Scrap Quilts from Your Stash – Where to Start
Creating scrap quilts from your stash can be overwhelming. Many quilters are used to following a pattern when they make a quilt. When I first started creating scrap quilts, I focused on some simple blocks that I liked. In this post, we will discuss quick and easy scrap quilts.
I started playing with 9-Patch, 4-Patch, Snowball, Log Cabin, Simple Stars, and Bowtie blocks. Remember that when you alternate the blocks, another pattern will often pop out. To take it a bit further, I added sashings and cornerstones, which can make the quilt look more complicated.
Options for Scrap Quilts
Let’s start with the 9-Patch. Traditionally, five squares are a color, and the remaining four are a background fabric. For scrappy quilts, you could make the five squares in different fabrics while keeping the background the same. If you are feeling adventurous, you can make the background scrappy using fabrics with similar values.
If you alternate the traditional 9-patch block with a background square, you will create a simple pattern called Single Irish Chain. The plain block provides an opportunity to show off some quilt skills. This is a quick and easy scrap quilt to create from your stash. If you decide to go scrappy with your background fabrics, you could create 9-patch blocks using fabrics from the projects you just completed. It could take a while to accumulate enough for the pattern, but it is a great way to use scrap fabrics.
If you don’t want to wait long to create this type of scrap quilt, look through your stash, pull fabrics you like together, and go for it. Another option is to pull fabrics in different values from the same color family. Let’s not forget how pretty this type of quilt can be when finished. When I look through my stash, I see lots of warm colors as well as green, but I love seeing a quilt in blue and white. The funny thing is, my house doesn’t have blue in it, except for a quilt for my husband. Otherwise, our house leans heavily toward rustic style with greens and pops of warm colors.
More Options for Quick and Easy Scrap Quilts
Another option is to make the squares all random scrappy colors. It took me a while to embrace this block, but the results genuinely give the quilt a scrappy feel. Using leftover squares from a project you just completed is easy enough. Keep your blocks in a labeled box or container and add to them throughout the year.
I love the aspect of creating blocks along the way. It becomes more of a long-term “quick and easy scrap quilt,” which makes me chuckle just saying that.
Adding Alternating Blocks for Interest
Now, let’s add an alternating block to this scrap quilt. Having 9-Patches lined up next to each other doesn’t create as much interest unless you are specific with the fabric and color layout. However, adding a simple block can change the look of the quilt. We will look at the snowball block to pair with the 9-patch block for another quick and easy scrap quilt.
Snowball Block
The snowball block is very simple, although there are other ways to create it. I start with a background fabric in the size I need for the quilt. Then, I choose four different fabrics to complete the corners. Again, this block could be created at the end of a project utilizing fabrics from that project.
If you have a variety of background fabrics, you could go scrappy with them and keep the corners the same. Only using a Snowball block will create an entirely different look, where the focus is often on the quilting in the center of the blocks. The example here uses a variety of fabrics for the corner and the same fabrics for the background. I can picture this in baby colors, with the center of the block quilting using large stitching and adding the alphabet.
Quick and Easy Scrap Quilts – Ideas!
These blocks may not create the sparkle you want in your quilt separately, but they create an entirely different look together. Let’s examine how a quilt made with two very simple blocks can look when combined. It is incredible how pretty these easy scrap quilts can be.
The first example is a traditional 9-patch block with a snowball block. It creates a lattice effect across the quilt. It softens the edges of the diagonals a bit while still providing an area to show off some quilting motifs.
If you have a large print floral or a novelty print you want to showcase, this pattern would work for that.
Now, let’s see what happens when you pair the scrappy 9-patch with no background fabrics with the snowball block. It emphasizes the “circular” pattern on the quilt top rather than seeing the fancy lattice on the above one. Both examples are quick and easy scrap quilts that can be pulled from your stash or leftover fabrics.
Adding Sashings and Cornerstones
Depending on the blocks you choose, cornerstones and sashings can enhance the design and really change the pattern. There are so many other options: you can do pieced sashings, larger sashings, and cornerstones. The sky is the limit. Adding sashings and cornerstones to a favorite block helps create that quick and easy scrap quilt.
Check out the Quilt Library Page for 12-inch blocks. The Scrap Quilt Page carries a variety of patterns that you can pull from your stash. Quick and easy scrap quilts have been calling my name lately, so I hope to add more to the page this year.
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Contact me if you have a block request. I will do my best to add it to my page. Writing the directions and testing the pattern will take time, but I enjoy the challenge. I love seeing your blocks and quilts—even your fabric choices and color combinations. Your creativity inspires me. Please share.
Until Next Time…
