A pile of scraps and THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL got me started.
In no time at all I had a quilt. It uses 36 blocks and finishes at 35″ square–a nice symmetry there.
I can see using this pattern again. It would work for many different applications.
For now it goes in the donation pile. YAY! No bored babies if they sleep under this quilt.
I found the idea in a book and made a baby quilt version some time ago.
There were good intentions of doing a quilt along, but that just isn’t happening right now. Better to share the finish, than hope for change soon.
But, if you have a jelly roll laying around, this might just be the idea.
SO, here is a mini-tutorial: Each block finishes at 10″ square. The sashing is cut at 2-1/2″ and the outside border at 3-1/2″. It finishes at approximately 64″ square. It will be gifted to a teacher friend this week. Seems like she could use a lift and this cheerful quilt might be just the thing.
I received a plastic bag mostly full of 2″ squares.
It felt more like a bag of scraps than a Second Chance possibility until I noticed that quite a number of the squares had been sewn together.
Some pairs, some 4-patches, some strips…Really quite a variety. And that is where the challenge came: Use EVERY seam that had already been stitched and create a quilt. Hmmm…
There were assorted pieces–quite a few 4-patches and then miscellaneous.
Solid rows of squares first.
Then add 4-patches (I had to make several more)
Then solid squares.
And a border.
A small, but serviceable baby quilt.
And I have more squares leftover for a future project. YAY!
CROSSROADS BABY QUILT (mini) TUTORIAL
33-1/2″ x 33-1/2″
MATERIALS
244 2″ squares
3/4 yard background fabric
1-1/8 yard for backing
batting
1/3 yard for binding (depending on if you use 2-1/4″ or 2-1/2″)
ASSEMBLY
Yes, this is a small quilt, but it would be easy to enlarge it. Contact me with any questions. I’m happy to help. Enjoy!
My first version was called the Trash Quilt, because I literally found the fabric in a trash can at church. I tried to rename it, but the first one stuck!
This is a great pattern for scraps, or you could use fat quarters. If the fat quarters are perfectly cut, you will need 16 of them. If they are a little short, add a few more to make up for it.
TRASH QUILT
60-1/2″ x 80-1/2″
MATERIALS
384 3″ x 5-1/2″ rectangles (Have fun with colors and possibilities. This is a great time to experiment)
batting
1/2 yard binding
4 yards for backing
ASSEMBLY
2. Create a total of 192 blocks. UNFINISHED size should measure 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″.
3. Lay out the blocks 12 x 16. The layout should alternate blocks horizontally and vertically.
4. Assemble
5. Ta-dah! A Trash Quilt top.
6. Layer, quilt and bind, as desired.
TRASH QUILT Gallery
your beautiful creations here…
I don’t mean that I don’t like the quilt, or that I am going to throw it in the trash, but that is where I found it.
Our family helps clean our congregation meeting house from time to time to prepare the building for sabbath worship services. Apparently, an activity had been held in the building and there was a pile of (more than just) scraps in a trash can.
After reviewing the fabric, I settled on rectangles 3″ x5-1/2″ as the best use of fabric. In all, 112 rectangles were needed.
These were sewn into pairs.
And assembled.
And quilted.
And, ta-dah! A quilt. 35″ x 40″
It was such fun to find this small treasure in the trash.
What I thought was a disappointment has turned into a lovely quilt. I call it Discovery.
DISCOVERY BABY QUILT
39-1/2″ x 39-1/2″
MATERIALS
A good sized pile of color coordinated scraps
1/2 yard background fabric
1/3 yard binding
1-1/4 yard for backing
CUTTING DIRECTIONS
from the colored scraps cut a total of…
400 2″x 2″ squares (NOTE: These need to be in multiples of at least 4, 5, or 8 of each color in order to build the block pattern)
after your blocks are built, cut the background fabric as follows…
24 2″x8″ rectangles
9 2″x2″ squares
2 2-3/4″ x 35″ strips
2 2-3/4″ x 39-1/2″ strips
ASSEMBLY
2. Assemble to create one block. UNFINISHED size should measure 8″ x 8″.
3. Repeat to create a total of 16 blocks. TIP: I made little piles of my squares sorted into blocks first so the colors would be fairly evenly distributed and each block would be unique.
4. Lay out blocks in a 4×4 pattern, balancing colors
5. Add 2″x8″ sashing between the blocks to create rows.
5. Create sashing strips for between the rows by alternating 4 2″x8″ rectangles with 2″ squares.
6. Attach strips 2-3/4″ x 35″ to sides of quilt. Attach strips 2-3/4″ x 39-1/2″ to top and bottom of quilt.
7. Ta-dah! A Discovery Baby Quilt top.
DISCOVERY BABY QUILT Gallery
your beautiful creations here…
I was able to get some time on the longarm I rent.
Simple pantos are within my capacity, and it is nice to have it done.
That baby will probably get here a little earlier than originally predicted and it is nice to have it ready.
You can find the tutorial for Build A Baby HERE. Enjoy!
I needed a quick gift and a potholder seemed like a good idea. Plus, there was only a little of this cute sewing fabric.
You can use THIS tutorial, or just start with any 8″ block. I really like sawtooth stars.
And, before you know it, there is a gift. YAY!
Another baby arrived a little earlier than predicted. The mother requested pastels. Do I even OWN any pastels? Well, yes, I did, thanks to a generous scrap donation. YAY!
HOURGLASS BABY QUILT
35″ x 35″
Here’s how to do it…
MATERIALS:
50 5″ colored charm squares. You could use a pre-packaged charm pack plus 8 more squares. Solids are a good choice.
1 yard background fabric cut into 50 5″ squares.
1-1/8 yard backing fabric
1/4 yard binding
ASSEMBLY:
Using THIS tutorial, create 100 hourglass blocks. Trim up to 4″. NOTE: Each colored/background pair produces TWO hourglass blocks.
Lay them out in a 10 x 10 arrangement, making sure they alternate: top-bottom, side-side.
Stitch together rows, then rows into a finished top.
Ta-dah! A finished top.
See–I told you it was quick and easy. You probably have all the materials laying around right now.
Layer, quick and bind as preferred. Another Ta-da! Now it is a finished quilt.
I am so happy to see this quilt complete.
It was all I hoped for.
For those who participated in the quiltalong, you are welcome to share pictures any time.
Those who might be interested in building a similar beauty, information can be found HERE.
EDIT: Thank you to Sandra for pointing out that I neglected to include finishing information. Here is is: the top finishes at 60″ x 80″. You need about 4 yards of fabric for the back and approximately 1/3-yard for the binding (if you use 2-1/4″ strips).
Wedding Dress Blue 