How to make a color-coordinated crumb quilt block. For scrappy quilters who like a little bit of order! A great mindless scrap buster!
Tutorial on how to use scraps of fabrics to make a magic quilt that sews itself as you are making another quilt.
Transform your fabric scraps into beautiful new scrappy quilts by making string quilts. A tutorial from NewQuilters.com #stringquilts #stringquilttutorial
Scrappy String quilt by Emily of Quilty Love. See how Emily sewed together this fun and easy string quilt using her scrap stash.
How to make a color-coordinated crumb quilt block. For scrappy quilters who like a little bit of order! A great mindless scrap buster!
FREE QAYG ALONG PART 11We’re obsessed with string quilts! And they are super easy, super fun and beginner friendly, so we thought you might like to make one too. This week we were invited to make some short videos for Spotlight’s Quilting Expo, so we went totally over the top and made a 3 part series on how to make a quilt as you go string quilt from start to finish. This series is perfect for the very beginner or for those that want to try their hand at making a quilt as you go quilt. It’s full
Perfect for scrap quilts and themed quilting projects, string quilts can be made using an easy, freehand version of foundation piecing.
Is it really April 1 tomorrow? That seems impossible, but it's true. April means lots of good things. Tomorrow, my grandmother turns 89, and later in the month, we celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. And a wedding anniversary. And the second annual Stash Bash. It's also my month to plan the Love circle quilt for do.Good Stitches! It's been awhile since I've made string blocks. I don't know about you, but I always seem to have a pile of string scraps lying around. Last week, I divided them into two piles based on length, and made a bunch of blocks. Here's a few tips that might help, if you've never made a string block before. -Working with a foundation is best for string blocks, and I prefer paper. As Jeni pointed out, using a fabric foundation (even muslin) adds bulk, whereas the paper can be ripped away when you're finished. -If you have graph paper or an old telephone book, this works better than printer paper, but that will work, too! -Start with your center strip, and glue-baste this piece to make sure it stays in place! -To create a cohesive look, you can use a single color and width for your center strings. Or, you can mix it up to your heart's content! -The most important thing is to make sure you keep a 1/4" seam allowance throughout. -Make sure your strips are at least 1" wide. -With all paper piecing, it's best to leave the paper on until you've sewn your blocks together. It helps to minimize bias. -Setting your stitch length to 1.5 or 1.6 will make ripping that paper a little easier, too. -When pressing any paper-piecing, use a dry iron (no steam!). -Oh, and little triangle scraps are great for the end pieces! Any other tips? Did I leave anything out? Specifically for do.Good Stitches bee blocks this month, I'm asking for 8.5" blocks (so you can just cut a 2.5" strip off a sheet of paper to create that template!). For the center strings, I'd like 1" strips of any blue solid, and then the rest of the strings can be any width and any color. I'd love to see a mix of solids and prints. As you can see, these are addictive to sew! And my pile of strips doesn't seem any smaller.
Most quilters can’t bear to part with scraps of favorite fabrics and tend to keep them in little bins and boxes for future use. Crumb quilting, although not a new idea, is enjoying a resurgence now as we try to use up all those bits of fabric we’ve been saving.…
I’m just going to celebrate how happy I am with how this turned out with lots and lots of photos! The whole enchilada. More views… I think I am definitely keeping this one for myself!
Transform your fabric scraps into beautiful new scrappy quilts by making string quilts. A tutorial from NewQuilters.com #stringquilts #stringquilttutorial
(Edited to add: see the finished quilts HERE ) Back in January I cut my string scraps that were less than 2.5" down to a uniform width o...
Made from strings less than 2 inches wide. The fabric in the middle of the blocks is Habitat Dandelions by Michele D'Amore for Bernartex. The dimensions of the quilt are 72" by 90". Just added some better photos of this one to join in with Rachel's Festival of Strings at Stitched in Color: www.stitchedincolor.com/2013/05/festival-of-strings.html I finished this top in April 2013, and I'm just waiting for inspiration to hit me for the back of it! And the quilting, and the binding.... :)
Crumb Quilt Ideas (Part 2) Do you keep really small scraps of fabric? That is such an ongoing issue for me. I HATE throwing away...
