Sunday 2 March 2014

Full of the Joys of Spring part 2 - and a tutorial!

So the rest of my day yesterday was spent sewing.
 
And yesterday I made a quilt top! It was so quick and easy I've put a quick tutorial together as I'm thinking it has the possibilities to be as good as the #scrappytripalong that is all the rage online.
 
One of the marketing girls at the offices gave me a charm pack of thirty two 5" squares that are subscription gifts for a Sewing for Pleasure show the magazine is attending in a couple of weeks.
 
'What can you do with this?' she asked.
 
I wasn't immediately struck with inspiration but as usual the creative juices starting flowing and I have come up with this. It measures 38" square but if you kept adding blocks you could make a bed-sized quilt really quickly.........and use up a lot of scraps. You don't have to use one background colour either like I have done here, which would use even more scraps up!
 
 
I'm calling it a #scrappychurndash and here's how you make it.
 
What you need:
Assorted 5" square scraps or a charm pack
Matching background or assorted light or dark scraps. I used calico.
 
Cutting:
1. Cut 5" strips from your background and sub cut these into 5" squares.
 
Method:
1. Take one, 5" background square and cut it in half to make two, 2.5" x 5" rectangles.
2. Join these rectangles to opposite sides of one, 5" scrappy square. Press seams towards scrappy square.
 
 
3. Take one, 5" scrappy square and cut it in half to make two rectangles as before and join them to opposites sides of one, 5" background square. Press seams towards scrappy rectangles.
 
 
4. Cut this second pieced strip in half to make two, 2.5" x 9" rectangles.
 
 
5. Place these pieced rectangles on opposite sides of the first pieced strip.
 
 
6. Join the strips together to complete the block. It should measure 9" square (finished size 8.5" square) and the seams should nestle nicely because you have pressed them in opposite directions.
 
And hey presto one very quick and easy block!
 
 
What do you think? Want to play along too? If you do, tag your images #scrappychurndash
 
Joanna

1 comment:

  1. Great idea to use up a charm pack quickly and easily!

    ReplyDelete