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Laundry Basket Quilts with a Giveaway

by 177 Comments

I am a member of the Lodi Valley Quilt Guild…the best quilt guild EVER!  (Yup…I’m biased).  This group of ladies just has it together and it shows.  In the small community of Lodi, WI over 100 women gather monthly for the quilt guild meeting.  Last night – this number reached well over 200 to see our featured speaker – Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts.  It was a big night at the guild and everyone was excited!  IMG_2382 This is a picture of her sales booth BEFORE the presentation even started.  These ladies were thrilled to see Edyta and to stock up on her patterns, books, tools and fabrics! 2014-08-04 Edyta Sitar did her presentation “Reasons for Quilting” for our group.  She brought along LOTS of her quilts and what’s even better – the stories behind her quilts and her quilting journey.  She was a joy to listen to and her quilts were jaw dropping!  (To see bigger pictures of the quilts check out our guilds’ facebook page.) We were the first group she shared her brand new book ‘Handfuls of Scraps’ with! IMG_2455 Here she showed us the cover quilt of her new book – Flower Garden.  STUNNING! Of course – I couldn’t leave without a copy of her book (signed too!) and it is just wonderful!  The first chapter shares with us images of 36 Inspiring Antique Quilts – some of these inspired some of the 15 Scrappy Quilt Patterns Edyta Sitar put in the book.  Others – are meant for inspiration and to quote, to “discover beauty in imperfection.”  Here are a few of the quilts made for the book… IMG_2418My personal favorite…that I do believe I’m going to attempt in 2015 (after apple season)… is this one ‘Slow and Steady’.  I love a good twist on a tradition and this twisted Snail Trail block is definitely taunting me to give it a try!  I’m even thinking about a possible quilt along on this quilt in 2015…anyone else in?  You’d have to buy the book…(or win it)…IMG_2458I’m not usually a sashing girl…but the way the quilt ‘Looking Glass’ utilizes sashing is pure brilliance!IMG_2462Another quilt from the book ‘Let it Shine’.  IMG_2465 The simple drama created with ‘Love at First Sight’ is definitely a quilt I could tackle.  It’s hard to see in this picture but the two sides and bottom are bordered with classic basket blocks.  Wonderful!   And now –

the GIVEAWAY!

After the presentation, I went to introduce myself to Edyta Sitar and of course…get an ‘#usie’ with her! edyta She was super nice in person too and I’m so glad I went up to her.  Since I’m a board member of the guild I stuck around to fold her quilts and load up the van. We were chatting a bit and she asked if I had a blog.  Uhm…YUP!  IMG_2490 Minutes later… Edyta Sitar gave me two copies of her new book ‘Handfuls of Scraps’!  One was for me to keep and one was to giveaway to a lucky blog reader!

How can you Win your very own copy? 

REQUIRED:  Easy – Just leave me a comment answering this question: Be sure to include your email address so I’m able to contact you when you win!  If I can’t contact you I will choose a different winner.

What do you do with your scraps to keep them under control? 

~cut them into x-sized scraps or strips, sew them into HSTs, leave them scrappy but sort them in some way, or…something else?

BONUS Entries  Leave a separate comment for each to gain extra entries, not required, just ups your chances of a win!

This giveaway will be open through Monday, August 11th.  I’ll announce the winner on Tuesday!  Good luck!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. To keep my scraps under control I give myself goals to only use scraps in certain quilts. I have 2 total scrap quilts in progress, one even has the back from almost all scrap, too!
    I also sort by color or type to make it easy when I just need certain colors. And I have bags of just 2.5" strips and squares.

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  20. I sort scraps by size, sorta: strings and strips (with 2.5" strips separate), all triangle bits separate, scraps small and medium thrown together, and bigger scraps that are still smaller than a fat quarter. They're sorted in wire drawers. I use them most when I'm working on Project Quilting projects. 🙂

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  24. I don't really have a method for sorting scraps. They just go into the "scrap bag" and the bag gets dumped out when I happen to have a project needing scraps. I clearly need a better method… (I tried to post this a few minutes ago, but it didn't show up, so I'm trying again. If it shows up, please remove the duplicate.)

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  26. Unfortunately my scraps are not "under control". I do use them often, and I have a portion of them sorted by color, but mostly they're just a jumble. I'd always rather sew than organize.

