Block 5 - Summer Winds and Stash/Scrap Management

Grandmom & me
When I started this series, I had hoped that I’d get 100 of my students to follow along with me.  You all have blown me away.  

Many have asked how I thought of this idea.  Well last fall, while straighten up my Quilt Studio, I came across my grandmother’s “under the bed box”.  The day was lost to me looking through her clippings.  Running my hand over the same pages she had touched and marked, and on many of days would stories about the blocks with me.  Missing her more than ever, I wondered if she would be happy with the direction I’ve taken with my life.   I started to organize the clippings, placing them into archival page protectors.  A few weeks later, I was at Quilt Market, fielding questions from a book publisher.  She asked me if I had any ideas for a book, I thought she would think I was crazy, but she loved it!  I wanted to share some timeless blocks, but add a twist to them, tell a bit about their history, share a little about my grandmother, and to write instructions that people could actually enjoy.  To test these blocks, they agreed to let me make them available for 1 week only.  So, that is why they are only available for a week.


I have been astonished by the number of people following along!  I cannot believe the response.  The number of downloads have been incredible, but the posting and emailing of the finished blocks have just boggle my mind.  I love seeing what all of you are coming up with!  Please keep sharing on the Facebook Page.

I hope you are all taking the time to read the blog posts as well.  I try and share some good tips and tricks that will help you with your block construction.  On to this week!

This week’s block is Summer Winds, which is credited to Nancy Page, but unfortunately is an unidentified newspaper clipping, and was not dated.  I debated skipping this block, but I loved it, especially the name.  I did find similar blocks, one being Summer Nights, in Farm Journal and Farmer’s Wife, ca 1934.  Summer Nights, was made using the same units, but she rotated the flying geese 180 degrees and had a variation in color placement and shading.  Summer Winds is also similar to the block known as the Double X’s No.4, credited to Nancy Cabot, Chicago Tribune, 1935.  Nancy Cabot created the center as a square³ (square-in-square-in-square – aka Economy block). 

The block is made up of Flying Geese and Half Square Triangles (HST).  We are going to use the Eight at Once technique, which we learned last week, for most of the HSTs.  Plus, I am introducing a new tool and technique, to make the Flying Geese, to the Timeless with a Twist series.  The technique is known as the “Fast Four” method, we will make four Flying Geese at once, slightly oversized, and trim them down with the Studio 180 Design’s Wing Clipper.   

In the Fast Four method you will use one large square for the large triangle (I often refer to it as the main body) and four small squares for the small triangles (I often refer to them as the wings). 

In the download, I provide step-by-step instructions, which are very easy to follow.   The instruction in the download, and those that came with the Wing Clipper tool, will talk about nudging the small squares in a few threads from the edge.   This really does work well; between the slightly oversized cutting instructions and the nudging of the small squares, it usually provides enough of a margin to succeed.  However, if you find that you still struggle with making the flying geese, try this tip:
Tip: In place of nudging, just cut those small squares 1/8” larger and line them up with the edges.   You will succeed, and may have a little extra to cut off! 

In Flight Pattern
In my new pattern In Flight, I suggest the tip above, especially for the large sizes.  In Flight, released a few weeks ago, is made entirely with just one tool, the Wing Clipper.    My In Flight patterns offers 4 sizes and at least 4 settings.  Check it out:In Flight Pattern

As I stated above, the step-by-step instructions areWing Clipper in the download, but I have a few other tips when working with

Tips: 
·        Draw the 2 lines on all of the small squares before placing them onto the larger square.  Use the Quilter’s Magic Wand and a good fabric marking tool (I love the Sewline ceramic chalk mechanical pencils).   Using those 2 lines to line up the small squares, similar to railroad tracks, when you place them on the large square, will help you to keep those squares evenly placed.  

·        Remember, when you go to trim down the Flying Geese units, you always want that “valley” to point to your belly first (if you are right handed) and toward the right side, if you are left handed.  Trim those two exposed sides, then rotate the unit 180 degrees, line up with the cut size and then trim the remaining 2 sides.



For this week’s fabric selection section, I’m going to briefly cover my first two fabric selections and then talk a little more about my 3rd and 4th fabric selections.  Yes, I added a 4th fabric set!   I couldn’t help myself!  I’ve been making a KFC scrap version since the get go, but I decided to start an Alison Glass scrap version last week.  Every time I pulled my KFC scrap bin, I felt guilty about not pulling out my Alison Glass scrap bin.  Since I haven’t been purchasing Alison Glass as long as KFC, I did need to include some orphan Fat Quarters left over from a few projects.
Michelle's Fabric Selection #1
 For Fabric selection #1; I selected a fabulous floral scrap for my center.  The orange-yellow (23) jumped out for my, so I started there pulling a light and medium.  Going with a triadic color plan, I selected a fuchsia (16) and spring green (4).
Michelle's Fabric Selection #2
For Fabric selection #2; I went with a similar triadic color plan; selecting red-violet (14) light and dark, then green (5) and light and medium from yellow-orange (22).

