Leftovers: Recipes for Easy Crazy Pieced Quilts

 

Crazy quilting isn’t new, but these ideas will make it easy, enjoyable, and economical, I am not talking fancy stitches, satins, or velvets.

 

The time is now:

"   Economize

"   Tighten our  belts

"   Make do with what you have

Use what you have:

"   Fabric

"   Rulers

"   Leftover Binding

"   Pieced backing

"   Pieced batting

Keep it simple:

"   Enjoy the simplicity of the quilt

"   Enjoy the freedom of construction

"   Don’t stress over anything

 

Recipe for crazy Pieced Quilts – like a recipe for veggie soup or a casserole, you use what is on hand or left from last night’s dinner

 

     1.     Evaluate your scraps (what you have on hand-or trade with your friends)

"   Anything and everything

"   Lights versus darks

"   All one color/two colors/etc.

"   Each block a different color

"   Themes (Christmas/nursery/conversation/etc)

"   Leftover blocks or leftover block sections

2.    Evaluate your scrap sizes

"   Small pieces for smaller blocks

"   Large pieces for back of quilt or larger blocks

"   Long strips for sashings-borders-pieced borders

"   Leftover binding for binding

3.    Choose Your Size

"   Block size – use what rulers you have, doesn’t have to be a square

"   Quilt size and design (sashings? Borders?)

"   Try to design your quilt around what you have

 

Piecing your block

 

1. Start block design by choosing your center (may not stay in the center)

"   Orphan block

"   Fussy cut

"   Anything

1. Make sure your starter piece has straight sides, needs to be 3-4or 5 sided (the number of sides may change as you build your block)
2. Make sure your scraps have straightened sides and are pressed

 

1. Add a fabric piece to any side with ¼” seam allowance
2. Trim evenly and press away from the center
3. Continue adding scraps, trim evenly and press

"   If you sew too short, trim away your mistake

1. Be aware of your finished size and check against your selected ruler
2. When large enough:

"   Press with heavy starch (help protect bias)

"   Trim with your selected ruler

"   Use leftover trimmings for another block

 

How are you going to finish the quilt top?

 

1. No border – need to secure your outer edges from stretching while basting and quilting:

"   Sew the interfacing along both long sides of your quilt top using a scant ¼” seam allowance

1. Adding borders:

"   Use long strips of leftovers (as long as they have been cut on the straight of grain)

"   Use scraps sections sewn onto interfacing

1. To add pieced borders:

"   Cut lightweight interfacing the width of your border, include your seam allowance, and the length, plus an extra few inches for final sizing

"   Add your scraps to the interfacing, (your scraps should go over the edges and be trimmed later) press using starch

"   When completed, trim the sides and cut to the final length needed(note-if you have long strips to use for your border, double the width of your interfacing, then cut in half lengthwise after all scraps are added and get two border strips for the work of one)

"   Sew to the longest sides first, then top and bottom

1. Add interest to your borders by controlling colors or prints

"   Use one or two colors

"   Use only plaids, florals, etc.

 

Finishing your quilt:

 

1. Use your leftover batting

"   Trim your batting evenly or curvy into strips or large sections

"   Place the sections up against each other (DO NOT OVERLAP) and sew with a cross hatch stitch

1. Quilt with an overall design, a good time to experiment and practice your machine quilting
2. Bind with your leftover binding

 

 

                                                          © "Stitched Buy" Sandi Blackwell