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  30. I'm newer to quilting and don't have a lot of scraps yet, but I am cutting starting with 5" squares, 2 and a half inch strips and squares, and such. I am keeping them sorted by color and size in baskets. cdahlgren at live dot com

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  35. So far I'm sorting by strip sizes, sq/rect sizes, strings, crumbs, and triangles. I'll work on sub-sorting by colors next, well maybe; it's a lot of work. genipickens at gmail dot com

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  42. Lucky you, getting to meet Edyta! I keep my scraps in colored bucket, purchased from the Dollar Tree, according to color. They may be in strips, squares, or irregular sized pieces, but scraps that are a little larger are folded into rectangular shapes and put into elongated boxes according to color and type of fabric. Thanks for sharing your pics and for the giveaway opportunity.
    lv2bquilting2@comcast.net

    Reply

  47. I sort my scraps by size. I cut them in squares, rectangles and strips. MY HSTs end up being sewn together scrappy, but I store them in a plastic container and use them as leaders and enders. I also was at the guild meeting—-and it was fabulous!

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  56. Control is an illusion. I have an old very large pie basket, a very large yarn basket, various vintage tupperware and small plastic tubs. Right now just a mix i have to hunt through

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  59. Mostly they are cut into whatever size block or strip I can get out of them. 2 1/2" blocks strips 2 1/2" wide 5" blocks, etc., then I store them by size but not color, which works well for me as I love scrappy whatever.

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  66. I pretend to control my scraps by sorting them by color and storing them in large plastic jars that originally held pretzels. One of my problems is that I have way more scraps than can fit in my jars and they explode out of Rubbermaid boxes whenever I touch them.

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  79. I have baskets that I sort my scraps into by color. These baskets are then placed on my fabric shelves 🙂 This makes it easy for me to pull the color(s) I need for designing scrappy quilts 🙂

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  92. I sort by color and am just starting to also sort by size. Anything under 2" goes into a string/crumb/crazy quilt as you go bag (still by color). I have strips and squares of various sizes, and random chunks. I don't precut my scrap as I never know what I may want to do with it….unless it's SO close the being a square that it doesn't make sense to not square it up 🙂

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  94. I keep all my scraps in color coded containers so that when I need something small or doing applique I can just grab a box with the colors in it that I need.

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  105. I sort mt scraps by color or a least i try to before you know it i have a lot laid out admiring, thinking of what to make and time has gone by and a have to clear the space (I work on the dining room table) and they all go back in a large bin/tote.

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  108. I made three quilts with strings from my scrap strip pile and I have a small leader and ender project that is using up the small scrap ends from making binding. So far I am seeing some progress in my scraps but I keep making more.

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  109. One thing I have done – when making flying geese – I sew that extra seam so when I cut I end up with another HST square as a scrap. I need lots of help getting organized with the other scraps. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

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  122. First my scraps live in a basket under my cutting table…when that if full, I cut those babies into squares, down it 1.5". When I make HSTs, I always sew that bonus side together to make a square. My squares are stored in labeled plastic bins, depending on their size.

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  127. A very timely question! While I usually just organize them by color and stuff them in a wicker basket, recently I've been cutting my Civil War scraps into uniform sizes to have them ready for making into blocks. Leaders and enders and all that.

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  138. Oh wow!! I have been looking at this book! And my scrap bin…. I only have one bin, but it is hopelessly disorganized. I do sew up hst's though, and I cut my scraps into 2 2/2 strips or squares whenever I can…..

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  145. Oh what wonderful guild meeting that must have been! Thanks for sharing the photos. I try to make HST's with my scraps, but they seem to accumulate faster than I can sew them into HST's, so I have lots of plastic shoeboxes full of them. Someday I plan to make Edyta's Friendship Triangles quilt. Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful book!

    Reply

  150. I control my scraps by periodically cutting them into squares (2", 3", 4", etc.). If a piece is only good for strips, I have a bin of strips. When I make a scrappy project, I have a good start with a variety of prints/colors. Thanks for sharing

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  162. I love Edita too!! She came to my guild last year and she was soooo sweet and talented! I have just four small drawers for my littlest scraps, so when they get close to bursting (which is right about now!), I have to start another scrappy quilt!

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  163. As of right now my scraps are totally out of control. I have plans of sorting through them and cutting them into usable squares, triangles and circles. Just need to get motivated and recovered from a pinched nerve.

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  168. I don't have any sane method of control for my scraps. I just toss them in a gallon zip lock and when it's full take them out and make HST or squares then sew them together for a scrappy quilt.

    Reply

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