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How to Sew Scrappy Crumb Quilt Blocks
Hi!
Let’s talk scrappy quilting today. I know many of you love making scrappy quilts purely for the look of them, and the fun you get putting wildly different fabrics together, but let’s be honest – with costs rising everywhere, now might be the time to have a think about making a scrappy quilt, and using fabric leftovers that you already have stashed around your sewing room.
One fun way of using all your fabric odds and ends is through crumb quilting, and today I wanted to share how you can sew your own scrappy crumb quilt blocks, and really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can make using this free-form technique.
How to Sew Scrappy Crumb Quilt Blocks
It’s time to reach for your scrap basket, and put all those yummy and too-good-to-just-throw-out fabric scraps and leftovers to good use. It’s time to gather those favourite fabric morsels (think Kaffe or Liberty prints) and use them to make a striking scrappy crumb quilt.
Whilst there is a limitless variety of sizes and shapes you might like to make your crumb quilt blocks, you’ll find it easier to pick a size, and make a bunch of blocks all the same. You can add sashing, or just sew them all together, or cut them up and re-piece in different ways again.
Maybe you’d like to make your own pieced 2 1/2 inch strips to use in a different quilt project, or for a fun binding option instead??
This is rule-free quilt block construction, and I think sometimes that makes it the most fun of all!
To get started on your scrappy crumb quilt blocks, you will need a bunch of scraps. You can keep this completely scrappy, or you may decide to colour theme it as we did with ours.
We used bright greens and aquas and blues – prints and plains, with touches of purples and pinks for contrast. It’s really a mix of bright jewel tones. (If you have left over jelly roll strips, these are very useful too.)
We decided to make square blocks, measuring 12 x 12 inches.
Remember – this is easy, rule-free sewing, so grab two pieces and sew them together. Do a bunch of these, then press open, and sew those pairs together and so on, until you make a big enough square.
One easy way if you have strips, is to sew random pieces of fabric down the length of the strip, as pictured.
Sew the pieces fairly closely together.
Don’t worry about what’s straight or not either – just sew them together.
Press the pieces open along your strip.
Then just cut between each pieced pair to separate them out.
Then repeat. Sew these pieces to another strip, or sew them to each other, chain piecing to build up bigger and bigger pieces of patchworked fabric.
You will find that you can build up different sized pieced ‘chunks’ of fabric. As they get larger, keep an eye on what will go together to make your 12 inch square scrappy crumb quilt block size.
(Note – look at the left hand side strip – you can piece triangles together too, then add to strips.)
And Ta Dah – A pieced unit large enough for a 12 inch square.
Press well.
Use your ruler to trim so it measures 12 x 12 inches.
(If you find one side is short, just add a strip down the whole side to give you enough length or width to trim the 12 inch block from.
Then you can add any larger offcuts back into the mix, and sew them to another block too!
One trimmed 12 inch square scrappy crumb quilt block. Make a bunch more, and then you can play with arranging them to make a unique quilt top.
Add a plain contrast fabric to really highlight your scrappy crumb quilt blocks.
You’ll find patterns and ‘how to’s’ for different techniques like this in each issue of the Online Quilt Magazine too, so do check it out when you have a chance, at www.OnlineQuiltMagazine.com .
I hope you love this fun technique as much as I do, and if you have some time over this Easter break, go through your scrap basket, and see what combinations you can put together for your own scrappy crumb quilt blocks. (And remember – chocolate makes you sew faster!! 😉 )
Let me know if you’ve tried this technique before, and please share photos in the comments of your scrappy crumb quilt blocks – I always love seeing what you’re making!
Have a Happy, Safe and Chocolatey Easter,
