MixierMatch Blocks

Nann recently posted about some MixMatch blocks she dis/uncovered. Both Nann's and Shelly's versions required sizes that didn't exactly fit the scraps I cut and save, using Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System.

So I wondered (and commented about) what would happen if, instead of cutting strips down, I used bricks I'd already cut to size. In Nann's version, resulting in a 5" (finished) block, she started with three 1.5" squares sewn in a row resulting in a 3.5" strip. To the top and bottom of that strip she sewed 1.5"x3.5" rectangles.

Well, my scraps are cut to 2"x3.5" bricks. What would happen if I used those instead? The following round in Nann's version would need 1.5"x4.5" strips. But I've got bricks cut 2.5"x4.5". What would happen if I used those instead?

So I did, just to answer that question: what would happen?

Three 1.5" squares flanked by two 2"x3.5" bricks, topped and bottomed by two 2.5"x4.5" bricks.

The rectangle so far measures 4.5" wide by 7.5" high. I had nothing precut to 7.5", so decided to square it off at this point with two 2"x7.5" strips. I had plenty of 2" strips to cut down to that length, and that was the only additional cutting I needed to do for these blocks!

 

I needed to extend the length of the backing for my current project by 18-20", and three strips of 11 blocks would fit the bill nicely. Here they are, ready to be put into play.

With the varying sizes of bricks, there's a definite feeling of directionality to this version of these blocks. Here's what they look like when sewn into something (the backing):

I likes 'em. They're fun and scrappy and don't rely on hues or contrasts to make a statement. They're just there, filling a need and using up scraps.

Once they were sewn into the backing, this was started. Now that Hubris is complete, my pin tin is full and ready to be put to use again.

 

In the midst of all this, I looked around my studio and realized I'd been interrupted a few months ago when I was re-evaluating what I wanted to sell on ebay (read: what did and didn't sell on ebay), and culled/recycled a large amount of stuff.

From 2018 but really, only the ironing board cover changed over the years.

I hadn't finished the project--consolidating the two partially-empty shelving units (the other one sits alongside the sewing table, out of frame). So unlike me! So I pulled everything out from under the ironing station, relocated the boxes, and moved the shelves to the garage (to be put to the curb later for anyone who fancies them).

This nice, clear space remained for as long as it took to vacuum the carpet. There were other boxes that desperately needed to be moved from underfoot, and my POUT drawers could fit in as well (and be in constant view).

I've actually gained an inch or two of space (at the backside of the ironing board, so I can drape fabric behind it as I iron), so I'm quite satisfied with things as they currently stand. It'll change, of course, and as long as I'm getting things done and cleared out, the change will always be for the better.