Irish Chain

An Irish Chain is always a good way to use up scrap squares (if you don't mind it being scrappy, of course) - it doesn't use a lot of them in comparison to the amount of backing it uses, but it's a fun little quilt to make. You can use any size square; and use 5 of them along with 4 same size squares of your background colour to make 9 patch blocks. You then need solid background colour blocks in whatever the size of the completed 9 patch. You alternate these blocks and hey presto - Irish Chain.  

What it uses: any size square

Rectangles and Squares

This is a very simple top - and depending on the chosen colours, can look either very scrappy, like the one above, or more controlled. (Like the ones we made for the block lotto in June 2011).  The nice thing about this pattern is that there's no given size for the block - you can make it in whatever size you need to suit your scraps.

The basic block is two squares and one rectangle the size of the two joined squares. These were, I think, 2.5" squares, which means the rectangle was 2.5x4.5.  But you could go bigger (or smaller) and of course you could control the colours more - for instance, make the two squares in the same two colours and the rectangle a third colour. Or make the squares scrappy and the rectangles a consistent neutral. Or whatever.

What is uses: 2.5" squares, 2.5" strips (or other size squares and strips as desired)

Crossed nine-patch

This block is one I call a crossed nine-patch, although I'm sure it has other names as well. I used it to make my stained glass quilt (centre shown below, with no borders on) but it could be used any way you like - with different colours than black for the contrast strip, it wouldn't be nearly so much like stained glass.  You start with a 9 patch block - mine were random in colour (except I tried not to put two the same next to one another) and then simple slice randomly across it, insert the black strip and sew back together. Then you turn the block and slice the other way and repeat.   If you are careful, you can get the first strip to more or less line up with itself when you do the second cross - at least enough so that from a distance they look like crosses.  Another variation on this in a moment!

What it uses: squares (2", 2.5", 3" - any size really)

Red string spools

This is a good one for using up strings and squares - first the strings, to make the string blocks - these can be any size you like, though the wider the strings, the larger you may want the blocks to be.  I then simply added corners to the blocks (you could do this with triangles or with squares, using the sew on the diagonal method) to create a kind of snowblall block. Set together, these produce the spool effect. Very simple!

What it uses: strings, any size squares

Peaches and Dreams....

From a free Judy Laquidara pattern.

What it uses: larger scraps, 2.5" strips, 1.5" strips, 2" strips

Modified Nine Patch

What it uses:

1.5" squares or 4.5" squares or 5" squares

1.5" strips

This block finishes at about 5" - you could, of course, start with a bigger square size...

Boxed-in batiks

What it uses up: 2.5" squares

You could use this pattern with any colour or theme of 2.5" squares - and of course, you wouldn't have to use black for the sashing between the sections. I saw it originally on the So Scrappy blog, in blue and white - as you can see, a totally different look - but equally good. Unlimited possibilities!

Squares and Rectangles

What it uses up:

• 2.5" squares,
• 2.5"x5" rectangles (i.e. half a "nickel" piece)

OR any combination of squares and rectangles where the square is half the size of the rectangle

Easy block to do - plan to create a square from three pieces - a rectangle, which is half the width of the desired square (plus seam allowance), and two square, each of which is half the size of the rectangle (plus seam allowance).

For instance, you'd like some 6" (finished) blocks. Rectangle size: 3.5x6.5"; square size, 3.5"

Or if you want to make 8" (finished) blocks, rectangle size 4.5x8.5"; square size, 4.5"

The block construction is so simple, I don't think I even need to tell you how to go about it!

Log Cabin Corners

Small Log Cabin Corner Quilt

What scraps it uses up:

• 2 inch squares (1 per block)
• 4 inch squares (1 per block)
• 5 inch squares (1 per block)

alternatively, you can use 2" strips you might have, or of course, you can always use fabric which is bigger in size than what I list - you just can't use anything smaller!

For each block cut

• one 2" square for the cornerstone (white in my block)
• one 2" square and one 2x3.5" rectangle in the same fabric (you can cut these from a 4" square)
• one 2.3.5" rectangle and one 2x5" rectangle in the same fabric (you can cut these from a 5" square)

For the setting triangles:

The setting squares could be scrappy but will probably look better if they are the same fabric all around. For this number of blocks I used (32) you will need

• 14 QST triangles (cut a 7.75" square in half diagonally twice) [i.e. 4x 7.75" squares]
• 4 HST triangles (cut a 5.5" square in half once) [2 x 5.5" squares]

Personally, I am probably going to put a narrow border in the same fabric around it, so the top floats a bit, but you don't have to!