WIP Wednesday - Precuts Save the Day!

I am a little ambivalent about pre-cuts. I like a bargain and precuts rarely seem like a bargain. 

A couple jelly rolls, layer cakes and a handful of charm packs have come home with me over the years when they were a screaming deal, as well as a couple of fat eighth bundles and one fat quarter stack.  I used up most of the bundles in two quilts with minimal leftovers, so I felt good about that. As for the rest- they kind of sit there, getting 'less current' by the day. 

Today may have been turning point!

I was hoping to finish another donation quilt to take to guild this week.  I looked through the stack of juvenile panels and fabrics that I pulled a few weeks ago, but nothing really spoke to me.  I didn't want to take the time to dig through fabric to find coordinating solids etc., and make a plan. 

Then I remembered that I had an alphabet panel of Punctuation by American Jane for Moda and a coordinating Jelly roll that I bought in a deeply discounted kit.  I cut the letter blocks apart and sashed them with some of the strips. The blocks are rectangles, so 'squaring' them up was a bit of a challenge especially since panel blocks do not usually print exactly on the grain. I hope to get them sewn together tomorrow, but the quilting will probably have to wait a few weeks.

(Please excuse crappy phone photo...)

I only used about two thirds of the strips, but I think there are enough left that I can whip them into a great scrappy trip quilt.  

It was nice to be able to jump into a project with minimal cutting and make some blocks quickly.   

I might be a convert!