Posted on by agilejack

New Year Fresh Start

I started a new quilt today. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a couple months… putting the fabrics and design together in my head.

I’m calling it my NewYear Fresh Start quilt. It’s the perfect project after my palate cleanser. It was inspired by some of the pin cushions I made a couple months ago.

I went on a bit of a tear today and got 16 blocks done. It’s enough to give you a really good idea of what this quilt will look like. True to my tendencies, it’s a little wild but I love it.

To get started I dug in after our early afternoon walk and started sorting and pressing a bunch of Kaffe Fassett Collective and Australian Aboriginal scrap strips.

The good news is that I love making scrap quilts. The bad news is that this isn’t going to use up much in the way of scraps.

I sewed a random collection of strips into strip sets…

Then pressed and cut those into 3.5 inch sections that would be the center of each block.

The strip on the far right was too narrow to cut to 3.5 inches, so I’ll be able to incorporate that into a bag some day.

I’m going to write up a quick tutorial later this week for making these blocks. So I’m not going into too much detail tonight. Suffice it to say that I’m really enjoying this. It’s just the kind of piecing that I love doing… very free form, not much in the way of rules, and no precision required!

I love building production lines when I’m doing projects like this… ways to do things that make it quicker and more efficient. So I’m making four or five blocks at a time — whatever number I can get from one strip set.

These center sections are all ready for a trim and then will have their black or white corners added.

Here’s a finished block before I squared it up.

I squared these up to 9.5 inches. So they’ll finish at 9 inches.

I just love this one!

I’m also liking the combination of KFC and Aboriginal prints. I’m not sure it changes the look of the quilt much, but I like being able to say that the blocks contain both.

A little eye candy…

And I love this close up of the point where four blocks come together.

So, you might be wondering what happened to the neck scarf I was thinking about. Well, I dug in yesterday and nearly finished it. I had thought that I might make it from Brandon Mably’s Octopus fabric in black rather than the jumble and I remembered that my long armer returned some scraps of that fabric that had been used as the quilt back for my Ice Storm quilt. And, amazingly, there was one piece in the scraps that was perfect for this scarf!

So I trimmed it, squared it up and cut off a little of the length. After looking at some of the scarfs in my collection, I decided that about 60 inches was a good length. Then I cut a piece of the jumble to be the other side of the scarf.

I cut the jumble about an inch narrower than the octopus fabric so that the octopus would make what looks like a binding on the jumble side of the scarf.

Then I sewed the two long edges, turned it right side out and gave it a press. Here’s how that self binding looks on the jumble side of the quilt.

Sort of magic!

I left the ends open and left enough Octopus fabric extending beyond the jumble to fold and sew into a binding on the ends of the scarf.

Then I stitched in the ditch all the way around the scarf to keep all those edges in place during wear and laundering.

Then I got busy making twisted cord for fringe.

I got the fringe applied to one end of the scarf. If I was doing this again I would make the cord finer. This is just a little too thick, but I’m guessing no one else would even notice it.

I’ll have to make more fringe and apply it to the other end of the scarf. That will be an evening’s task later this week.

I did try it on even though it’s not done and I really like it!

Something about fringe makes a scarf super sassy!

I like the way the jumble and octopus work together. If you remember, the very first bucket had I made a couple years ago was in this fabric combo.

I’m very excited that my dishwasher repair person is arriving some time tomorrow between 8 am and 5 pm! It’s a good thing I’m working from home and don’t have to leave work to wait for them to arrive… one of the good things about working from home. I’m really tired of hand washing dishes!

This is the face of a dog who does not appreciate New Year’s fireworks.

Poor guy. He really hates them. I could barely hear the fireworks, but he was completely aware of them. Luckily they weren’t as bad as they’ve been in the past.

Back to work tomorrow. I’m glad it’s another short work week.

92 Replies to “New Year Fresh Start”

    1. I poked a hole with my awl every half inch about 1/4 inch from the edge. Then I folded the fringe piece in half and pulled the loop through the hole using a crochet hook. then I pulled the fringe ends through the loop and pulled it snug. It’s the same way I always put fringe on a knitted blanket.

      Anne

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  4. Once again I am amazed of your work,love the new quilt, it is gorgeous. You are so inspiring and have so many great ideas, wish I could crawl in your head and pluck some ideas out. Also love the scarf, very cute, you can wear your hat with it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, a little late. Take care of yourself.

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  7. Hi, I’ve been following you for a few weeks and am really itching to ask how do you get the colour of fabric so true in the pictures? Is it your lighting? Is it your digital camera? Or is it a camera on your phone? Would you mind sharing?

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    1. I take all my photos with my iPhone 11 Pro. I bought the higher level phone because it has a better camera. I often edit the photos and tweak the color. But it takes really good photos! Better than any digital camera I’ve ever had.

