from you esp re storing fabric. Love your quilts also. would love to take a class from you...on my bucket list
Take care
Vera
bill.schmidy@sympatico.ca
I'm a new quilter that started reading your Blog last Jan. I met you in Virginia Beach,VA during a trunk show and learned your scrap system. That has been the best thing I have learned on your blog and in person..now I get scrap bags from other quilters who have heard I use your system. Bonnie let me tell you opening them bags can be delightful and downright frightening...How do you do it and keep smiling? lol
My scraps mean more to me now than ever before and I use them for everything, especially charity projects. All because of you Bonnie. I hope I win because its my birthday!!! CHEERS!!!!
I am a fairly new subscriber and all ready learning a lot. Bev
Leaders and enders has enabled me to make more quilts in the same time. I seem to get a lot done this way and people think all I do with my life is quilt which is not right, I just make effective use of the time I have. Thank you for the patterns that are simple but look more complicated.
Bonnie, your no-fear use of color has inspired me the most. Use the full range of blues from teal to periwinkle. Red is red is maroon is pink is orange-red is scarlet. Mixing all the variations of a color makes quilts sing and dance!! Thank you for all the inspiration as well as the simply sensible, logical basics.
Leaders and enders...why did I spend all those years using scraps filled with stitching over and over when I could have been making more quilts with the little pieces?!? Thanks to you, I am totally addicted to scraps..the more the merrier! Thank you for motivating so many of us to find new ways to enjoy our quilting even more!
Zelda
zzzz11849@yahoo.com
I like that way that you share your ideas. I also appreciate the love that you have for quilting and for quilters. As for tips I have rethought about how I sort fabrics into color groupings and what fabrics belong to the group of neutrals. It is all about color value and I am still learning more about that. I am still working on cutting my scraps into useable sizes too.
Regards from Western Canada,
Anna
It really works for me to have drawers of pre-cut strips ready when I see a new block challenge. I can make up a block quickly to see if it is something I would want to do a whole quilt.
I have learned so much from you, I love leaders and enders I have a pile of bow tie blocks that I would not have had without your system. I am also working on managing my scraps, it feels so good to have that mess cleaned up and organized.
Thanks for sharing your great ides!
Having the drawers of pre-cut strips just ready to make that next block challenge lets me try something new without spending a lot of time pulling fabric and cutting. After I make the block I may decide it is not one I want to make a complete quilt with.
Bonnie, Probably the best tip is having my scrap strips organized into sizes. So when I need a strip just pull it out of the drawer. Your free patterns are awesometoo. Thank you!
Laura lbquilts@newwavecomm.net
I like the " if it's still ugly it's still too big" tip.
Leaders and enders the best idea ever!
The biggest change you have made to my quilting is organization! BB (before Bonnie) I just tossed my scraps into this huge bin--all together. When I needed something I would take one look at that mess and think "I just don't have time". Now that I have my AB (you got it! After Bonnie) system in place, it's easy to NOW toss it into the right bin and easy to find something later on very quickly. Thanks!
You have brought to my group of friends a renewed appreciation of the classic older sewing machines, no matter what the name brand stamped on the side. We love that you name your machines, because we do the same thing. We are now always on the hunt for the perfect older machine to pick up at a bargain, or not.
*Nancy from Kansas btiede@sbcglobal.net
Dear Bonnie, Please know what an inspiration you are to me. Scrappy quilts have become my passion. You get my creative juices flowing, and you've gotten me organized. A very big deal! Hope to get to meet you some day. Don't stop what you're doing, please!
Barb.Emerson@gmail.com
You have made it ok to use scraps to make great quilts. For the longest time it seemed like only planned quilts with a few fabrics were accepted, and those of us who made scrappy quilts were sort of looked up on as "those poor people who can't afford to make real quilts." Of course I've been quilting since the mid '70's.
LOVE YOUR BLOG
Love your new string fling book Bonnie! I swear I look at it every day and dream of making some new quilts!!!
You are a large influence on my new quilting adventure!! I use the scrap saver system and leader/enders...both of these are so useful!! I also love your blog....it's like a "quilter soap opera" that I have to read every day....thank you so much!!
Definitely scrap management has helped me and inspired me the most. And the leaders/enders was such a huge help for me and it is an ingrained :) habit with me now. Thanks, Bonnie!
