Adapt It to Work for You! Have you ever wondered how the Queen of Scrap Quilts, Bonnie K. Hunter, manages to make such beautiful scrappy quilts? Much of the secret has to do with her scrap management system. Very often she already has pieces in the colors and sizes she needs ready to go before …

Inspired by Bonnie Hunter's 2_"-strip scrap quilt, Strip Twist!, Kris Peterson transformed a gift of pre-cut batik strips into this great quilt!

Grassy Creek was the Quiltville Mystery quilt for 2020. Designed by Bonnie Hunter. Measurements: 93 x93 inches Made from top quality 100% cotton fabric. Machine quilted, pattern: A Little Bit of This The quilt can be machine washed and dried. Cold water wash always recommended to maintain the bright colors. Feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. Thanks for looking at Cotton Hill Quiltz Ginny

Made using Bonnie Hunter's instructions for a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt at Quiltville.com. I used 2 inch strips from my scrap bin. Squares are 1.5 inches finished. The binding is from Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee line. Dimensions are 50" by 80". Completed February 2013. Blogged at coraquilts.blogspot.ca/2013/02/scrappy-trip-along-finishe...

Instructions to make the Carolina Chain blocks can be found in Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column in the May/June '10 issue of Quiltmaker.

Bonnie K. Hunter is admittedly addicted to scraps, so we're chatting with her about Quiltville Inn, her practice, and sew much more!

Meet Bonnie Hunter, scrap quilting queen, and learn more about her work as well as the idea of making what you love — all rules aside!

World famous quilter, Bonnie Hunter’s Scrap Quilts workshop is starting September 11th, so don’t miss this chance to learn about scrap quilts from the best!

I am a fan of Bonnie Hunter, the queen of scrap quilts. (You will find a link to her Quiltville blog in the right column of this blog.) I have purchased most of her books and have constructed nearl…

Make the most of your scrap stash! Join Bonnie Hunter for loads of Addicted to Scraps quilt ideas, including the four-patch pinwheels scrap quilts.

Bonnie Hunter's quilt for her pineapple class

Photo above © Bonnie K Hunter This quilting pattern / tutorial is available for free... Full Post: Strip Twist

Lots of news about Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice Mystery including the Link Up tomorrow! We are loving Bonnie's mystery!

I do feel sorry for folks who have no hobbies in this time of staying home. Boredom is a brief condition for me because I can always lose myself in a good book or go play in my sewing room. Tuesday morning I spent a lot of time sewing while waiting on a some budget documents I needed for work. It was fun to just relax and sew for a couple of hours. It was a perfect time to make another teal Diamond Tile (Bonnie Hunter) block. That brings my total up to 10 little blocks. These blocks are only 7.5" square so it will take quite a few to make anything. But I think these will make a cute kid sized quilt for donation - eventually. It's a fun little block and uses up plenty of small pieces from the scrap bins. The Australian Outback pillowcases that I kitted up the other day are now completed and in my stack of gift and donation pillowcases. I like to have plenty of pillowcases, especially for kids, handy to give as gifts or for donations. A great mindless sewing project and they each use up approximately a whole yard of stash fabric. So . . . 2 yards out of the stash with these finishes. And I finished up the 2 small drawstring bags as well. I already have 3 of these made and filled with toiletries like shampoo, a new toothbrush and toothpaste - all in travel sizes. My plan for these is to give them to a needy agency when I have more of them. Two squares of fabric and a little ribbon or cord is all these take. I think these were made from 18" squares which makes them fat quarter friendly. Last but not least I added another little On-Point 9 Patch block. There are only 4 of these so far - clipped together and hanging on my bulletin board. So cute and something that makes a good Leader/Ender kind of block. These end up 4.75" square. I have 3 little cookie tins of postage stamp blocks cut from scraps over the years - 1.5" - in every color, including the white. The bigger side triangles are coming from my 3.5" block box. Both are sizes that I cut quite often from scraps, along with strings, and 2.5" and 5" squares. Just as I was getting ready to sew a binding onto a UFO quilt, an email popped up on my phone with the budget docs I needed for work. Fun was over - back to work!!!

I made 12 more blocks from bright solids and sewed this top together. I thought you might want to see how I made these blocks. I was inspired by Bonnie Hunter’s Scrappy Mountain Majesty patte…

Create a scrappy quilt with Bonnie's Beehive pattern using leftover fabrics. Learn how to turn quilt scraps into a beautiful, cohesive quilt.

Tutorial on how to use scraps of fabrics to make a magic quilt that sews itself as you are making another quilt.

