Scrap Fabric Challenge | Episode 43

In this video, The Opinionated Quilter reviews geometry and explains the difference between squares and diamonds. This is second episode of the scrap fabric challenge series.

[@C123abc]

When I taught math, students would call squares diamonds. Turns out some elementary school teachers didn't know the difference! Thank you for keeping education alive!

[@amydavis8924]

Wish someone like Maureen could be in the Home Economics Classroom today....oh wait, first we would have to have Home Economics again today. They had already begun to call it Family and Consumer Sciences well before I retired...with very little practical and engaging application.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You make me think of my kids high school. It used to be called gym, then phys ed, now it kinetic wellness. Really?

[@kathrynfountain894]

I look forward to your Monday morning episodes. Thanks. ❤

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Glad you like them!

[@patriciaguevara8793]

Maureen - this is brilliant!!! I’ve been cutting for a few days now - specific sizes for the first quilt, then cutting up the leftovers for an additional two - I like your quilts so much more than mine!! Thank you for your wisdom and the vocabulary breakdowns! Happy quilting!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Glad you like them.

[@leahholland6272]

Love the additional colour pop in your 2nd quilt

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thanks so much.

[@yvonnephillips4680]

Great video. Nomenclature has just joined my list of favourite words.

[@patriciametts1170]

Very good Geometry lesson! Enjoyed your presentation.

[@patriciamoller3060]

Thankyou , ( many times ) enjoy your wisdom,( Australia)

[@lynnepfeffer8039]

I really like your second quilt!!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I do too. The black and whites are fun but the color makes it far more interesting.

[@taniadressler585]

Love your informative videos! Thanks 😊

[@karenfulkerson5961]

Love this idea

[@TheJAG1357]

Your videos are always full great information. Thank you for taking the time to explain things so well. Have a great day and week. Looking forward to always seeing your videos. ❤️❤️

[@theopinionatedquilter]

thank you so much.

[@virginiareitz7949]

Love this! Friend requested a black and white quilt with touches of red. I made a disappearing 9 patch. Turned out great but I collected way to much black and white fabric. Now I will definitely be making this #2 quilt. Yay!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Always good to have an idea to use the leftovers. If you do it right away it doesn't end of in the scrap heap.

[@helenpeddycord2241]

Loving this challenge idea!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Yay! Thank you!

[@omisfavorites1054]

Love the quilt! Like the comparison to an Amish bread starter! Thanks for sharing your skill and knowledge.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

My pleasure.

[@amandaharvey455]

I love your geometry lesson. Thank you. Your quilts are pretty. I love the idea of the challenge.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Good to hear.

[@sharonlyman3029]

Once again, great show. I, too, did not want to cut the edges on Krista Moser's quilt. And I've been irritated about people calling squares diamonds just cause they put them on point. Calling an alligator a bunny doesn't mean you won't lose an arm. Tks. Loving the new series.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Great analogy!

[@charlenemorris6391]

What a wonderful challenge. My scraps are out of control as many quilters. Thanks for the ideas

[@GeminiPeg]

Thank you, I also saw a quilt that was described as diamonds that was simply squares set on point.

[@tracyrichmond-pshyk8863]

Have to say, I love your opinion. Have been learning lots and totally enjoying. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Glad you are getting something out of my videos. That is so important to me.

[@matthewmosher3712]

Great video as always!!

[@lucilegubbins4433]

I cracked up with the Amish bread starter analogy! Too funny. After a few times of the starter and a lot of recipes later, I ended up throwing away that which I froze but wasn't using for a long time. Fortunately, we have dog beds to let go of scraps to. Anyway, I love the scrap series so far! Right up my alley.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Glad to hear.

[@saraharrell1768]

Love it

[@cstovold2]

I LOVE scrappy quilt #2!

[@katrinahough290]

You've taken me back to my geometry nomenclature lessons in my lower el classroom. The 7 triangles of reality and the lessons of all of the quadrilaterals. I love geometry!

[@diannplatt-roberts8692]

Great info.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you so much for watching.

[@jannwebb]

I love the math refresher!!

[@renestovall9226]

Love your POP of Color😊

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Thank you.

[@maureentaphouse5206]

You are so correct in what you say. Thank you

[@joydicksonquilts]

I love this series your doing. You got me motivated 🎉

[@theopinionatedquilter]

good to hear. The only way to get through the mountain of scraps is motivation.

[@amydavis8924]

Love your practicality and "short cuts" - have been thoroughly thinking through patterns since watching you - especially the flying geese suggestions - going to try a storm at sea and the diamonds suggestions and angles should be so helpful.... wow "A stitch in time does save nine!"