Bonnie, after reading your blog and seeing your blocks , I tackled my scrap drawer that was full of fabric of various sizes. While watching TV I cut each piece into usable squares from 2 inches to 5 inches in half inch increments. The drawer now holds many little stacks of squares in the above mentioned sizes. Also, at the end of a project I cut the remaining fabric into squares and add them to the drawer.
I also have a box of 2.5 inch strips. After reading this article I will start saving other sizes of strips too.
Love all you block and patterns. Thanks for sharing.
Greatest idea or tip was your leaders and enders. Also, like being able to look at your books and try to emulate the colors you've used. Another tip was to go to Salvation Army and look for shirt, clothes, etc. that could be used in quilting.
Your tips for using the Easy Angle rulers have been extremely helpful, time-saving, etc. I have been quilting for several years and I really wish I had used these rulers when I first started. Thanks for sharing and thanks so much for your positive, uplifting, and motivating spirit. Go Bonnie! Cheri cuffmail@aol.com
By far, your leaders and enders idea has made my sewing so much more efficient. Thanks for freely sharing all that you do! And thanks for the opportunity at this giveaway. :)
The size of my cut-up thrift store shirt collection is your fault. (I say that my collection is of moderate size, but husband thinks it is way beyond that.) I started with shirts when Kaffe Fasset suggested, in one of his books, that one should "go down to your local garment district" to buy shirt fabrics. Well, I live in the middle of nowhere, where the nearest fabric store is 45 min. away, and, anyway, one fabric store does not a garment district make. So instead of shirting fabrics, I bought shirts. And was hooked, but mostly on stripes. And then came you. So thank you, for my new-found entertainment (thrifting,) for helping me actually spend less money on fabric, and for the fun I'm having doing so. I'm neater, so it takes longer when I cut up shirts, and I can't seem to make my quilts quite as throw-in-everything scrappy as yours, but I'm having a great time.
Sally@TobaccoCreekFarm.com
HI Bonnie,
Both leaders and enders and your scrap management system have been a great benefit to me. thanks for the opportunity. prycek At mymts.net
I have to say too, that leaders and enders was the very best idea. Used to make all sorts of "spiders" with a piece of fabric to sew on to, but its great to end up with useful patches!!
Hi Bonnie,
Your entire blog is an inspiration to me. I've just purchased 2 small plastic containers to begin doing my strips and squares on the scraps that I've got left over from the few fat quarters used. I'm a regular reader from South Africa,
PS: I'm about to try your block from 100 blocks volume 5.
With love from Sunny South Africa,
LisaB72
It has got to be scrap control. From reading your blog everyday, your scrap systems has been a tremendous help in controlling those pesky pieces! You also inspired me to try doing string blocks (I used that as a method to get control of too many scraps) and some wonderful quilts have resulted. You are the best! I love that you graciously share with your readers! Thanks.
Lynne in Hawaii
bgailey@hawaii.rr.com
I love your scrap minders system. Now if I would just put it into practice along with the leaders and enders I might be more productive!
I always do some fabricpieces together under the needle of my sewingmachine when I am done sewing.
I end up with a lot of half square triangles sewn together. Love how you explain things.
It seems so easy.
Greetings from a sunny Holland.
Janny Schoneveld
j.schoneveld@wxs.nl
I've had some success getting my scraps organized. I have 3 small gift bags hanging on a rolly drawer tower and I put squares in one, strips in another and batiks in the 3rd. Eventually they get to permanhent storage. The squares are bagged in 1/2" increments from 2" to 6". I don't do leaders and enders as often as I could but it's always a goal. Will be watching for your blocks and thank you for offering the giveaway.
Your scrap user system is just the best thing ever. I find myself only pulling from stash for borders, backs, and binding these days. LOL. How will I ever use all that stash fabric. Just cut it into scraps I guess.
My favorite tip is still when you told us about that little Machine Gauge ruler that helps check one's machine to make perfect 1/4 inch seam allowances. For those of us who have several machines (and who of us doesn't?), this especially comes in handy if switching machines in the middle of a project. I must add that the leader/ender method is right at the top of my favorites list too. Thanks for all the sharing of these tips and ideas that you do. You are an inspiration.
