using up flannel scrap stash

I mentioned previously that I had "rediscovered" my flannel stash.  Fondling flannel is so sensuous.  :-)  I was tempted ... and I succumbed ... to making "something" with the flannel, even though I have pre-assembled projects to work on.

At this point, all of the following are strictly *tops*, as I still need to quilt them.  But after months of NOT piecing, it sure does feel wonderful to be doing so!   Yes, I do love having the tops quilted but although I deeply appreciate having the ability to quilt my tops myself, it's not an easy process for me.  I'd really much rather be piecing!  :-)

In any case, here are the three flannel tops that I've actually finished in January (and here it is, only January 19th!).

The original fund-raiser toddler top, done in all solids.  

I distinctly and specifically chose this layout because of the *minimum* of seams and intersections.  I figured that using flannel would make everything overly bulky and heavy, so a simply layout would be best.

I like the result.















BUT THEN .... I think the Pod People took over my brain for the next top. 

I had a bunch of 3" strips leftover from the above top.  I wanted to use them up.  So, did I chose another layout that also had a minimum of seams and intersections?  Heck no.

I chose Disappearing 9-Patch.  HOLY MOLEY.  Could I have chose anything more MORE seams and intersections?  Possibly .. but thankfully I did not!

The only consistent aspect of the 9-patches was that I used red flannel for the center square (the one that gets sliced into four pieces).  Other than that, I tried to make the rest of the 9-patch totally random.  I did have more of some colors than others, so they show up more in the finished top.

Once the blocks were done, I simply plopped them down in a random manner, trying to make sure that similar blocks weren't adjacent to each other.  The result is something that absolutely, positively jangles my poor eyeballs.  This top isn't anything that I would normally construct but since I was using the scraps I had on hand, I was limited as to what I could use.  The good news is that my scraps of flannel was steadily decreasing. :-)

But the top?  Geez, Louise ... I really don't like looking at it.  It is simply too much all over the place for my taste.  Hopefully some toddler will like it being so .... colorful. :-)

The last top I've finished comes from a free pattern "A Little Folk Tale", which is the name of the fabric line used not because the layout is reminiscent of folk tales. 

What attracted me was the simple graphic-ness of the layout.  It is also a very good way to showcase any nifty fabrics that you do have.  Because I was still working with the 3" strips I had previously cut, my finished top is slightly smaller than what the pattern calls for.  But at 51" x 63", I think it's still a good, useable size.

Now that I've got that bug about using my flannel out of my system, I really must turn my attention to the construction of a quilt for my nephew, that has been very patiently waiting for it's spot in the sun.  :-)