Bonnie K. Hunter - Addicted to Scraps: 12 Vibrant Quilt Projects

Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Editor: Liz Aneloski Technical Editors: Ellen Pahl and Debbie Rodgers Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek Production Coordinators: Freesia Pearson Blizard and Tim Manibusan Production Editors: Jennifer Warren and Nicole Rolandelli Illustrator: Valyrie Gillum Photo Assistant: Carly Jean Marin Quilt photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted Published by Kansas City Star Quilts, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 Dedication As my life winds its way from year to year, one thing has been constantmy love of fabric and thread, color, texture, design, and the unquenchable urge to create something beautiful out of otherwise ordinary fabric scraps. I have spent my life being busy. And I dont mean busy in the normal sense of the word. Inside this middle-aged woman is the ten-year-old girl who came home with a report card annotated with Bonnie is bright and cheerful, with much potential if only we could contain that extra energy and get her to slow down and focus. Not much has changed since that fourth-grade report card.

I have not slowed down. I have more ideas waiting to be quilts than I have time to make them. And I am happy as the proverbial clam when I am left to create at the beat of my own drummer on overdrive. My family and friends are no longer driven nuts by my need to constantly cut and sew, design and create, and always go, go, go. They have, over time, come to accept me and have encouraged me to take this excess energy and run with it. They simply nod their heads; they smilethey know me all so well.

Thats just Bonnie at her normal. I dedicate this book to these friends who have not given up on me through the past year of this transition. I promise, those lunches and sew dates we had to put off due to deadlines will be made up for! Thank heavens for emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages that keep us in contact on a regular basis while deadlines are met. I cherish you! To my readers, who have followed my journey on my blog, quiltville.blogspot.com, over the past eleven yearsI wouldnt be here without your encouragement and support. Weve done this together! Its been so fun having you along through this incredible journey. To my familymy husband, Dave, and my sons, Jason and JeffI love you beyond measure! AcknowledgmentsAddicted to Scraps is my seventh publication under the Kansas City Star label, and I am honored to now be a part of the C&T Publishing family with Kansas City Star Quilts as an imprint.

My sincere thanks to those who helped me put this book together: April, Carly, Debbie, Diane, Ellen, Freesia, Jennifer, Liz, Nicole, Tim, and Valyrie. Writing for a new publisher can be a scary experience, and I thank you for your patience and incredible welcome as I learn new ways to do things. Its a different dance, and I continue to learn new steps along the way. Through the publishing of this book, one thing has stuck with me: Dont be afraid of new opportunities. Dont just stay with the comfortable. There is no growth without struggle.

Life is not about finding your bliss; go out and CREATE IT! Bonnie K. HunterForeword I am completely and utterly Addicted to Scraps! And I know I am not the only one. Do you feel the way I do about scrap quilts? The first patchwork quilt in my life, as far back as I can remember, was a battered and tattered scrap quilta Triple Irish Chain made by some unknown quilter, though it had been passed down through my fathers side of the family. Was it a great-aunt? No one seems to remember. Too much time passed without that information being handed down. I have fond, vivid memories of family vacations at the beach in Santa Cruz, California.

My two brothers and I played in the water along the shore of the cold Pacific Ocean until, with teeth chattering and lips blue, we ran back up to the warmth of the sun-soaked sand and flung ourselves on top of this quilt to dry off. Nose pressed to the tiny squares, I inspected each piece, every print, and every stitch. Many years later when I was in my twenties, I rescued that quilt from the trunk of my dads car. By that time I was a budding novice quilter, interested in quilt history and appalled that we had treated this quilt thusly. But you know what? That quilt has had a lifetime of love and memories. Even in its shredded state, just like the Velveteen Rabbit from the beloved childrens story, it knew it was loved due to spots wearing thin, binding coming undone, and fabrics giving way to disintegration after generations of covering family members while they slept and dreamed deeply.

This simple quilt was the start of my exciting journey with scrap quilting. In 2009, I was contacted by Quiltmaker Magazine and asked if I could write a column and design a block for each issue. The column focused on the use of scraps and presented block ideas to help readers find easy ways to use these precious bits. My first Addicted to Scraps column appeared in the January/February 2010 issue and continues through today. I also participate in Quiltmakers 100 Blocks magazines. Addicted to Scraps uses many of the blocks from my column and the 100 Blocks issues, taking them from simple block status to full quilt completion status with a variety of settings, giving each one a unique and satisfying finish. Addicted to Scraps uses many of the blocks from my column and the 100 Blocks issues, taking them from simple block status to full quilt completion status with a variety of settings, giving each one a unique and satisfying finish.

I am hopelessly, completely, utterly, and happily ADDICTED TO SCRAPS! Basic Sewing Guidelines The patterns for the quilts in this book are based on rotary cutting and machine piecing methods. It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of quilting techniques and processes. The tools needed are those used for basic quiltmaking: its necessary to have a sewing machine in good working order (to avoid frustration), but no fancy stitches are necessaryjust a good straight stitch. Ill share with you a few additional tips Ive picked up along the way to make quiltmaking easier and faster. That Seam Allowance Accurate cutting and piecing are based on a + seam allowance. Its important to sew a seam with your machine.

If you can master this, all your blocks will be the intended size and youll be able to match points perfectly. Even if your machine foot has a guide on it, its easy to overshoot a seam just by the nature of that guide already being outside of your foot. Many of us have a habit of running the fabric too hard up against the guide, giving a seam that is too wide. Do not trust any feet with built-in guides until you do a seam test! For more details on sewing an accurate seam allowance and creating a seam guide, see Setting Your Seam Allowance. Do what you have to so your units come out to the appropriate size before going any further. You and your quilt will be glad you did! The Scrap Users System As a longtime scrap quilter, I needed a method that would keep my scraps readily available for ease in making scrap quilts.

I much prefer to be sitting and sewing rather than pressing and cutting from odd-sized pieces of fabric. I realized that if I could tackle the leftover scraps from each project as I finished it, the pieces would be cut and ready for me to sew whenever I had time. Most of the quilts in this book are made from common sizes of units that are then assembled into blocks. Units are usually created by cutting and sewing squares, rectangles, or triangles cut from strips. These strips are cut in widths that we use all the time in traditional patchwork, and they are the basis of my own Scrap Users System of storing strips in usable sizes so they are ready to go. By precutting my scraps into strips and storing them by size and value or color family, I have the ease of pulling the perfect size and color so I can just sit and sew.