      Anne

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  9. Does the quilt shop from which you purchase Australian fabrics have an online presence? I’m looking for a fabric called Sleepy Lizard and it’s out of stock at Fabrilish where I usually purchase such prints. Thought perhaps I’d check out your source. Love your work. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Coucou Anne meilleurs vœux pour cette nouvelle année santé bonheur et amour
    J aime toutes ces couleurs que tu mets
    Je suis fan car les couleurs et moi on ne fait qu un bonne semaine à toi
    Josette de France

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  13. I love your new quilt. I’m a fan of scrappy, so this is right up my alley!!! I can’t wait to see it completed. Anne, for you and those of your readers who love KFC fabric … check out Burkholders fabric in Denver, PA (near Lancaster County in Amish Country). All fabrics are on sale (30% discount) until 1/10 for their annual customer appreciation sale. There are many fabrics from which to choose, as well as a variety of KFC, including shot cotton. Prices are comparable to other quilt shops, but with the discount, it’s more reasonable. Code at checkout is SALE30.

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  14. Nice work, Anne! And my condolences to the cordite-averse canines among us. We are on a small island that goes fireworks mad on NY Eve, the whole place blows up. It goes on for an hour, folks must spend hundreds if not thousands, and every block holds a professional quality display. I love it but the boys would not!! I like that you mixed aboriginal prints with KFC prints…Kaffe once said on a vlog that he loves seeing that. The scarf looks fantastic!

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    1. OMG! rico is so glad he doesn’t live on your island! He would be a sad little heap by the end of the night.

      I’m really liking this mix of fabrics! It feels really good.

      Anne

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  16. Now you’re speaking my language. I am all over scrappy and this one is stunning. Can’t wait to make one myself. Seems like a quick one too. I agree that gobsmacked is the perfect word to use here. Scarf turner out great. At first i thought you were going to combine black and white yarn for the fringe. What happened? I feel bad for all the animals that get so stressed out over fireworks. Someone in our neighborhood was firing off those huge M80’s.

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    1. I was going to use black and white fringe when the scarf was going to made from just jumble. The white doesn’t look great with the Octopus fabric so I opted for just black.

      Anne

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    1. Your comment got cut off.

      I’ve seen a handful of variations on this idea. It’s definitely not something new. I love it because it’s of free form and not precise. That makes me happy!!!

      Anne

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      2. There are a lot of versions of this out there. I’ve seen three different tutorials in the last few days. It’s a pretty basic scrappy approach. So amazing how different quilts made with this block look based on how you use your fabrics!

        Anne

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  18. I LOVE reading and seeing your projects and activities!! Your newest quilt project is wonderful! I really like the bright and lively colors and designs in the aboriginal and KF fabrics. The black and white really make the colors bright.

    I had an Australia Sheepdog/ Border Collie cross that was terrified of thunderstorms, gunshots, fireworks and everything else loud. She was so sweet but would shake and shiver when a thunderstorm was brewing. I could tell one was coming by watching her. She heard the thunder long before I did. I tried holding and cuddling her when she started shivering but nothing seemed to work completely. I also had a thunder shirt for her that seemed to help some. So I know what you are going through with you scared boy.

    We live in VA so thunderstorms are common in the summer.

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    1. when dogs are concerned about thunder or fireworks, there’s not much you can do for them except drug them. It’s hard to see the so upset and scared.

      I’m thankful that with all the months of rain we get, thunder and lightning are actually quite unusual. Rico says Thank God!!!

      Anne

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  21. Love the new scrappy quilt! What is the name of the black fabric used in the triangles (not the jumble). You have used the black and also the white version of that print several times and I always wonder who the maker is of that print! I am finishing up my scrappy version of your ice storm quilt…still not making a dent in the scrap box though.

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    1. the black fabric is called Land of Utopia. It’s a great print!

      I’ve been thinking I need to make another low volume quilt. I should start thinking about the more seriously. thanks for the idea!

      Anne

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  22. Happy new year to you and your fur babies. Your quilt looks fantastic. I’m definitely going to try and make that scarf. How did you attach the fringes to the end? Love reading your posts 🧵✂️

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    1. For the fringe, I poked a hole with my awl every half inch about 1/4 inch from the edge. Then I folded the fringe piece in half and pulled the loop through the hole using a crochet hook. then I pulled the fringe ends through the loop and pulled it snug. It’s the same way I always put fringe on a knitted blanket.

      Anne

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  23. Poor Rico! We had big, sparkly fireworks 2yards behind our property, very loud. That was almost an hour starting about 7. Then the next street over they were busy shooting guns. My 10 month old kittens were petrified, this was worse than the 4th of July! They took a break and then more gunshot at midnight 😡.
    Love your new strippy scraps blocks and especially the favorite block with the black triangles and lime green!🥰 I hope you had some more eggnog 🤭!