[@dianelouise3944]

I love the quilt you showed and the pattern seems like it could be used a lot of differently ways. “Amish starter” is a really clever description. My understanding is that squares are a specific subset of diamonds where all the angles are 90 degrees, ie all squares are diamonds but not all diamonds are squares. Math aside, I would expect a quilt with diamonds to have elongated shapes

[@bethkoch11]

The 56" x 68" (or thereabouts) size is my preferred size also. I don't have a lot of space in my sewing area, and also, for economy's sake, I do a lot of my own quilting. Those gigantic quilts just don't work for me, so I stick to the lap size.

[@PatA95]

Love you, but a couple of years ago I decided I wanted a quilt on every bed in the house and if possibke a Christmas one too. 2 Queens, a full, and a king. They are all big a quilts. After that I can work on throws.

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You gotta to do what you gotta do!

[@sandraroberts1234]

Love the pop of color quilr. Love the angle math lesson. Never even dawned on me how to figure out the 360 degrees on edges. Thanks so much. I'm with you on the Wing Clipper method vs. paper piecing (a recent opinion of yours) but I did have to buy Deb's Square in a Square ruler, too, the other day after making a 2.5 inch square in square block next to flying geese blocks inside a 6.5 inch block and not getting it right twice, I'm embarrassed to say. I'm not 100 percent sure it's not the pattern but don't have the time to mess with it Thank you!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Patterns can be wrong. That is why it is important to make a practice block.

[@BonnieWaldrup]

I'm not up for the challenge, but I love the second quilt! I'm putting this close to the top in my to do list. Thank you!♥

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You are so welcome!

[@angelikaimnaehglueck]

1:28 thanks a lot - i wrote a comment to someone, but she didn´t understand/believe, or didn´t wont 👍👍👍👍🥰

[@AvivaHadas]

2.5 x 4.5 is my favorite size to cut scraps into - it is a perfect ratio & as you showed, it plays well with 2.5 and 4.5 squares. Baseball diamonds are squares...

[@gingerbarlow4055]

I love quilty math! I think one reason people might call the square on point a diamond is because it’s the shape of a baseball diamond (infield). It’s actually a square (equal sides, equal angles) on point, but it’s called a diamond and not a square. Love your videos AND your opinions!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

You may be right on the diamond vs. square. Glad to hear you enjoy my videos.

[@jennrea4275]

Great video💕 Last year I decided to finish up one very old Unfinished project. It became much like your scrap challenge. After four quilts I needed a break from the fabric so I had to put it away. The funniest part was much of the original fabric I acquired was for one paper pieced table topper, which I turned into a medallion quilt. It would be great if you could list the rulers you’ve shown in the episode. Thanks again💕

[@greenquiltsgalore1326]

Now that you have the geometry sorted out between squares and diamonds (thank you!), could you address the difference between a star and a snowflake? Not so important as the geometry, but scientifically, snowflakes have only six points while stars can have various numbers of points!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

I will have do some research on that. I never knew snowflakes had only six points.

[@SewFun]

Thank you for the ideas and free patterns! I actually prefer to make bed sized quilts and I don't mind binding. I'm curious if you have an opinion on people renaming classic quilt blocks with new names? Do you think it causes confusion for new quilters at all? Since blocks have always had multiple names is it just a part of quilt history?

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Really interesting question. I think people name classic blocks new names because they are unaware of the original name. It does cause confusion. I love referring to Barbara Brackmans Encyclopediaof Pieced Quilt Patterns for the many different names for quilt blocks. And, yes, I do think it is a part of quilt history.

[@tonitoland846]

This is off topic, sort of, but you were the first person who popped into my head the other day… I was making several larger square in a square blocks and for the life of me could not figure out the math to determine what size square to cut once I’d cut the center (at 6” x 6”). I’m pretty sure you did an episode on that? If so, which one, so I can go back & take notes! For the record, I was successful and it’s all turned out well - with no horrible mistakes or unfixable cuts 😁 but I’m sure there’s an easier way to do it than what I ended up doing. Thanks for the math, and for your opinions!

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Because the square in a square math is nasty, for me it is easiest to use Deb Tucker's Square Squared Rulers. They have lines on the ruler indicating where to cut down the specified cut strip size for the perfect center square. I am very glad to hear your project worked out.

[@tonitoland846]

@@theopinionatedquilter thank you!

[@paulacox902]

How do you prepare your fabric for cutting?

[@theopinionatedquilter]

Starch or a starch alternative such as Mary Ellen's Best Press, then of course pressing. This does shrink the fabric a bit so if you do it on precuts you will not have a full 2 1/2" strip or 5" sqaure anymore. It will be slightly smaller.