Michelle's Fabric Selection #3
For Fabric selection #3; I went a split complementary color plan.  Selecting a fabulous multicolored center square, registering colors from magenta (17) to violet (13).  So, I pulled light and medium from magenta (17), a medium from violet (13) and then reached across the color wheel to green (5) for a dark.  This is a fabulous block to showcase a great printed fabric that has a lot of colors!    Especially when you are dealing with scraps, you often have those random squares left from a project.  Consider placing something with a bit “wow” in the center!  Or, at least something multicolored.
Michelle's Fabric Selection #4
For my new Fabric selection #4; I returned to the triadic color plan.  I started with a “wow” scrap that I had left over from my Sparkle quilt's backing, I elected to use that for the center square.  I found the fuchsia (16), aqua blue (8) and golden yellow (24) within the scrap, which was the perfect triadic plan. 

The numbers following the colors are from the color tools that you can find in my shop.

Let’s talk a little bit about Scrap Management.  I know I used to struggle with it.  Believe me, there are by far other Quilters out there who probably have far better scrap management than I do, but what I do works for me.   I think that is an important statement, you have to find something that works for you.  If you create a difficult-for-you process, you will be less likely to actually do it. 
First you need to define what a scrap is; what a scrap is for me and what it is for you might be different. 

In my studio;
·        Anything smaller than 2” x 2” goes in a fabric collection bin that gets used as stuffing to make dog beds for shelters or I send to an organization that makes beds for shelters.  
·        Anything smaller than a 4” x HWOF*, but larger than 2” x 2”, goes into a large basket that I pull from to make demo units.  Most of you will not have this, so you might make use of those scraps in the next category.  *HWOF - half width of fabric – typically from a fat quarter or fat eight.
·        Anything greater than 4” x HWOF, but less than a Fat Quarter, gets stored in bid, grouped the same way I group my fabric. 
·        Fat Quarters are stored together and grouped the same way I group my fabric.  I consider fat quarters to be stash.
o   You may collect fat quarters or have them left over from a project; says the project calls for a fat quarter, but you use/take a ½ yard and cut it into 2 fat quarters, use 1 FQ in a project, and then you have 1 leftover as scrap.

·        Greater than a Fat Quarter is stash yardage.
I stored my fabric stash and scraps basically the same way.  The big difference is that I store my stash on Fabric Organizers.  I group both of them by “Style”, then by “Size” and finally by “Color”.   
Think of a Quilt Shop, that is basically how I break my fabric it into “Style”, more below.  Then, my “Size” groupings are; Yardage, Fat Quarter, or Scraps.  My “Color” groupings are arranged similar to the color wheel.


I approach my “Style” categorization almost in a filter-type approach:
1.       Showcased designer and/or fabric manufacturer
o   I have a few designers that I follow and adore their fabric.  If the fabric is from one of those designers, I keep it all together.
o   If the fabric is from one of “my designers”, I keep them separate and grouped the fabric by designer (examples- KFC (Kaffe Fasset Collection), Alison Glass, Art Gallery (Pat Bravo/Bari J), Amy Butler, Jo Morton, etc), then by size and color.

2.       Batiks
o   Store by size and color.
3.       Solids
o   Store by size and color.  


4.       Blender
o   These are tone-on-tones.  I have TONS of them!  I may actually need a program soon!
o   Store by size and color.
5.       Novelty 
o   Store by Holiday, Theme, etc. then color.
6.       Everything else
o   Stored by size and color.

I know some Quilters will tell you to cut down your scraps into specific sizes and place them into bids with like sizes.  I think if this is something that you feel you can manage and can actually keep up with, then you should try it.  For me, I have way too many scraps and not enough time, so I’ve found just stacking partially strips and strips grouped into the categories I mentioned above works for me.  I just pull out my bin, pull out strips that I think may work, arrange them by color way, and then audition them.


I hope this has helped.  When I give lectures to guilds, I often get questions about my stash organization.  Having my scraps and fat quarters organized in the manner above really helped me easily pull them out for both my KFC and Alison Glass version.

Back to this week’s block.  The most difficult part of this week’s block, Summer Winds, may be sewing the units together.  Often I have you sew the corners together first into corner units (last week), however, with Summer Winds, I found that it was easier to deal with the pressing directions by laying out the block, taking a picture.  Don’t forget to look at that picture, it will help you find something you may have in the wrong direction.  Then, sew the units into rows.  Please, pay close attention to the arrows I placed on the diagram.  Then, sew the rows into the block, and those are going to get pressed open.  The seam stick will really be a life saver for this step. 

Well, I think that is it for my tips for this week.  I hope you are all loving this as much as I am.  I love to hear feedback.  Please feel free to leave comments below.  If you are participating in the series and are a member of Facebook, I would love for you to join our group.  

So, go get the next clue!  I think we could all use some Summer Winds about now! 
Download: HERE

Keep stitching!
Michelle

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