Using Scraps

 Scrappy blocks and quilts

Quilters can throw away a lot of fabric that is quite expensive to buy. However, if you store your scraps wisely you can make stunning whole quilts from the pieces you would otherwise throw away.

 

To find out more about saving and storing scraps refer to the notes on Sustainable Patchwork and Scrappy Decisions.

 

Scraps can come in all shapes and sizes but can be anything that cannot be folded into about a 5” x 5” square and stored with your fat quarters. These scraps can then be stored as strips or squares for using later. The quilts on the left have been made from piles of squares and strips left over from other quilts. The quilt border at the bottom has also been made from left over strips. There are many techniques you can use to make whole quilts from scraps. Here follow just a few.

 

Squares

Leaders and enders can be sewn together to make feature blocks for quilts or even just for corners. The table runner below was made using three L&E blocks set on point.

 

 

These blocks can be made by just sewing leaders and enders together randomly, butting the corners carefully, or they can be made using the Freezer Paper Mosaic technique which ensures the corners are perfect but is a bit more time consuming.

 

The quilt top left was made with 2.5” squares arranged to give a light/dark pattern of diamonds. You could even go further and produce a colour-wash effect.

 Strips

Strips can be joined together in any way but it is always important to sew them together with straight seams. It often does not matter if the scraps are cut straight or square.

 

Foundation piecing onto paper or fabric, or quilt as you go were used to create useful blocks to join to make the quilt centre left.

 

Log Cabin blocks can also be a great use for scrap strips. If the scraps are odd shaped strips some of the log cabin variation might suit better.

 

 

This then leads onto Crazy Patch quilts in which the scraps are just pieced together randomly. These can then be embellished with and sewing and notions to create even more interest.

 

Once you have joined a few strips together you can then cut them crossways and start joining more strips, then cut again. The end effect is a real patchwork piece.

 

 Notes and Tips

It is important to create blocks that sit flat. Two things to remember are to

• join the scraps with straight ruled seams

• trim blocks square before you join them.

Helpful Resources

Lisa Walton’s Fantastic Fusion ideas at http://fibreinspirations.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/fantastic-fusion.html 

 

Bonnie at Quiltville http://www.quiltville.com/ has hundreds of ideas for scrappy quilts.

 

The Exuberant Colour blog is also a great source of ideas for scrappy quilts and crazy quilts. Find it at http://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com.au/