Two project boxes are now empty and ready to refill with something new to work on. The hot pink binding strips were the last thing to come out of one box. I sewed that binding onto the Saturday Sampler quilt and am almost done hand stitching one side down. I believe this is the last unfinished Saturday Sampler project from previous years that I had laying around. Yay!! Diamond Tile is a Bonnie Hunter block from Quiltmaker magazine. She publishes a block pattern in each issue in her Addicted to Scraps column. This is the newest version of the block that I made, using a some scraps left from the binding on the quilt. Amazing how the light makes it look orange in the photo above and dark red in the photo below. In reality that pink is a bright fushia. I have 12 of these Diamond Tile blocks made. They square up at 7.5", so it will take quite a few to make a quilt. But there are a few different possibilities for setting these - sashing, no sashing, on point. I'll just keep making these as part of my RSC blocks in all the colors of the rainbow because they are quick and fun.

These scrappy quilts like Grandma used to make are perfect for the colder months and a great way to make your fabric scrap stash disappear!

Choose Your Own Anchor Color To Define The Design Put together any color and texture of fabric scraps to make this beautiful Irish Chain quilt. 18″ blocks for the triple chain are easy to sew…

I have been sewing a lot this week. The kids are home for the summer and we have been being lazy! I sew for a while, then we go to the poo...

If you know me you also know that I am a fan of Bollywood music. The poetry-rich meaningful songs don't quite make a splash as much as the peppy foot-tapping numbers. And while the peppy songs make me smile, it is the poetic songs that will often hit me hard. There is the title song from the Hindi movie Fiza, which has the following line... Maine tinke uthaye hue hain paron par, aashiyana nahin hai mera. Translation - I am carrying twigs on my wings, I do not have a nest. It is a poetic way of saying, I am wandering. I have no home. It is not that she is homeless. It is symbolic of her yearning and her rootless state. Fabric Audition For many years I felt that way too. And whenever I heard the song, it struck a chord with me, so much so that I felt tears streaming down my cheeks. When I walked out of my troubled marriage many years ago, I felt uprooted. I went to school here in the US and changed jobs a few times. Felt independent and free but there was no place to call Home. I did not belong. I just longed...for home. A few at a time... Meeting and marrying Paul was one of the best things that happened to me. Yet, I felt that I was still carrying the twigs on my wings. Only after we bought a house, with our savings, with both our names on the deed, and our stuff/junk in every room, do I feel like I have come home...my home. Pink and Purple Houses The messier it is, the greater the sense of ownership. (Yes, that is why I don't clean...but that is another story). Now that I feel grounded (in a good way), I can listen to the song without tearing up. To celebrate this feeling, I wanted to make a quilt with houses. And I did. A few blocks at a time. Some purple and pink, some blue and yellow, and the neighborhood seemed to come together. Then I thought, this neighborhood needs trees. A treeless neighborhood would be sad. So I made some trees. Fabric Scraps - Transformed Won't it be nice if someone was waiting for you when you returned home? And that special someone would also keep an eye on your neighborhood. That is when I made this block. My favorite house I created these blocks a few at a time, using scraps, fat quarters and bindings leftovers. Bit by bit I built my neighborhood. The blocks added up and they waited, and waited some more. Lots of Trees Larger Trees - Assembly Line Just like your home (and your puppy) waits for you and is there for you when you return, so also these blocks waited for me to come around and make them into a quilt!!! The quilt is entirely scrappy. The gingham fabrics came from my mother-in-law's stash. The tree fabrics were remnants. Some of them were in fabric basket won at a guild meeting. And when I wanted a specific color, I bought a few fat quarters. Finished Top The making of this quilt has been a journey just like buying our house. Among other things, I wanted a north-facing entrance to the house, because it is considered auspicious in Indian culture. Paul wanted a house with a yard and without any Home Owners Association (HOA). Fortunately, we found a house that met both our requirements. We are homeowners However, unlike the house that belongs to both of us, the quilt is all mine!!! Puppies and Angels My favorite house and the tall trees It is mine for so many reasons. It is wonky. The roofs are made with HSTs, that were all cut on the bias (wonky), squaring was optional (wonkier), and the overall quilt is not square (wonkiest). Dappled Some houses had their rooftop points clipped in piecing. I am sure no one will want that :-D The backing is an old sheet bought from a Goodwill Store. Wonky, mismatched fabrics, scrappy, crooked, tucks in quilting, haphazard, very colorful, eye-popping bright = Preeti's Quilt. There are a total of 71 houses in 10 rows and about 46 trees. The finished quilt is about 70" by 90". I am in love... Paul: That house looks a bit crooked. Preeti: Remember, there is no HOA. Paul: Looks like there are no regulations. Preeti: You are not invited to this neighborhood party. Basting, in process Used my favorite batting - Warm & Natural. I quilted it using curvy lines, after I used a decorative stitch to secure the rows together. White Backing (Sheet from Goodwill) Paul, the model :-) The binding is leftover from a pillowcase I made for Divik, my nephew. With the white backing and the very Christmas-y binding, I think I just gave myself a Christmas present. Striped Binding Christmas in July - how appropriate. Oh no, did I do something appropriate??? That is so unlike me, tch, tch, tch... Here are few more pictures of the finished quilt. Yes, Paul is on a chair!!! Thank you, Paul Close-Up This block is for Jonesie, our cat See the Angel? Blue House and Yellow Dog Here is the label. I decided to call it "Homeful". Yes, it is like Hopeful but it is also the opposite of Homeless. I have laid down roots... Homeful!!! Floral Door, Doors with Disco Lights - My Neighborhood, No HOA, No Rules!!! Lots of Trees! Did you miss me? Lighting up my backyard Puppy Love Merry Christmas (in July) to Me!!! Homeful is on my bed and this is the one I will be sleeping under every night. I might even take it with me on car trips. Just like a favorite/familiar song that you want to hum on all trips, I want to make sure that I have my favorite comforting quilt with me at all times. Right here, wagging for you!!! Creating this quilt has made me so happy that I might just wag my tail!!! If you were a puppy, what would make you wag your tail? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Bonnie Hunter Smith Mountain Morning workshop at Quilt Beginnings in Columbus. As my birthday gift, my best friend Kare signed us up and paid for the workshop! I wish you could all have a friend like her. :-) Anyway, we had a good time and here's what I finished during the class. I also have LOT of the pieces and parts put together so when I get a chance to sit down and work on this again, it shouldn't take a really long time to complete the top. Check out Bonnies' blog for more pictures of the various colorways in which people were working. I'd have pictures of my own to share if I had taken my camera! I had been in Dayton/Middletown Friday and Saturday and had my camera then, but when I was packing for this trip (we spent the Sunday night in Columbus), I decided to change bags and I didn't transer my camera to the new bag. Besides the camera, I didn't take hair conditioner or a hair dryer. I used the rest of the conditioner Sunday when I showered and while packing, picked up another shampoo instead of conditioner. I guess that just goes to show you that I should be sure to have my glasses on when I'm packing. Now the hair dryer is a different story. I didn't take one to with me for the Dayton trip because I just use my sister's. (Thanks Terri!) Anyway, I guess I was in a hurry, but I forgot it. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal except the hotel didn't have a hair dryer for me to use. Instead I dried my hair using the air conditioner. FYI - that's a slow process. :-) Thanks Kare for not taking any pictures of that! After the class, Jerry joined us at the shop and we picked out some fabric for him to use when he's visiting in June. We're having a sewing weekend and I can't wait. I will have my camera for that! 

