Oh Scrap! | Scrappy Chain Quilt Layout Options

Hello, again!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all your kind words on social media, e-mail, and right here on the blog regarding yesterday's tutorial! Spreading the love of sewing & quilting as always been my goal and it makes my heart sing when others get just as excited about a new quilt as I do. :) 

As promised, today I'm suggesting a few basic layout options for your blocks in four basic square designs. Remember that this is just a guideline to start with, feel free to adapt your layout however YOU like! Let's get started.

3 Blocks x 3 Blocks | 32" x 32"

For this layout you'll need 5 BLOCK As & 4 BLOCK Bs

5 Blocks x 5 Blocks | 53" x 53"

For this layout you'll need 13 BLOCK As & 12 BLOCK Bs

7 Blocks x 7 Blocks | 74" x 74"

For this layout you'll need 25 BLOCK As & 24 BLOCK Bs

9 Blocks x 9 Blocks | 95" x 95"

For this layout you'll need 41 BLOCK As & 40 BLOCK Bs

Alright, now let's really have some fun! I put together 3 alternate ways to put the blocks together. I think you'll see that with a little creativity and turning on the blocks, you can quickly make all new designs!

I especially like the first alternate layout option myself. Don't be afraid to turn your quilt into your own unique design!

Now get busting those scraps. Don't forget to share your progress on social media using #ohscrap, #scrappychain, and #canoeridgecreations.

Happy Sewing!
Megan

Oh Scrap! | Scrappy Chain Tutorial

Hello, friends!

We recently made a move (for Brandon's job) about 200 miles south of where we'd been living, now to the middle of Iowa. In the 3 weeks we had to pack everything and move, I made it a point to get my sewing room picked up and (more importantly!) organized. With that came dealing with my scraps. I'll admit, I have a love/hate relationship with scraps. Most of that hate came from not having all the scraps in one place & especially from them not being organized. When we actually made the move I had 3 -- yes THREE -- large plastic totes FULL of scraps. What the what?! It just proved that my scraps are out.of.control. With all that being said, I'm on a mission to use up my scraps!

So I officially welcome you to a new blog series called Oh Scrap! I'll be sharing different tutorials, tips & tricks all about -- you guessed it -- SCRAPS. I sure hope you'll join along -- please share your scrap love using #ohscrap on social media so we can all cheer each other on!

Now fast forward to this past week, I won a scrap bundle from 1canoe2 on Instagram. Yay, even more scraps! I met Beth at this past Quilt Market in Minneapolis and I love, love, LOVE their new collection, Tucker Prairie, with Moda Fabrics. I mean buy all the fabric, make all the things kind of love. So naturally, I was beyond thrilled when the package arrived in the mail. You may have seen my picture I shared on Instagram & Facebook. 

That's when the Scrappy Chain design was born -- I loved it so much that I decided to put together a tutorial for you all! This is a fast & easy way to bust through some scraps and have fun along the way. Let's get started!

For this quilt, you'll need:

- Background Fabric

- Accent Fabric

- Assorted Scraps (at least 2" square)

This quilt uses two different block designs, we are going to call them Block A & Block B. First up, let's look at Block A.

For BLOCK A, you'll need:

- 33 scrappy squares, each measuring 2" x 2"

- 12 accent fabric squares, each measuring 2" x 2"

- 4 background fabric squares, each measuring 2" x 2"

Layout your block using the flowing diagram as a guide, first sewing your squares into rows. Then the rows into a finished BLOCK A. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance & press seams as desired. With something like this, I prefer to press my seams in alternating directions. It makes for nested seams & perfectly matching points. 

Finished BLOCK A measures 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" (unfinished 11" x 11").

For BLOCK B, you'll need:

- 4 scrappy squares, each measuring 2" x 2"

- 8 accent fabric squares, each measuring 2" x 2"

- 2 background fabric rectangles, each measuring 2" x 5"

- 2 background fabric rectangles, each measuring 2" x 8"

- 1 background fabric rectangle, measuring 5" x 11"

Layout your block using the flowing diagram as a guide, first sewing your pieces into rows. Then the rows into a finished BLOCK B. Sew using a 1/4" seam allowance & press seams as desired.

Finished BLOCK B measures 10 1/2" x 10 1/2" (unfinished 11" x 11").

The overall layout of the quilt alternates between these two blocks -- Block A & Block B. Pretty easy, huh?

I've already whipped up a few blocks and am loving the process so far! Want in on a little secret that I like to use when starting a new project? Finish a block (or in this case two), take a picture of them using your phone, and then use a mosaic app to get a sneak peek on what the final layout is going to look like -- I use PicFrame on my iPhone! 

Now let's talk layouts & size. I'll be back tomorrow with a few images and cutting requirements for several different sizes -- mini quilt on up! -- but ultimately, it's up to you. I hope you find this design easy to adapt to what ever fabric scraps (or stash!) you want. 

Please share, share, SHARE your progress pictures -- scrap/fabric pulls, cutting, whatever you like! -- using #ohscrap, #scrappychain, and #canoeridgecreations. Let's cheer each other on and bust through some scraps!

xoxo, Megan