Scrappy Birthday

I remember visiting my friend Barb's sewing room one time and getting to explore a drawer full of miscellaneous quilt blocks. What fun it would be, I thought, to arrange them like puzzle pieces into various quilt designs.

Well, that’s exactly what Barb did to make this year's birthday gift for me! All the elements came from her stash of "pieces and parts" leftover from previous quilt projects. Blocks of various sizes were made to fit by adding on or trimming as need be.

I’m guessing Barb started with the vintage Shoo Fly block, then added Broken Dishes to continue the classic blue and brown color scheme. When the strip of Flying Geese was too long to fit, Barb simply lopped it off leaving a quirky little partial block behind.

Adding to its "make do" charm is a backing pieced from three strips of chintz. It takes a keen eye to spot the seams. Can you find them? Barb also varied her binding just as a long-ago seamstress might had she run out of her intended fabric.

Lastly, a gentle tea bath gives the quilt its aged appearance. Don’t you love that detail?

Weeks before my birthday, I spotted a vintage bowl on Etsy. "That's just what I need," I told myself. "Wouldn't it look great filled with old buttons, sitting atop a scrappy quilt?"

When just such a quilt arrived, I raced right back to Etsy and bought the bowl. Happy birthday to me!

By the way, here are photos of Barb's actual "miscellaneous block" drawers. Do you see the allure? Wouldn't you love to reach in there and rummage around? 

Thanks for another great birthday quilt, Barb. You always manage to surprise and delight me! XO