Friday, October 13, 2023

Scrappy Sprouts Finish!

Several years ago I started piecing scrappy sprouts blocks using the color of the month with RSC. Earlier this year I sewed the sprout blocks into columns but I was undecided about what flower to use. Not everyone adds flowers to their sprouts but I wanted flowers.


This summer Preeti hosted 2023 Positivity Sew Along on her blog then designed a flower for the stem blocks. That is the flower I used for my sprouts. The flower pattern is no longer available on her blog.

I did modify the flower for my blocks adding a pointy part to the bottom of the flower to set into the stem. It's not perfect but I can live with it. I also had to add spacers to the sides of the flower blocks to be the same width of the scrappy sprouts.

Since the quilt is going to hang on a white wall, I used a black floral for binding. I cut the binding at 3" so I would have 1" on the top for a nice frame.

I'm not that good at machine quilting larger quilts with my sewing machine but I decided I was going to quilt this quilt myself.

I taped a large piece of plastic to the garage floor, (after blowing it off several times) then layering the layers like normal except I used spray adhesive. I also pinned those layers to help to make sure it stayed together. I should have used more adhesive but there wasn't as much in the can as I thought there was.

Scrappy Sprouts is based on a 2" grid so I thought I would just stitch 1/2" from the edge of the vertical seams. I didn't like it, I thought she looked baggy so I ended up stitching more seams which for the most part are 1/2" apart.

The quilting on the left side of this picture is 1/2" apart. The right side is 1" apart.

My stitching rows aren't perfectly straight but this quilt isn't meant to be viewed closely. You need to stand back several feet then look at her.

For the backing fabric, I used sheets from a sheet set I no longer need or use. I did have to piece the top sheet with part of the bottom sheet.

I've got a curtain rod and hangers for display purposes but she's not installed yet. This quilt will be hanging in my basement sewing studio where I will get to see her every day. I'll show you a picture when she's displayed. Flowers in the winter always bring a smile to my face.

Since I had used spray adhesive to hold the layers together, I was concerned about what effect this might have on the cotton fabric fibers. I washed the quilt and set the washer control to add an extra rinse beside the normal rinse. After washing then drying, my Scrappy Sprouts now measures 73" wide by 75" long.

Here is a link to instructions for the Scrappy Sprouts quilt.

The best things about this finish is that an UFQ is finished! Now there is just one unfinished project from the RSC, Dancing Stars! The problem is I know they are in the sewing studio somewhere but I don't know where somewhere is! I'll work on another UFQ until I find them.

I'm still having a problem downloading photos, I don't know if I'll have a Sunday post or not.

Linking to Needle & Thread ThursdayPut Your Foot Down, TGIFF!, Peacock Party, Whoop Whoop Party, Finished or Not  Friday, Off the Wall Friday, Beauty Pageant, Patchwork & Quilts, Scrap Happy Saturday

34 comments:

Cathy said...

Fantastic finish! I love the flower you chose to use to top your sprouts. And I can see why you would like it hanging in your studio!

Kat Scribner said...

Love your scrappy sprouts !!! It gives a happy feeling .

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I tried using spray adhesive once when I planned to machine quilt a small quilt and it felt really stiff. I guess I used too much adhesive - have you had that problems?

Sara said...

Love, love, love this one! It will be fun and cheery quilt to hang on your wall.

greaterexp said...

What a wonderful quilt! You did a beautiful job! Thank you so much for sharing your process along the way.

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

Love the addition of the flowers, Gretchen!!! And great idea--the extra wide binding!!! What a happy quilt for your studio!!!

Linda said...

What a pretty finish! I love the flowers. :)

grammajudyb said...

Beautiful finish ! My sprouts are still in a box! I will get to them soon! Maybe in 2024!thanks for the inspiration!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

That turned out beautiful! I like the idea of the black binding to sort of frame it on a white wall! Great idea!

Nikki said...

Sprouts has been on my to make list for years! Yours is lovely....and perhaps will push me to finish mine!

Jeanna said...

I love that you added flowers to the tops of your sprout stems. Beautiful colors in this quilt. Congratulations on the finish!

Crafty Staci said...

Beautiful quilt! I'm always in awe of people who can put together a scrappy quilt so well!

Rose Marie said...

Oh my ..... beautiful!

Robin said...

This is absolutely delightful. You really stepped up to the plate with this one. Nice job!

Jenny said...

I like the flowers on top of your sprouts, they are a nice addition.

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty said...

I love the little butterflies fluttering around your pretty flowers -- too cute!

Anonymous said...

what a lovely finish. Your quilting looks great. It really adds to the design. Thanks for sharing.
susies-scraps.com

Preeti said...

It is a beautiful flower and a gorgeous finish. You should be so proud of it! Have a sew fun weekend!

Lin said...

Great finish Gretchen and I agree that adding flowers to the sprouts works really well. xx

The Cozy Quilter said...

What a beautiful way to use up some scraps! Your sewing room is the perfect place for you to enjoy this quilt!

Kathy S. said...

Beautiful finish, Gretchen. Thank you for giving all the details. It's nice to know where the quilt is going (on a white wall) when you picked the black floral print to frame it perfectly. Congrats on using your machine for straight lines. I like the different spacing of lines. It gives it an organic look. Preeti has fun quilt alongs for sure. You picked the right flower for your sprouts. Fun finish all around.

Gwyned Trefethen said...

I never tire of this quilt. I could gaze upon it for hours.

Cathy said...

Gretchen, that is the nicest Sprouts quilt I’ve ever seen! Your color groupings are fantastic and those flowers on top are perfection! Now, finally after all the years of seeing sprout-like variations, I want to make one too!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

That's a pretty one, Gretchen! I love the birds in the sky and the great flowers you came up with, too. Congratulations on your finish!

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

Great finish with the flowers atop your sprouts!

Mari said...

Great finish! I love the flowers and all that scrappy variety. Good luck finding your project-- I often forget where I put things! Always a nice surprise when I find them.

Chantal said...

The addition of flowers changes everything. Gorgeous quilt! Bravo! ;^)

Vireya said...

It looks terrific!
My sprouts have been resting this year. Maybe 2024 will be their year.

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Wonderful finish, pretty flowers! The quilting lines look really great, the eye is pulled upwards along the stems to the flowers. A beautiful quilt for wintertime indeed.
I hope that you will find the missing blocks for Dancing Stars ;)
Thank you for sharing this lovely finish, and linking up!

Ray and Jeanne said...

This is a very pretty finish! I love the added flowers. Before my longarm, I pinned quilts for years but then began using basting spray. I quickly switched to Free Fuse - a basting powder. It worked great and I could use it inside.. Just thought I'd let you know in case you haven't heard of it. ~Jeanne

denise said...

It is beautiful Gretchen. The multicolored patchwork background really brings out the beauty of the flowers.

Rebecca Grace said...

Beautiful finish, Gretchen! I like the way you modified the base of your flowers and you did a great job on the quilting. I hope you mind your missing project!

Raewyn said...

A lovely finish Gretchen. I love the addition of the flowers on top of the stems. Which does remind me, I have a scrappy sprouts to finish - somewhere - as well. Good luck with finding your Dancing Stars,

time4stitchn said...

Your addition of the flowers to the tops of each leaf column is perfect. I love the shades of the colors to show the depth of the flower. It really turned out nicely and thanks for sharing your process of solving the quilting dilemma.