Amanda Jean Nyberg - No Scrap Left Behind: 16 Quilt Projects That Celebrate Scraps of All Sizes

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Editor: Lynn Koolish

Technical Editors: Alison M. Schmidt and Gailen Runge

Cover/Book Designer: Page + Pixel

Production Coordinator: Zinnia Heinzmann

Production Editors: Jennifer Warren, Nicole Rolandelli, and Jeanie German

Illustrator: Lon Eric Craven

Photo Assistants: Carly Jean Marin and Mai Yong Vang

Style photography by Lucy Glover and instructional photography by Diane Pedersen and Amanda Jean Nyberg, unless otherwise noted

Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

Dedication

To the best family anyone could ask for: Kevin, Zach, Parker, and Abby

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, thanks to God, my Father and Creator and his son, Jesus, my Savior.

Many thanks to my familyKevin, Zach, Parker, and Abbywho put up with all of the craziness (and threads!) that came along with book writing. Im so thankful for each and every one of you.

Thanks to my friends Tara Rebman, Kristin Lawson, Brianne Hanson, Mary Kolb, and Cheryl Arkison, who encouraged me and offered advice behind the scenes. Thanks for cheering me on while I sewed in a bubble in my basement. I couldnt have done it without you!

Thanks to Mrs. Gohmann, who helped out in a pinch and offered the diversion of a walk at just the right time. Im grateful to have such a good neighbor.

Thanks to the many friends who have shared their scraps with me over the years. (You know who you are!) My quilts are all the better because of it.

Thanks to my pattern testers and proofreaders: Tracy Westhoff, Nettie Peterson, Katherine Greaves, Cheryl Arkison, Mary Kolb, and Kristin Lawson. I appreciate your feedback more than I can say!

Many, many thanks to the readers of my blog, crazy mom quilts. Without you this book would not be a reality. Thanks for your encouragement and support over the past decade.

Thanks to the wonderful staff at C&T Publishing, who made this book a reality. It is a privilege to work with you.

And last, but certainly not least, a huge thank-you to Steffani K. Burton for doing such a wonderful job quilting several of these quilts.

Introduction

The idea of this book has been percolating for several years. Back in 2011, right after Cheryl Arkison and I completed writing our book, Sunday Morning Quilts (by C&T Publishing), I was at a small quilt retreat with a few friends. Taglines were given out to each of the members during the weekend. The one that was assigned to me was leave no scrap behind. We all laughed about it, but it sums up my quilting style perfectly. In fact, my love for using scraps seems to intensify as each year passes. I find endless enjoyment in using as many scraps as possible. I hope this book encourages and inspires you to do the same!

The quilts and projects in this book are designed to use up every last scrap. They are categorized according to different scrap shapes: squares, strings, triangles, and snippets. There are some small projects included for (nearly) instant gratification purposes, and then there are the quilts that will take a while. Making several of these quilts will be more like a marathon than a sprint, but the results are worth it in the end.

I used to have the theory that smaller scraps are great for small projects and small quilts. For this collection of quilts, however, I pushed further and dug deeper. I wanted to explore how small scraps work in bigger quilts. It takes a little more tenacity and a lot more time, but it also puts a larger dent in the scrap bin. The results are quilts that you can actually snuggle under, and thats hard to beat!

Most of us have more fabric than we know what to do with, but it doesnt seem appropriate to throw out the scraps just because of the excess. Why not make the most of all of the fabric? Scrap quilting is a great way to honor the women (and men) who have gone before us, who stitched quilts from what they had on hand and who handed down this wonderful craft to us.

I hope the projects contained in this book inspire you to actually use your scraps. That is my one goal! Some of you may want to make the quilts following the patterns exactly, and thats great. Some of you may want to use these quilts and projects as a jumping-off point and run with an idea of your own. Thats great, too! Make the quilts your own. Make them the size and shape you want to. Be sure to put your own personal twist on them. Have fun emptying those scrap baskets.

THE

J o u r n e y

How It All Started

In the year 2000 I made my first quilt. I was pregnant with my first child, and I wanted to make him a quilt; so I bought six yards of flannel from my local Ben Franklin store. It didnt occur to me to research anything about quilting before purchasing the fabric. Thankfully I met Nancy through my church not long after my purchase. She found out that I wanted to learn how to quilt, so she invited me (and my husband) over for dinner, and afterward she gave me my first quilting lesson. It was a great arrangement all around! It took several more meetings to complete my first quilt, but Nancy helped me every step of the way. It was a very humble beginning the quilt was just plain patchwork, but it was a start. The quilt has been used and loved, and it is still intact more than fifteen years later, so Id call that a success! As for the rest of the original six yards of fabric, I think it made its way into at least eight quilts. I got so sick of using that fabric that I was relieved when I finally used it up!

My first quilt

I was pleased with my first completed quilt, but I lacked confidence that I could take on this quilting hobby. I didnt want to invest in the supplies if it wasnt for me. So for my second quilt, I made a square cardboard template, and I cut out all my fabric pieces with a pair of not-so-sharp scissors. I made my second quilt all by myself. I was pleased that I was able to finish a quilt on my own, even if it was just a tied wallhanging. Nancy was very kind, and she encouraged my early efforts. Later that year, for my birthday, she gave me a rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting matI was on my way to becoming a quilter. Im so thankful for Nancy and the time that she took to teach me how to quilt. What a difference she made in my life.

After those first two quilts, I quilted occasionally (mostly for gifts) and made a few quilts for my family. I continued to learn new skills from Nancy. She and I attended classes together, and we participated in a block-of-the-month program at our local quilt shop. I read quilting books and made lists and lists of quilts that I wanted to make. Quilting was a great creative outlet that I could accomplish in small bits while my kids napped. It was so nice to make something, and when it was done, it was done.

Early in 2006 I discovered sewing and quilting blogs. I read and absorbed all the information and inspiration I could find. A whole new world had opened up before me, and I was in awe. Fresh inspiration was available daily. I soaked up as much as I could.

Late in 2006 I started my own blog, crazy mom quilts