I just downloaded one of your free scrap quilts that a woman on one of my FB quilt groups had done. It looked familiar because I had downloaded a similar one from you too! So it looks like I'm drawn to your work, just need to make time to do one! I also downloaded your tut on sq in a sq. I'm signed up for 12 blocks with 4 of those in each and your method looks great! katfey@att.net
I have 2 basket beside my sewing machine with light and dark 2 1/2 inch squares for my leaders and enders and also your scrap system is a great tool to use, as always thanks Bonnie for all you do and so freely share with us quilters.
hettymapp@ymail.com
I really love your appreciation for antique quilts. I have learned to put a unique colour or turned block in my quilt for a surprise for others to find if my quilts are admired in the future.
I really enjoy your blog and have utilized many of your tips. I always put like squares or strips in baggies and label them so i
Oh my gosh where to start--your free patterns, along with your wonderful tutorials on how to use special rulers, using scraps (I love scrappy quilts best.), leaders and enders, and I now save very small scraps for crumb quilts. You are the best. Thanks for your generosity, your endless energy, and letting us be a part of your life by way of your blog.
I remember when we met last year you said at your talk that if a fabric costs $10 a yard, the scraps still cost $10 a yard. I love that because it's true and it makes me value my scraps so much. I do so love being a scrap quilter! Thanks for all your inspiration. I'd love to see those new blocks of yours - bet they're heaps of fun!
i love your organizational skills and I try to use all my scraps now that I read your blog. thanks. meg
Hi, Bonnie. SOOO much. I am always encouraged by your upbeat attitude. As for a tip that has meant a lot, it's the leaders/enders idea which I'm now beginning to do! Meant too long ago, but I needed just the right "2nd project." Also, Your generosity has meant a lot w/your sharing of so many free patterns. God bless you in this quilting adventure. Angelia (angel4u2@cox.net)
I so enjoy your blog. All of your tips are great!! I always bag my locks or squares and label them so I can keep everything straight!
First I have to say what a wonderfully talented lady you are!! I am in the process of trying to design a quilt for a contest and it is not that easy and you have designed quilt after beautiful quilt. Most have mentioned the scrap user's sysetm and I agree that has been a big help, I have loads of fabric now from recycled shirts that I never could have afforded to purchase. But the mosr helpful tip I have gotten from your blog was on rotary cutting, lining up the whole ruler line on the fabric. Thank you for all your beautiful patterns! Rebecca- reb@alaska.net
You inspire me to cultivate my love for quilting. Because of your scrap system I have organized my scraps so they are sorted and usable--not just a jumbled mess in a bin! I have also started using more variety of fabric in my quilts.
I have learned so much from your Scrap User System. I'm still not all the way there but am getting there. Also I have done the last two Mystery Quilts with you. I never would have tackled those quilts if they had not been a week to week thing, and did not know what I was getting myself in for (LOL). I would have read those instructions and immediately said "no way"! I have loved both of them. RRCB is on my bed, and Orca Bay needs to be quilted. Thanks Bonnie for all you do for us!
I have loved your ideas on scrap management. I love scrappy quilts and so this has inspired me to look at my stash in a new light. I have combined your tips with some folding fabric tips at another site. My goal is one container a day. After all, it is suppose to be about sewing, not organizing. :)
Hi i am a new quilter and so my stash is still very small but i am working on it. So i have been able to put your scrap system into place quite easily. It has not been too daunting to get started. My only issue is i don't have enough yet to a) get hefty bins and b) make a scrap quilt. But i have been making bonus half square triangles from another quilts flying geese. And with those half square triangles i have been making the cutest wee blocks 6 blocks by 6 blocks wide at 1.5 inch finished. Thanks i love your blog, your tips and your free amazon books:-) thanks bonnie. Helen. S.h.malanchak@paradise.net.nz
I really appreciate all you do for us Bonnie. I am using your Scrap User System, and have almost got all my fabric categorized. I have done your last two Mystery Quilts, RRCB is on my bed, and Orca Bay just needs to be quilted. Thanks you so much!!!
Your biggest impact on my quilting has been the mystery quilts and the Easy Angle ruler. We all had them...but never used them...now we use them all the time. Outside of the internet realm...meeting you and spending some quality time with you...priceless!
I don't have a wonderful or profound reason for wanting to win the give-away, I just would like to win it. But having said that, I do read your blog each day and love seeing your photos of all the ladies having fun taking classes and making blocks. Enjoy your break.
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