Row Assembly Quilt Pattern In the world of quilting, enthusiasts are constantly seeking patterns that not only showcase their skills but also offer a touch of
Get started with this beginner's guide to crumb quilting. Explore the materials, techniques, and tips for completing a beautiful quilt!
I’m sure you have plenty of fabric scraps at home and crumb quilting is one thing you can do with those scraps. How to do a crumb quilt How easy is that? Why are you waiting for? Go and start…
After piecing up the Bars and Stripes quilt, I had lots of snips of fabric left over on my sewing table (and floor). I always save these an...
I'm all about saving time and money. When I first heard of chain-piecing, I really latched onto it. I discovered that not only did it prevent the little bird's nest knot on the underside of the fabric when starting and that it saved thread, (Have you ever noticed how much thread is thrown away as you sew? You could stuff a doll with it!), but it also kept a whole line of pieces together so I didn't have to get up and down as much as I was sewing. I could get into my groove and go. I then learned that if you used a little scrap of fabric - about 1-1.5" wide and sewed over that at the end of the chain, you had all the benefits of chain piecing indefinitely. Cool. I was converted to the method. Then as I was reading a quilting book (Cut the Scraps! by Joan Ford, pg. 35), she mentioned how she always had 2 projects going at once. The main one and a secondary one that was done over a long period of time. Here's how it works. You are sewing along and come to a place where you need to remove your sewing from the machine. You reach into your little box of pre-cut pieces and sew a couple together, using these as your holder while you remove your sewing project. When you begin sewing again, remove the secondary project and put it off to the side. This first photo is of two scraps I am sewing together to make longer strips. When I have sewn these together, I can remove the black thing behind it that I was sewing. The second photo is of a little plastic container I use to contain my secondary project. In this case, I began accumulating 1" strips - things that others were throwing away and I thought, "Surely something can be made from these!" I think that it's much easier to do this if the secondary project is purely scrappy in design. You don't want to have to keep two projects in mind and remember which one you are working on. One inch strips may not be your cup of tea, but choose some scrap project - especially if it's a "grab bag" style, and you can put those scraps to good use. What I am doing is sewing 1" x 9" strips together, or if the 1" pieces are smaller than that, I am piecing then together to make longer strips which I then cut down to about 9" strips. I sew them together, little by little. When I have 16 strips sewn together, I iron it (I know, I'm waiting until the end), and then trim the square to 8.5" x 8.5." When I get enough of those squares made, I can make them into a quilt. I've been working on this for the last 2 years and have 15 squares out of the 80-120 I need to make a full or queen, so it will be a while before I have it complete, but, I love that I can be wasting nothing - no fabric, no thread. See finished quilt here.
5 Ways To Use Up Your Crumbs - Scrap Quilting (Part 1) Most quilters I know have scrap collections. Since we tend to acquire fabric...
