Scrabble Rag Quilt

         Last December I was perusing Pinterest as I do almost everyday and I saw a quilt that I simply fell in love with at first sight.  It was this pin from O Sew Rags.

         I love Scrabble! I used to be a little bit obsessed with Scrabble until I started sewing and now I'm obsessed with sewing but I still love Scrabble.  So when I saw Ashley's Scrabble Quilt I knew I wanted to try my own.  I wrote to Ashley and asked her if she would mind if I made my own quilt based on her inspiration.  She asked me not to sell it in my etsy shop because she was going to open her own shop to sell her scrabble quilts.  I respected her wishes waited until she had her shop open.  I checked in with her shop the other day and I found that she was already backlogged with so many requests she had to put a hold on orders until June 15th.  I knew she would be since her quilts are incredible!!!

         I did start making my own Scrabble Quilt in January with the intention of not selling it on etsy - I just wanted one.  I found the fabrics: double word score pink, double letter score light blue, triple letter score dark blue, triple word score reddish orange and no score beigey tan.  I chose a similar beigey tan flannel for the middle and the backing.  I made my squares 5" and I struggled with whether or not to sew the traditional X through the center.  I decided to sew the X and I think it would have worked just fine without it.

         It was a lot of cutting and a lot of X's,  225 squares worth but finally I was ready to start sewing the squares together.  I didn't look back at the original inspiration quilt because all I wanted to do was to make the Scrabble board pattern. I pulled out my Deluxe Scrabble board to use as my guide and started in.  I thought I might write all the important words on the appropriate squares and even bought a fabric pen, but I decided against that.  I thought I would try to applique a black star on the center square, but again I nixed that idea.  I wanted my quilt to be simple, familiar, and recognizable.

        Everything was going along so well until I realized I didn't have enough of the beigey tan flannel to finish!  (I can't believe how often that happens to me and I'm a math specialist!) It had been awhile since I had bought the fabric back at the beginning a January.  I went back to the fabric store and they were out of that fabric and I was only halfway finished with the quilt.  I was heartbroken and I put the quilt away.  I thought maybe I wasn't supposed to finish this quilt.

        A few months went by and I went back to the fabric store and there was another color of beigey tan that was so close to the dye lot of the first I knew it just might work.  I didn't have the exact measurements of how much I needed but I didn't want to lose out on the fabric so I bought a "big bunch."  I thought it would be plenty and if I had any left over I could always use it for other projects.  I went back to sewing and was just  two rows away from being done I saw that I was 5 beigey tan squares short!!!!  Do you know that feeling??? 

      I did finally finish my Scrabble Board Pattern Rag Quilt this month, 5 months after I first started it. 

This Scrabble Quilt will be my one and only.  I will leave all the other orders for Scrabble Quilts to Ashley at OSewManyRags.  Good Luck Ashley and thanks for the inspiration!