When I wrote about my guild’s retreat back in October, I included a photo of some scrappy blocks we made for a charity quilt.
My friend Judy wanted the pattern and I found instructions for it by Lorraine Mooney on this site (thanks for sharing this Laure!): https://www.handmadeguilders.com/downloads/LorraineMooneyStringBlock.pdf
I had fun making a bunch of these blocks from my leftover strips.
The trick is to use a partial seam. I first learned to do partial seams in the late 1980s when I made a quilt entitled “Around the Twist” from Trudie Hughes’ book “Template-Free Quiltmaking”.
It’s a great technique and I was excited to do it again after all these years.
But I must admit, I felt the on-line step-by-steps on this site were a little confusing and, since I love writing instructions, I’d like to share my own version with you. I began with my fish bowl. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that I keep my scraps in a large fish bowl (I actually have a second one now – to catch the overflow),
and my grandkids love to play with them. (my first post about it was in 2012 – click here to read it)
So I dug out all the strips and chunks that were at least 9 1/2″ long, pressing them as needed,
and then trimming them into a variety of widths, arranged by color.
This block could be done with a “non-scrap” pallette and strips of consistent width also. However I chose to try to lesson the load in my fish bowls ?.
Now for the fun – choosing strips of similar colors and piecing them into units measuring 6 1/2″ x 9 1/2″. Here are my units in progress:
And with a bit of trimming up:
At this point I realized each block would need a pair of 6 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ units, so I continued to sew and voila:
To make a block, select a pair and place a pin at the center of each unit. The easiest way to do this is to cut a 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″ paper rectangle and place it in the lower left corner of the unit. The pin will mark the upper right corner of the paper:
Lay the 45° line of a ruler along the bottom edge of a unit, with the long edge of the ruler aligned with the pinned center spot:
Cut, and repeat for the second unit in the pair:
Cut a 3 1/2″ center square for your block from a contrasting fabric, and lay it out with these new units:
Flip the lower right piece, right sides together with the center square, and sew a 1 1/2″ seam partial seam as in this photo (this seam is only 1 1/2″ long):
Finger press open:
Flip the lower right piece, right sides together with the center square unit, and sew the complete seam:
Finger press open:
Repeat for the piece in the upper right:
Finger pressing it open:
Pull back the partial seam piece, and sew the unit in the upper left in place:
Flip the partial seam piece, right sides together, with the rest of the block and complete the original seam:
Square up the block to 10 1/2″ (I used scant 1/4″ seams and my blocks required very little trimming):
And your block is done!
I’m seeing a reduction in my scrap stash and I love the way the blocks are coming together.
Have you made quilts with partial seam construction? Would you care to send me a photo to share in a future blog? ?
MariLynn Bergmark says
Wonderful instructions and pictures. Thank you. MariLynn Bergmark from Heritage Quilt Guild Lockport, IL.
Audrey says
Thank you so much for the great instructions….could not have figured this one out I don’t think!
Laura Krasinski says
You make it look so easy!
I love this!
Judy says
Thanks so much for the detailed lesson on these blocks. I have so much scrap fabric so these will be a help in using my stash for charity quilts. You really are a fantastic teacher.
Shari says
Thanks for the great directions!
Ellen Simon says
I thought I was the only one who still owned a copy of Trudie Hughes book! I still refer to it when planning on-point quilts. As for the scrappy blocks, I drew out the block using Electric quilt and then printed a template to use as my cutting guide on the strip sets. My sets were a bit smaller than yours, 8 3/4 long, and I still had plenty of room to cut. My blocks came out almost exact.
Ellen, from Sarasota Friendship Knot Quilters
Geraldine Sharp says
Great way to use scraps. I do not want to waste even small pieces.
Patricia Houlihan says
Thank you! Your instructions are much clearer than Lorraine Mooney’s. Now I feel that I understand how to do this.
Caryl Anne Rosten says
thanks so much. I too like to write my own instructions, but then today I saw your pictures on Pinterest and followed the links . I read and saved Lorraine’s pictures, then saw your post continued down the page. I am still writing my own bc I’m making baby doll blankets and want a 18″-20′ block. Your help was wonderful.
clkquilt says
I’m so glad you found this helpful!
Peggy says
If you make the first and last strip the same, you could end up with the center block outlined in the same fabric on all 4 sides and get a different look/effect on the blocks… I’m not the first one to do that to this block…
Vicki says
I just discovered your tutorial. How easy you made this pattern to follow. Thank you so much. I love the block and going to vary it as I learn to make it. I would like to end up with smaller blocks for mug rugs.
clkquilt says
I’m so glad this was helpful. Please send photos of your mug rugs!