Want to turn a pile of fabric scraps into a fun, vintage-inspired quilt? Do you like fast and easy projects? Do stress about cutting straight or having a super accurate seam allowance? Do you need a mindless sewing project? If you answered yes to any of the above questions then my Willy Nilly String Quilt tutorial is for you! It's a fun, beginner-friendly pattern that uses up a lot of scraps! Finished block size = 6" x 6" Finished quilt size = 51” x 60½” Materials needed: Approximately 3 yards of assorted bright scraps 1 3/4 yards of background fabric (aqua) 3 1/3 yards of backing fabric 1/2 yard of binding fabric 58" x 68" piece of batting 6½” square acrylic ruler Cutting: From the background fabric, cut: 5 strips, 9¾” x WOF; crosscut into: 17 squares, 9¾” x 9¾” (cut on the diagonal twice to yield 4 triangles, 68 total) 6 squares, 5⅛” x 5⅛” (cut on the diagonal once to yield 2 triangles, 12 total) 3 strips, 3½” x WOF From the binding fabric, cut: 6 strips, 2½” x WOF Block assembly: 1. Select 4-5 strips of fabric that measure anywhere from 1½” - 3” wide x 9” - 10” long. Cut both of the long sides of each strip at an angle. (Tip: don't trim the strips too small. Leave yourself at least 1" of width after cutting the angles so you will have some fabric showing beyond your seam allowances.) Sew the strips of fabric together to create a section that is larger than 6½” x 6½”. Press the seam allowances in one direction. 2. Lay a 6½” square ruler on top of the pieced strip section at an angle. Be sure the ruler is within the raw edges of the fabric and cut a 6½” square. 3. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make 33 blocks. Quilt assembly: For columns 1, 3, and 5: 1. Lay out 7 blocks (on-point) in a column. Fill in the gaps with 12 triangles cut from the 9¾” background squares as shown on page 2. The long edges of the triangles make up the straight edges of the sides of the columns. 2. Sew the triangles and blocks together into diagonal rows. Press the seam allowances toward the triangles. Trim the dog ears. 3. Sew the diagonal rows together and press the seam allowances open. Trim the dog ears. 4. Add 2 triangles onto each end of the column to create a straight edge. To do this, find the center of the long edge of a triangle (cut from the 5⅛” background squares) and the edge of the block by folding those edges in half and rubbing the fold to make a crease. Match up the creases of each piece, right sides together, and stitch in place. Press the seam allowance toward the triangle. Trim the dog ears. Repeat on the remaining 3 corners. For columns 2 and 4: 1. Lay out 6 blocks (on-point) in a column. Fill in the gaps and ends with 16 triangles cut from the 9¾” background squares as shown in the quilt diagram below. 2. Sew the triangles and blocks together into diagonal rows. Press the seam allowances toward the triangles. Trim the dog ears. 3. Sew the diagonal rows together and press the seam allowances open. Trim the dog ears. Sew the 5 columns together as shown in the quilt diagram below. Press the seam allowances as desired (I pressed mine open). Borders: Trim the selvages from the 3 background strips, 3½” x WOF. Sew the strips together end-to-end with straight seams. From the pieced strip, cut 2 border strips, 3½” x 60½” (or your own length after measuring through the center of your quilt from top to bottom). Pin the strips to each side of your quilt center and stitch in place. Press the seam allowances toward the border strips. Layer the quilt top with batting and backing and quilt as desired. Trim the excess fabric and batting. Bind with 6 strips, 2½” x WOF. And that's it! What do you think? Click HERE for the printable version of this pattern. My Willy Nilly String Quilt is at the quilter right now so come back soon to see how I finished it! P.S. You may notice from the pictures that my 2nd and 4th columns are slightly different than the pattern. I used rectangles at the top and bottom of my columns instead of just using additional triangles. Later I realized that it would be easier to just use triangles. Please let me know if you have any questions. And if you're on Instagram I would love to see your Willy Nilly String Quilt! Please use the hashtag #gigisthimblepattern and #willynillystringquilt and be sure to tag me @gigis_thimble. Thanks for stopping by today!
Today I share my 6 most popular scrappy quilt blocks. Use the video tutorials to help you bust through your scraps.
If you are anything like us then you will have a large number of scraps in your stash and it can sometimes be challenging to come up with ideas to use them. Making string quilts is an ideal way of using up those scraps, and these quilts not only look awesome they are easy to make and they will make a dent in that stash. We sew the strips directly onto our batting which gives the quilt a nice firm foundation. The one in this tutorial was finished by ditch stitching in the seam lines, but you can free-motion quilt
Make the most of your small fabric scraps by turning them into crumb quilt blocks! You can combine blocks to make a full crumb quilt top!
