Number 53 in my series using up my 2" scraps top is done.

I decided to use only fabrics with off white undertones. I used browns, blues, dark greens, and such with that "tone". I did throw in a grass green that really has no place in it, but I was too lazy to take it out. I told myself it would spice it up a bit!

Here's a close up of some of the fabrics.

Once again, you can see some words fabrics - actually these are instructions from panels that I cut up and threw into my strips bags. I cut the whole panels up and not just the instructions if it was a vest or something I would never make. I don't cut up pillow panels as they perfect starters for charity quilts-- I use those like medallions in the center. They are usually pretty or if not "pretty", at least very nice and interesting (like an animal) and I can just use them as the starting point for a quilt top.

I really don't have a grip on my 2" strips yet. I don't. I should. I am working on a couple more tops as I write this (well, not as I write this - as I'm sitting at my computer), but last night/yesterday, I worked on two different ones. I was hoping to do 21 this year - this is number 11 for the year but numbers 12 and 13 are started. I have this "fear" that at the end of number 63 - I'll still have 2 big bags of strips. Guess I better start cutting into a different size, huh? Or sew more.

This one turned out big. At first I thought I wouldn't do a border, but I really didn't care for it without a border. So, I added one. It ended up 102" x 114".

I decided to piece the backing out of different browns that I have - cut into fat quarter size pieces - as a kind of experiment. I have some browns I just didn't see myself using in a quilt - so I figured it was a good way to use up some misc. smaller pieces I had.

I also decided to try this backing because one lady in a group I'm in mentioned that she had over 400 fat quarters and she was afraid she was a hoarder.

This backing is going to take 42 of these pieces, however - only one of those was actually a fat quarter - the rest I cut out of yardage I had in my browns shelves. I had mentioned if she made 10 queen size quilts in the next two years she could easily use them up - especially if she used them for backings, so I decided to try it for myself. Hopefully it will go together quickly as you can tell that the front of the quilt involved some major piecing!

As to the quilting...I'm still deciding. I originally wanted to do some embroidery in the center of each light snowball but my embroidery machine is in the shop - hopefully to come home soon, but it has to wait its turn to get fixed. It is also very hard to embroider a quilt this big in even with a Janome 12000 - there is just a lot of bulk and a whole lot of just holding the quilt while the machine embroiders. So, I'm considering doing some FMQ in the center of each one of those snowballs - still have to think about it. It would certainly stretch my skills - and actually be very good for me. The rest of the the top won't show any quilting anyway, so I'll probably just do something generic on the scrappy part.

I'm open to suggestions on the quilting, if you have any. I'll consider whatever you say. I can't guarantee that my skills would allow me to do just anything, but I can certainly think about it!

I am pleased with how this one came out. After doing so much lately with brights, I needed to make something with warm, calming colors. This fit the bill perfectly.

The fee pattern is here.

And wherever this day finds you - I trust you have strength and health to do what you need to do! Have a good one!

"Snowballs 'n Scraps" top