Do you love scrap quilts? Bonnie Hunter has been a mainstay here at Quiltmaker for the last 10 years. Her scrap quilts were so popular that she started writing her “Addicted to Scraps” features in 2010. Whenever one of her quilts comes in we all gather around it and marvel. They are the eye candy of scrap quilts!

I worked over the weekend getting the borders put on the string quilt that was on my wall last week. My first plan was to only put a string border on the right side and bottom then put the shadow …

Thank you, Bonnie, for a prompt reply to my request. Bonnie granted permission for me to post my measurements and etc. for the quilt . The...

Bonnie Hunter joins Tracy and Lori on the show.

Instructions to make the Wild & Goosey block can be found in Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column in the May/June '13 issue of Quiltmaker.

Scrappy Broken Dishes Quilt – Antique Inspired Hello Dear Friends and Readers, Reflecting on antique Dutch quilts, I will immediately think of stars, hourglass, tumbling blocks and broken dishes in the quilt designs. Of course there are others too, but this is what comes to mind for me. The appeal is timeless and the beauty of … Continue reading Scrappy Broken Dishes Quilt – Antique Inspired →

I've been meaning to update my first simple heart quilt tutorial for years, so this is just a fresh update! I also finally made a pretty printable pattern for Heart Blocks in multiple sizes you can find here. Simple Hearts Quilt Instructions: Finished Quilt: 42" x 44" Heart finished block size: 6" square Materials: ...Read More