Quilting Live in Atlanta was great fun! We made Mini quilts and also some Double Wedding Rings! It was such a whirlwind trip! Check out all the fun stuff! I'd say these are about actual size... ;-) 1.5" blocks... My husband and daughter picked me up friday night and we went straight out to our house... I meant to post over the weekend, but I realized I didn't bring my computer along with me! And no other WORK projects, so I got to relax, sew whatever I wanted, and also Cooked all day on Saturday! Beatrice and I made a carrot cake, I made a few jars of Rhubarb chutney, then cooked a great meal of Salmon with Leek & spinach cream sauce with Gruyere scalloped potatoes... Yep, I went all out! I sewed some 15 Minutes of Play blocks, which are for one of six new commission quilt projects! Someone asked me this weekend if I still get to "just sew." I said, "That's all I pretty much do." She said, "No like, just for fun." I said, "Everything I do is fun! I only make what brings me joy... Finding people who want to have one of my quilts, and making it for them, is pretty great... Next to giving one away! That is #1, to give to those who need. Quilts bring Joy. I get Joy in making them... I always make the quilt I want to make... So the fun is always present. I'll keep you posted on this project as it grows... It's so bright and happy, hard to be sad, looking at all that color! ****** A super Busy this week! Newtown Quilters Guild in Newtown, PA Tuesday and Wednesday. 16th -17th Hosting a Book Release Party for Roderick Kirakofe here on Thursday eve. Quilters Take Manhattan Saturday at F.I.T. ( sold out) 20th QTM After Dark party here in my home Saturday night. 20th Miniatures Class here in my home classroom Sunday. (sold out) 21st Then I head to Acton, MA with Alex Veronelli of Aurifil to Quilters Way : we both lecture on Sept 23rd. Then Sept 29-30th I am at Keystone Quilters, in Quakertown, PA Amazing book, by Roderick Kiracofe. So many fabulous quilts inside, you will be inspired!!! Check it out! More info on that to come...
UPDATED JULY 6, 2022 — CLICK HERE TO SEE MY CRUMB PIECING TUTORIAL TO LEARN HOW I SELECT FABRICS AND SEW MY CRUMB BLOCKS. INCLUDES A VIDEO TUTORIAL. A little over a week ago on February 22 I …
eco-dye, natural dyes, notjustnat
I'm linking up with Nicky and Leanne for Scraptastic Tuesday this week because at last I've got a scrap project to talk about! I haven't mentioned my scrappy crumb blocks for a while, but I did tell you all about them quite some time ago. These are little 5" scrappy charm squares which I've been stitching up over the past few years on the tail end of other projects and leaving aside for some future purpose. These are mostly either less than 2" wide or 2" square and making up the little squares as I go along helps to control my small scraps basket. In my current programme of clearing out and condensing all of my sewing supplies, I thought now seemed like a good time to use the little squares in a project. So after a quick layout and whipping up a few extra blocks to fill some of the gaps, this is my rainbow crumbs quilt. (I took the picture in horrible glaring nightime light - sorry.) Getting them all stacked and labelled ready for stitching together was progress in clearing the two little storage boxes in the top pic - so that's a success for condensing, right? And now, I have a small colourful rainbow flimsy with what feels like a thousand seams awaiting quilting. Interestingly, this little quilt top got the greatest response any of my IG pics have generated to date. Who'd have thought that a wee quilt top full of scrappy leftovers would be so very popular? Seems everybody loves a rainbow and scraps!
Refreshing some old blog address links to the new website, so please forgive the double post today!! I hope this tutorial will be a good reminder to you as well as to me....I have a collection of, qui
Tutorial showing with photos and explaining step by step with text how to sew a string quilt block on paper.
