Scrap Basket Sunday

The idea that I needed to do something with my increasingly packed scrap drawer has been lurking in the back of my mind for some time now, and I finally formed a plan to help decrease my scrap stash.  I'm going to start something I'm calling Scrap Basket Sunday.  Each Sunday I'll pull fabric out of my scrap drawer and make a few blocks.  Then I'll post photos on my blog the following Saturday night--that way, the photos will show up in my Sunday post.

Once I decided on a plan, I started looking through various resources for a project to begin with.  First I visited Quilter's Cache.  Have you looked at all the blocks Marcia Hohn has uploaded there?  It's a great resource.  If you don't know about it, click on the name link which will take you to the page where you can access the blocks and check it out.

I printed out a couple block possibilities but then I remembered that Kim Diehl's books contain a lot of scrappy quilts and I love her patterns, so I pulled my books off the shelf and began browsing.  When I came across this one, I knew I'd found my first project:

The quilt is called Pie in the Sky and the blocks are stars inside of churn dash blocks.  My friends and I saw a quilt made from this pattern at the Manteca Quilt Show a few weeks ago, and it was one of my favorites.  And I'd already forgotten about it until I went looking for a scrappy project!  You can also see there are plenty of plain fabric squares that make up the sashing--great for using up a basket full of scraps!

I'd like to invite you to join me in Scrap Basket Sunday if you also have scraps that aren't being put to good use.  And I may have a few scrappy giveaways along the way--which will also help to decrease the amount of scraps I have.  Win-win, right?!  Just find yourself a pattern you like and join in--it doesn't have to be the same one I'm making.  If you have a blog, post your blocks on your blog each Sunday and let me know you're participating, and I'll create a section in my sidebar of links to other scrappy bloggers.

Speaking of giveaways, I promised to announce the winner of the Australian magazine Stan sent to me for machine embroidery.

Here's the winner's post:

Shelley has left a new comment on your post "Stan's the Man!":


"That issue looks like an 'oldie,' but 'goodie.' I have been embroidering for over 12 yrs and I do not have that particular issue. Maybe there is something inside that catches your eye? Love adding embroidery to my quilts! Thanks for the chance to win a little treasure."

Shelley, please email me your mailing address and I'll mail the magazine to you this week.  Thank you all for stopping in to visit.  Happy sewing!