I have quite a few scrappy charity quilt top projects started, since several quilters have given me some of their scraps over the past year. I haven’t written about all of these previously because, well, I just keep starting more. I’m inspired by quilt photos I see online and think, “Ooh, that would make a good quilt for charity!”
Note: this doesn’t include the tiny scraps projects I also have going (Ohmigosh!, Aunt Joe’s Afghan, and Grandpa’s Star).
1. Trail Mix
Trail Mix is a free quilt pattern on the All People Quilt website.
I started this one well over a year ago. Then when I got to the “cut 1¼ inch strips” instructions, I put it away. I had originally thought I could make it with all of my pre-cut scraps, and was a little disheartened when I came to that, because that isn’t a size I normally cut.
I plan to make the full quilt, but split it in half, and maybe not add all the borders. It’s become a sort of leader-ender project. But then maybe they all are that sort of project. Well, all except the one at the end.
2. Potato Chip
I have a cute little (almost overflowing) organizer filled with little 1½-inch by 2½-inch rectangles, or “bricks”. When I have a less-than-3-inch long 1½-inch strip, I’ll cut it into one of these bricks rather than a square (to get as much use of fabric as I can, of course!).
I’m making blocks that are 6½ inches square, finishing at 6 inches. The layout will be 80 blocks which will measure 48 by 60 inches. I’m trying to shade each block from one dark corner to one light corner. I’m very curious to see this quilt all together. I have about 50 blocks made so far.
3. High Cotton
I’ve made a variation of this quilt previously for my father, and I like the construction of the blocks – they use a little bit of one colored fabric and a tiny bit of a neutral. I have approximately 40 blocks made so far. These blocks also measure 6½ inches square, so they will probably need the same number of blocks as the Potato Chip quilt.
4. Sawtooth Scrappy
I don’t know if that’s even close to the name for this quilt, if there is a name for it. I saw a photo in a Facebook group, and haven’t been able to track an official pattern down. The blocks alternate with a sawtooth star and a 16-patch.
I’m making blocks that finish at 8 inches square so that they easily use my 2½-inch squares. Yes, they also have the dreaded flying geese units, but since I’m using Bonnie Hunter’s ruler, they can be made with standard size strips (whose scraps go into my 2½-inch scrap containers). 42 blocks makes it a 48 by 56-inch quilt, so I might add a small border (maybe scrappy, 2½-inch squares all around?) to make it 52 by 60 inches.
5. Rainbow Pennies
I’ve only made two of each of these four colors so far, but have plans to make two more each of red, yellow, pink, purple, brown, and black. That shouldn’t be too hard to do from stash. I’d like to make them as I make a quilt from those stash strip colors, if I have enough pre-cut. Goals!
6. More Stash Buster Challenge 2024 blocks
One of my quilting groups is piecing these blocks as a group charity project. We make the blocks, and then one of our members sews them all together and quilting them. Then the quilts are donated to the Wrap Them in Hugs quilting ministry of the Maple Hill Church of Christ. This ministry is where I donate all of my charity quilt tops, and where I go weekly to help bind quilts (or whatever they need done that week). It is such a wonderful group of quilters, new and seasoned, and such a good work blessing others.
7. Crumble Weave
I found this really neat crumbs/strings quilt pattern and thought it was really unique. She also has a Crumble Weave YouTube video tutorial on how to make the blocks.
I started making some strips on a whim with some of the newsprint paper foundation strips that I cut with an old rotary cutter blade and some of my shorter strings and crumbs. You need to use a smaller stitch length to be able to easily tear off the papers when piecing to the background, so I’m trying to remember that (or use my Elna Carina for piecing them).
The background could be white, or it could really be any light solid or print that reads as solid. I originally thought white, but I reserve the right to change my mind until I actually start piecing the blocks together. My scraps are all colors rather than the coordinated ones like in the pattern and video, but I think it will work just fine.
And I have so many ideas for more quilts that I want to make, so much inspiration, I just need to buckle down and finish the ones I have started so I can begin the new ones.