Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Orphan Blocks + Negative Space = Quick Twin Sized Quilt


As part of Quick & Easy Charity Quilt Month here, I wanted to show how just a few blocks could be made into a good sized quilt.  I knew when our guild decided to make blankets for children in foster care I wanted to make a twin sized quilt.  (I think teens sometimes get overlooked and babies get tons of quilts.)  But I knew the quilt couldn't be super complicated or else I would never finish it.

The beauty of this quilt is that it uses orphan blocks (you know, the ones you have abandoned in the bottom of your drawer  ;) ) and a bunch of negative space to make a large sized quilt.  Since the quilt blocks are already made, the time needed to complete the quilt was minimal.


These quilt blocks were from a Block of the Month Club at my LQS from 2003.  Yeah, ten years old.  It was time to stop storing them and give them a new life.  Here's what I did:


  1. I started by sewing four blocks together with 2.5 inch strips of fabric between them.  Then I sewed the block panel to a large chuck of fabric that was 44 inches wide.
  2. Next I sewed the lower three blocks together with 2.5 inch stripes of background fabric.  Added a piece of fabric to the end that was as tall as the blocks and sewed that strip to the bottom of my first piece.
  3. Then I added a 10 inch strip to the top.
  4. And the bottom.
  5. And sewed a 2.5 inch strip along the right hand side.





Here are some examples of other ways you could use your orphan blocks to make a larger sized quilt.  The possibilities are endless.   What about blocks around all the outer edges?


Now I've just got to get it quilted.  Maybe with Denyse Schmidt inspired figure eights?


http://swimbikequilt.com/2013/07/100-quilts-for-kids-charity-quilt-drive-starts-today.html


I just heard that Katie at Swim, Bike, Quilt is finishing off her 100 Quilts for Kids quilt drive at the end of the month.  Read more about it here - there are lots of prizes for donating a quilt to charity.  

Don't forget that I will be having a link up - with more modest prizes :) - at the end of the month too.  Let's get sewing!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this post. I'm often overwhelmed by BOM sew alongs but this is a great way to have a go at a few and still use them.

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  2. This is beautiful! Thanks for the tips!

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