Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Building Blocks

I had a comment from Kit Kat on my last blogpost,

wondering if I had any hints about making my scrappy 

rainbow blocks.

So I thought I would share my process with you.



Firstly I find all my small pieces, either squarish or 

rectangular. 

Notice that they are not perfectly straight.

I start chain piecing three or four 'units'.

I don't press or trim at this early stage, preferring to 

give a good finger press while I build my block.


I'm aiming for a block that is about 9" square,

so I use the ruler on my machine table to keep things 

on track.


Time to press and trim!

Not everything will fit together perfectly, but trimming

doesn't worry me.... 


they are scraps, after all!

As I knew the block was wide enough, I just kept 

piecing to make another 9" wide unit.



I just needed one last narrow unit to get the block up to 

size.


I try to keep the small pieces in the middle of the block.

I don't want them trimmed off to make my block the 

correct size. 

Or lost in a seam allowance once it is pieced with its 

rainbow neighbour.



(If you still have questions, please leave me a comment, but make sure you are not a 'no-reply commenter', or leave your email address in the comment.)

I'm still making scraps, trimming up fabric from my 

Bessie Creek Rd quilt....


Most are larger and may be stored separately, for 

foundation paper piecing or a Scrappy Sandwiches quilt 

perhaps?



I've celebrated my scrap organisation by treating myself 

to some new fabric,

including some new Monika Forsberg!

Happy sewing!

SUZ


6 comments:

Mego said...

Looking good!!! I just 'treated' myself to that 'pencil' fabric! LOVE IT!

Susan Smith said...

Love what you are doing & will show you the Mile a Minute instructions one day when we meet. Isn't the weather appalling today with all that wind, but not freezing so far here in West Gippsland. Look forward to seeing more of your scrap adventures & Bessie Creek progress soon. Do you think we'll be back in lockdown? Take care, stay safe & hugs.

KitKat said...

Thank you so much, the information is greatly appreciated!

Florida Farm Girl said...

Good reminder to keep the small pieces in the middle so they don't get lost due to trimming.

Karen S said...

Great to see the process you used.

OPQuilt said...

I've started to make some scrappy blocks lately, too (too many scraps) but you have some of the best advice I've read, especially the part about keeping the small bits to the interior. So smart--I will keep this in mind as I keep making. Thank you!

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