I’ve been collecting damaged embroidered dresser scarves from flea markets and antique shops (“damaged” because I can’t bring myself to cut into an undamaged one!). I’ve been trimming each one and putting it inside a churn dash. My ultimate goal is to combine them in a bed quilt. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan ahead and ensure that they were all the same size or at least multiples of a size that would allow me to line them up. They range from small squares to large rectangles. (WordPress lined them up beautifully in the pictures above…but they don’t fit together that nicely in real life). I suppose I will have to come up with some sort of filler or find another solution for placement. Any ideas?
A Quilting Cozy Series - Carol Dean Jones 
Thank you for the suggestion, Fiona. I’ll check out both books. Not sure if I told you that C&T will be publishing and reissuing my series along with instructions for making the cover quilt in each book. Best wishes, Carol
Carol, see if you can lay your hands on a copy of Setting Solutions by Sharon Craig (C&T). It is full of ideas about working with oddly shaped and sized blocks. She also wrote ‘Great Sets’ which also tackles the same challenges.
I love your churn dash blocks. I like the panel play idea. I know you can pull that off since you draft some of your own quilts.
I agree about the panel play idea. I’ve been thinking that strips of hourglass blocks would look good and they are easy to trim to exactly the various sizes I’ll need.
Perhaps put borders on them, making each to fit the size of the largest scarf.??
Another great suggestion. Thanks, Carolyn. Quilters are so creative!
Excellent idea, Lynda. I have lots of the fabric I used for the churns…Kaufman’s Fusion in a dozen different colors. Now I’m excited again. I was about to pack them away in the “Can’t Face It” closet. Thanks much. Love your website. I’m eager to spend some time looking around. Carol
Carol, how far off are your sizes? 1/2 inch? 2, 4, 5 inches? This will help in giving a suggestion.
BTW, I love what you have done with these! You have given me an idea for what to do with my own collection. Thank you!
They vary tremendously. The smallest is 9″x9″, the largest 19″x20. There’s a rectangle 9″ tall and 21″ long! And all sizes in between. I wonder if I could have them overlap and applicate them down…giving it sort of a crazy quilt look? I don’t know how to insert a picture here but i’ll send an email. Thanks for commenting.
Carol, using blocks that are not the same size won’t be so hard after all. I have one suggestion which might give you a better idea on how to fill in around the blocks you have made. Think of them as blocks from a panel and then look at the cover of this book, located here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615638309/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Starting to get the picture? 🙂
PS: Judging by your quilting I think you could come up with better looking block designs.
And to be perfectly clear; I meant better designs than the book!!!