Welcome to the final week of the scrap vortex QAL! I'm thankful that so many of you have joined in and quilted along with me. It's been delightful to look through the #scrapvortexqal hashtag on Instagram. So many scraps are being put to good use! Hurray! Before we get on with today's post, I wanted to share a few quilt tops made by others! This one was made by Amanda of Material Girl Quilts. It measures about 46" x 63". This one was made by Linda of Flourishing Palms. It measures a whopping 89" x 91"! And this one was made by debpotteringabout. She used all of her scraps...ALL of them!!! How is that for a success story? Didn't they all do a great job on their quilts??? Many thanks to Amanda, Linda and Deb for letting me share their work here! Over the past few weeks, I've shown how to fit the pieces together based on the random sizes of your block. I would recommend using that method, if you are up for it. However, I would imagine that some of you may want to rely on a block format for construction. I've done a few quilt block mock ups to show a few options if the random layout isn't working for you. For this first mock up, you could use all 12" blocks. This isn't a bad option at all, just a bit more structured than the typical randomness of a scrap vortex quilt. When you start the assembly, at least you are guaranteed that your blocks will fit together! This second layout uses just 3 different block sizes: 12" squares, 12" x 18" rectangles and 6" x 12" rectangles. In this layout, you will lose the grid of the patchwork (which is a good thing) and it becomes more random, but it's still orderly and predictable. This isn't a bad option, either! These are just a few examples to illustrate my point. Of course, they can be sized up or down as desired. Completely random is good, too! As far as quilting goes, I would recommend doing spiral quilt (tutorial here) to keep with the vortex theme. A pieced back.... and scrappy binding are options that I would recommend as well! It just makes sense, right? :) Well, that's all I have for today! As always, if you any questions, I'll try to answer them in the comments! Thank you ALL for quilting along with me!!!
Today I will be sharing a tutorial on how to make a crazy rails quilt. (You can see more photos of my crazy rails quilt here, if you'd like.) My quilt was inspired by a vintage quilt (below) that belongs to Rebecca, who is a member of my modern quilt guild. Someone in Rebecca's family was on the verge of throwing this quilt away, but her dad stepped in a saved it. I'm so glad that this quilt was rescued. It's a beauty... so inspiring! This is the kind of quilt that one could sit under and look at the fabrics for hours. I just love it! This quilt isn't complicated, by any means, but it's the sheer number of pieces that makes it challenging. Here is a simple tutorial for you, in case you would like to make a crazy rails quilt of your own! I'm sure that I will be revisiting this pattern myself, before too long. I seem to be unable to make just one version of any quilt. :) A few things to note: All seam allowances are 1/4". Each block finishes at 3". Each individual "rail" finishes at 1" x 3". I made blocks by strip piecing, mostly, but I also pieced some blocks individually. I like doing both. Strip piecing saves a lot of time, but I am able to use up smaller pieces by making blocks one at a time. The mix of the two methods gave me a nice variety of blocks to work with in the final layout. It is a good idea to reduce your stitch length while strip piecing, so the seams don't start to separate while the blocks are being handled or arranged. (I use a stitch length setting just under 2 on my Juki, but all sewing machines vary.) To make 1 block at a time: Cut three strips of fabric 1 1/2" x 4". Sew the strips together and press seams to the side, or open, whichever you prefer. I generally press the seams toward the darker fabrics. Trim the block to 3 1/2" square. There is very little waste, as you can see. I trimmed from both ends of the block, to ensure that the block is exactly square. To make 2 blocks at a time: Cut 3 strips 1 1/2" x 7 1/2". Sew together and press seams. Trim the strip set to make 2 blocks, each measuring 3 1/2" square. To make 3 blocks at a time: Cut 3 strips 1 1/2" x 11". Sew together and press. Trim the strip set to make 3 blocks, each measuring 3 1/2" square. To make 4 blocks at a time: Cut 3 strips 1 1/2" x 14 1/2". Sew together and press. Trim the strip set to make 4 blocks, each measuring 3 1/2" square. You could make more that 4 blocks at a time, if you wanted