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  26. You really inspire me to get out of my comfort zone! Your new quilt is so interesting and I also loved the one you just finished using the Creative Grids ruler. I ordered the ruler and a layer cake of Kaffe fabrics. Thank you for sharing your work.

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  28. That is a wild quilt!, But I do like the design that you came up with.

    Nice scarf and bucket hat. What pattern did you use for the bucket hat?

    Happy and healthy new year. Carol.

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    1. Hahaha! Yes! It is a wild quilt! It’s fun to make something crazy every now and again!

      I used the Orange Betty bucket hat pattern. you can find it with a Google search, or search for it on my blog.

      Anne

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  29. Spectacular and fun! Love the mix of Aboriginal and KF ♥️.
    Your scarf is awesome too!
    Yes, humans certainly disregard how fearful all the wild animals, birds and our fur babies get with the fireworks. It was over the top this year. Lucky my girl just wants to go out and bark at them. I really get nervous about the guns. What goes up comes down somewhere.
    How did pickle ball go?
    Hi Rico and Bender 🥰

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    1. I’m so glad people here aren’t shooting off guns on New Year. I have a friend who lives near Portland but in a more rural setting and she hears gun shots all the time!

      Had a blast playing pickleball on Sunday morning. Then I had sooo much of the day left! I was home by about 9:30 am!!!

      Anne

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  30. Hello and happy new year! I used “your” bacon wrapped pork tenderloin recipe (which I found the link for here recently, not sure what post it was on) yesterday and it was fabulous! It’s a keeper for sure, thank you! Happy sewing!

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  32. Thank you for your inspiration and fun fabrics!
    I also ordered Lichen fabric from pioneer quilts, thank you for referring them! I love your sweet fur babies!
    Best Connie

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  34. I so enjoy your emails!! My daily email: delete, delete, delete – OH BOY! agilejack1 WooHoo!! Your boys are so great! I live in Wisconsin and enjoy seeing/hearing about OregonI love all of your projects, but the quilt you started on NY day is stunning way to use scraps. I have been making pouches and totes with 2 or2.5 inch squares, which has been fun, but I have been having a hard time deciding on a new quilt pattern. This is it! Thank you.
    Shari

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    1. I’ve spent a little time in Wisconsin. I have a brother and sister who live in the Madison area.

      I’m happy to be making a scrappy free form quilt again! It’s my happy place!

      Anne

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  35. I love this quilt pattern. It’s been on my bucket list for awhile. You may have given me the motivation to get it done. I have tons of scraps. Unfortunately though only a handful of Kaffe. Your fabric choices are always point on, even when a little quirky. Thanks for sharing all your projects and also those wonderful dogs of yours.

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  36. I’m enchanted with New Year Fresh Start quilt! I’m now kicking myself for not adding that black and white aboriginal to my last order. It looks awesome with the Brandon Mably print. Who knew? (Oh yes, YOU did!) Thanks for the inspo for my next quilt. Now to quilt and bind those SIX tops downstairs…

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    1. I love that black and white Aboriginal fabric! I’m really glad I bought more than I needed!

      I have five quilts that are all done except for the hand finishing of the binding. Not sure my hands can take all that hand work. They may have to be finished by machine.

      Anne

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  39. Colors really pop and who wouldn’t love the 3D look
    Wow!

    Looks like that puppy needs a walk. That look says you are working too much.

    Thanks for the encouragement. Just keep going.

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    1. with the fireworks going off the last thing he needed was to go outside for a walk! It might have broken his soul. He was quite sad with all the noise.

      thanks for reading!

      Anne

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  41. Hi,

    I dont get any of the photos you post, help please.  Thanks. 

    Best regards,

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  42. Love your scrap KFC/Aboriginal quilt top. I’m going to suggest it to my quilting group to use up some of our scraps and make another donation quilt. Thank you!

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    1. I poked a hole at the hem with my awl. then, using a crochet needle, I folded the fringe in half and pulled the loop through the hole, then pulled the end of the fringe through that hold and pulled it snug. I’ve used the same method to attach yarn fringe to a knit blanket.

      Anne

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  45. I’m absolutely obsessed with your New Year Fresh Start quilt. I love the geometry of it and the vibrant colors against the black and white. And the intersections where the blocks connect – it looks so complicated but it’s really just joining blocks. I could look at this quilt all day!

    Carol Young

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    1. Isn’t it interesting how such simple and free form blocks can come together and look really complicated! I love that it’s simple construction and free form. It’s almost meditative for me… no precision needed. Just grab some fabric and sew it to another piece! I loveit1

      Anne

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