Playing with scraps [RSC14]

Back in December, when I was trying to come up with a solution to finish off my RCS12 quilt top, I ran with an idea in my head.  I started cutting 3.5" white squares in order to create an alternating block (seen on the lower left here, and blogged here), 

BUT sadly, since I didn't square up the bonus HST to 2" before sewing the bonus diamonds, ..... the block was a mess!  Lesson learned;  sew a test block BEFORE madly cutting a half-yard of fabric into 3.5" strips/squares!

The squares were still sitting on the side of my sewing area, looking quite sad in a slumped over pile :\

I grabbed 8 of them, along with some blue scraps, and tried out a 9" (finished) Maverick Star.  Simply playing....

And as I started setting the subunits together, I.... well.... cocked my head to the side, and said..."Eh.  This can be better!"

The center 3.5" [3" finished] square wasn't cutting it.  It may have been better had it been a print, but the plain......***YAWN!!!!!****

So I grabbed my Companion Angle Ruler.

I love using this ruler anytime we need QUARTER-SQUARE triangles (not Half-Square -- then you would use the EZAngle ruler).  

To use this ruler, you simply need to know the FINISHED size of your square unit;  mine is 3".   The larger numbers along the edge of the ruler are to guide you to your FINISHED size unit;  the smaller numbers that show up in the center tell you what size strip you need to cut from.

3" reference on the edge tells me to use 2" strips!  HEL-LLO!!! We probably all have 2" strips stored away in a shoebox or bin thanks to our dear Bonnie's Scrap Users System.

Four cuts later... and I have 4 quarter-square triangle ready to be sewn into an hour-glass unit.  The CON about these cuts is this:  the "sewing edge" is made entirely of a bias cut;  therefore, there is LOTS of potential for stretching of the fabric, and potentially.... a wonky unit.

LOL... ha!  A wonky unit.... in a wonky Maverick Star.....

...alright, my inner humor is probably only making me chuckle and making the rest of you roll your eyes and groan.

Anyway---a Bonnieized Maverick Star block!  

UPDATE [post-publishing]:  I was reminded of Bonnie's tutorial for her Maverick Stars.  I hadn't looked at it in years; the idea of the Maverick Star simply stuck.  After reading up on the tutorial again.....yuppers!  Sure enough!  Bonnie mentions how you can play around with numerous ideas for the center.  She shows 4-patches and plain... and Angela mentioned the possibility of a crumb-block as the center.  SOOOOO many wonderful ideas with such a "Bonnie" block!

Hence:  a definition:  Bonnieize ... "To take what originially was a plain, standard, classic block, and recreate it by replacing some or all subunits with units made up of much smaller scrappy pieces."

ie:  Celtic Solstice versus "Standard" Quilt

Notice the same overall pattern;  they both have the same alternating two-block layout.  HOWEVER, Bonnie's Celtic Solstice design uses: 

    - a scrappy pinwheel (step 3) instead of the simple center dark square

    - a 4-piece corner unit (step 5) instead of a simple HST

    - a 6-piece Chevron unit (step 2) instead of simple white squares

Happy Sunday sewing everyone!