to. Personally, I prefer to have fewer blocks that are exactly the same. Playing with different fabric combinations was a lot of fun! Strip piecing definitely helps make this quilt manageable. I made these 10 blocks in a matter of a few minutes. One other handy thing....I'm piecing a log cabin quilt (measurements here) that also uses 1 1/2" wide strips. It's nice to be able to cut fabric for both quilts at once! Quilt Sizes: size measurements # of blocks needed block layout baby 36” x 36” 144 12 x 12 small lap 48” x 60” 320 16 x 20 large lap 60” x 72” 480 20 x 24 twin 66” x 90” 660 22 x 30 queen 90” x 96” 960 30 x 32 king 108” x 108” 1296 36 x 36 I'm not going to give specific yardage requirements for each quilt size, but if you are guesstimating, a baby size quilt usually requires about 1 1/2 to 2 yards of fabric. A lap size quilt generally uses 3 1/2 to 4 yards of fabric. A twin generally uses between 5 1/2 to 6 yards of fabric. A queen generally requires about 7 1/2 to 8 yards of fabric. A king size quilt can use in the ballpark of 10 yards of fabric. This quilt has more seams than most, so it will probably require more fabric than the amounts listed. These are just very general guidelines for an idea of how much fabric you may need. If you think making a whole quilt is just crazy, (and it might be!) you could also use the block measurements for placemats. That would be pretty fun, too! If you use this tutorial, I'd love to see photos of your quilt. Happy Monday to you!
I am a scrap fabric addict. The first step is admitting you have a problem and I have a big one. I have shelves filled with pretty fabrics. Precuts and yardage and bundles which I’ve been hoarding for the longest time… but do I sew with these pretties? No! I’m inexplicably drawn to the scraps of the projects which I’ve just completed. When I’m tidying up after a projects, I can’t seem to throw the pretty pieces away and as my scrap bins are overflowing, I have to sew with them straight away otherwise I’d need to find somewhere to put them. Tell me I’m not the only one with this scrap fabric problem? PS I’ll show you this finished Scrap-Friendly project soon. I’m going to sit down and do a little extra hand quilting (embellishing) before I put this together.
I just LOVE quilts and especially this one! If you're anything like me, I just hate to throw away fabric scraps. I found this quilt tutorial and was glad I hung onto them! I don't have to buy any fabric! I just knew that there was a reason I kept these scraps! I have a
I was thinking today that, sometimes when my spirits are low, all it takes to lift them again is to ask myself one little question: “What is beautiful about this moment?” And, you know what? The universe always has an answer for me. In fact, the universe usually has several. Two of today’s beautiful...Read More »
What do you get when you add art to scrap quilting? Scrap art quilts, of course! These beautiful designs will inspire you to create your own.
I'm following Vicki's lead and quilting for an hour first thing in the morning. I have been making a lot of progress on my Scrappy String and I'm enjoying it immensely. If I keep up at this pace, this quilt will be done in no time. Since I've decided to make it a tall, narrow wall-hanging I think it will be easy for me to quilt too. I have an idea of what I want but I'll probably play around a bit. I don't want anything too complicated or swirly. I'm going for a more "modern" and simple look, but graphic too. In this bottom photo it's possible to see at what stage I'm working. All of the triangle portions of each block have been sewn together and now I'm sewing the blocks together into horizontal rows. I've only just done one row so far, but I do love how it's looking. I'm planning on using a black/white polka dot for binding and no borders. Even my husband looked at it and commented (before I told him) that that's what it needed. :) He always surprises me as to how much knowledge he's picked up over the years. He's really developed quite a good eye for color. Take care,
I promised a tutorial for the string blocks and I had second thoughts.....why try to improve on my original source. The very best pla...
A couple of nights ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, and, in that semi slumber state when I was letting my mind wander while trying to go back to sleep, I thought of a solution to a puzzle…
I’m sure you have plenty of fabric scraps at home and crumb quilting is one thing you can do with those scraps. Get enough scraps because we’ll be making a tote bag with it, or two. May…
