Free Scrap Quilt Block Tutorials

I don’t know about you, my scraps seem to multiply faster than I can use them… or give them away! (I pass on the pieces that are too small or oddly shaped to a friend who will use them!) I used to barely use my scraps because I was not a fan of the super, super scrappy look. It felt too disorganised and cluttered for me personally (if that’s your jam, all power to you!) But I’ve since realised that I do love making scrappy quilts – those that are controlled scrappy. Controlled scrappy is where there’s a tight colour palette, and as long as a fabric fits within that colour scheme, it’s good to go.

A big help along this journey was being a member of a quilting bee, where each month one member chooses a quilt block and its colours, and everyone else makes them a block as per the directions. And a big secret to having a successful quilt from a quilting bee is to go super scrappy within the chosen colour palette – that way the quilt looks cohesive despite having 12 different makers (and stashes!) contributing to the quilt! So if someone’s chosen a darker teal than everyone else, it all kinda works out in the end because there’s so many other different fabrics going on too.

So having now set the scene, let me introduce the ultimate quilt block tutorials – Scrap Buster Blocks!

SCRAP BUSTER BLOCKS

I have teamed up with AccuQuilt Australia to bring you this series of scrappy quilt block tutorials that are super scrap-friendly! Some are familiar quilt blocks we know and love, and some are a little more unique. For each quilt block, you’ll be able to find the AccuQuilt instructions on the AccuQuilt Australia blog to make the quilt blocks with any sized Qube set. And then right here on my website, you’ll get the rotary cut instructions for making the 12″ quilt block (finished).

Also on the AccuQuilt Australia block, you will find a few quilt layout options for using each block to help inspire you to think “outside the block” (ha!) when it comes to using your quilt blocks and not just use the standard grid layout.

This all kicks off next Wednesday, and will continue onwards on the third Wednesday of each month for twelve months… that’s 12 scrappy quilt block tutorials to inspire you to use up your fabric scraps!

SCRAP BUSTER SAMPLER QUILT

I will be making a scrappy rainbow sampler quilt from my quilt block tutorial sample blocks, and I invite you to join me and do the same if you’d like to have a fun project to use up some of your scrap fabrics! The blocks will be shared in colour order, so you’d just need to copy the same kind of colour scheme of the blocks to end up with a scrappy rainbow sampler quilt too. I’ll be adding 2 1/2″ strips for sashing and borders at the end, which will make a 44″ x 58″ quilt at the end. Without sashing, the sampler quilt would finish at 36″ x 48″.

Other options you could do to make a cohesive sampler quilt:

• Monochromatic quilt – use the same colour for the prints in each block (handy if you have a lot of scraps in one colour!)
• Use the same background fabric throughout for each block – useful if you don’t have as many scraps suitable for the background (you’ll need about 2 yards if you’re using sashing, or 1 1/4 yards without sashing)
• Choose a 2-, 3- or 4-colour palette – there’s 12 blocks in total, which is neatly divisible by these numbers to make the same number of blocks for each colour.

WHAT SIZE IS SCRAP FABRIC?

So, when we’re talking scraps, what exactly are we talking about? Well, it really does depend on how you work! I have friends who keep and use the smallest of scraps, and then there’s me who won’t keep anything under 2 1/2″ as that’s the smallest size I typically work with in my quilting projects. I also put larger chunks into my scrap drawers – once a piece of fabric is down to about 10″ x 10″ (give or take!). Because at that point, it’s too small to go back into my stash storage as it’ll get lost in between the larger pieces of fabric. But then I have friends who keep that in their main stash!

Which means that what classes as a scrap depends on how you personally work. If you do use little pieces of fabric to make applique or for English paper piecing, then perhaps fabric will remain in your main stash for longer. If you make more machine-pieced quilt blocks and the like, then your fabric will move to the scrap buckets more quickly.

For the Scrap Buster Blocks, the smallest piece we’ll be using is 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″, and the largest is 5″ x 5″, so it truly is scrap busting, as you’ll get to use those last little pieces of your favourite fabrics.

SCRAP FABRIC ORGANISATION

I also want to talk about organising scrap fabric, because once I actually had an organisational system in place, it made it so much more enticing and easy to use my scraps! For the longest time, I just had one big tub that all the scraps went into… pretty much never to be seen again. Now, I have them organised into 6 drawers and a tub.

Like many people, I have outfitted my sewing room with furniture and accessories from Ikea! For this particular section, I have the 2×2 cube bookshelf with Flarra drawer inserts in the top two shelves. In here, I have all my colour fabric scraps, organised by colour. I then have a separate tub for the low volume/neutrals that I keep under my cutting table.

I have the drawers organised into the following colours, with any solids mixed in there too:

• Red/coral
• Orange/yellow
• Yellow green
• Blue green (aqua, teal)
• Blue
• Purple/pink

As you can see, I have loads more low volume/neutrals than coloured scraps! But that’s because now that I can actually see what coloured scraps I have, I’m actually using them. Love that! Remember – I only keep fabrics that are larger than 2 1/2″, and also fabrics that I genuinely love to use. If it’s too small or I’m completely over a fabric, I don’t keep it and it goes into the giveaway tub (along with skinnier strips/small pieces/triangle offcuts etc) that I pass on to local friends.

Again, this is how I best work with my quilting, and that’s why I have the system that I do! If you love to make strip quilts, then perhaps you’d have a space dedicated just to strips. Or perhaps you want to separate out solids from prints. Do what best works for you!

So, who’s in for making some Scrap Buster Blocks?! See ya back here next Wednesday for the very first one!