Scrap Using Strip Quilt

I am working and sorting and cleaning and trying to use up some of the scraps and just started sewing them together. A couple days ago, I made this one and liked it so much that today I sorted more strips and made a second one. I have three more baggies for three more quilt tops like this. Super easy and quick to do. No thinking allowed here. Just take your leftover strips from bindings, other projects, end cuts, or just start cutting pieces of different sizes from 1 1/2 inches up to 10 inches. The bigger the cuts, the faster it goes together, but variety makes it look nice.

I've also been busy quilting. I still am not sure what is going on with the quilting machine. I finally finished up the Quilt of Death! It took me about 3 hours to get it done. I worked on it and the thread kept breaking every 8 inches. I took the machine off, changed the needle, changed the thread, cleaned the machine, tried a different sewing machine on the quilting frame and nothing helped. I was thinking that it was the fabric somehow cutting the thread. I loaded a second quilt onto the frame and the thread only broke once. Same thread, same needle, same batting. Strange.

(quilt #2)

Loaded a third quilt and the thread started breaking again when I tried to do wonky feathers. Decided to do some big loops and the thread stopped breaking. I started thinking that maybe the batting was the issue. Sometimes the poly batting is stiffer than other times. At the end of the quilt I did the wonky feathers again and the thread didn't break. Still not sure what is going on, but I'll keep trying different things until I figure out what is going on or I use up all of this batting and then try something new. Quilting is really fun 99% of the time but the 1% that isn't fun is so frustrating. I just can't give up and do something else, because there is so much fabric and so many kids who need a quilt!