Upcycled Greens #30 top finished - Double 9 Patch on Point

Do you remember that large bag of 1.5” strips I had with those UP greens?

Well, it was bothering me— I had so many of those - far more than either 2” or 2.5”. The bag was so big that I hated to put all those strips into my 1.5” box of stuff. I could have - but I didn’t want to.

I thought this basic pattern would help me use these things up. Instead of working with white, I opted to use light blue - wanted to use up some shirts I had collected since I made the UP Blues series.

The end result is subtle - and I know that the design doesn’t show up very clearly - but it does show up - so I’m okay with that. I’m truly working with ‘what I have’ - and so it is what it is!

This quilt is like getting to know an introvert. You need to really get in there and look at this one - it’s not “in your face” or “outgoing”. Take a few minutes to actually appreciate the subtleties here. It’s certainly nothing like BOHO Chic!

I will be transparent here and say that at least part of me wishes I had used white as the alternative color for this quilt - because with white, the paler greens would have shown up better. But it’s done and I don’t redo this kind of thing - I move forward. If I really can’t stand it when I’m all done with it, I’ll find it a new home so I don’t have to think about it.

This is a nice queen size quilt - about 89”x102”. I made up three different blocks - one that was a chain block, an alternating 9 patch block using various light blues from shirts, and then I made some 16 patch blocks for the side setting triangles which I then cut in half.

I had originally wanted to cut 9.5” squares as the alternative block, but I couldn’t - my blues weren’t in that big of pieces. I didn’t have enough big pieces of shirts to allow that. I almost despaired and then I remembered that I could piece a 9.5” block from smaller 3.5” blocks and get almost the same effect. Well…not quite, but you know what I mean. It’s what I had.

Here are the 3 different blocks in this quilt top - I am leaving these BIG so you can see the fabrics I used. Calling them ‘green’ is a bit of a stretch for some of them.

  • a double 9 patch block

  • the alternate 9 patch made from 3.5” cut light blues in a variety of shades

  • a 16 patch from the 3.5” blocks cut from light blues - for the side setting triangles

I know that cutting a side setting triangle like this leaves the edges on the bias - and to a quilter, “Bias is not your friend” - but in this case - it is what I did so that I did not have to make much bigger blocks and cut them into an “x” shape.

Back to the series - which really is winding down - but I do have 2 more in the works plus two more planned - at least sorta. After that I’ll decide about what’s left.

Here it is to date -

The wonderful thing about this top- with all its foibles - is that now my big bag of 1.5” strips is gone. I’m throwing the rest into my regular cut up 1.5” strips for this month! It wasn’t much at all. I folded the plastic bag up for another use.

Thanks once again for coming along with me!

Becky Petersen7 Comments