If you have a big basket full of leftover fabrics, one of the easiest (and often most inspiring) things you can do with it is to just sit down at your machine and start putting those scraps together to make a big, scrappy block!
But the problem with this type of project is that sometimes your seams start to get a little off the beaten path. You sew two pieces together and it’s fine, but the more you add on, the more distorted the overall shape of the piece becomes, until you’re not really anywhere close to having a square any more.
One way to solve this is to use a foundation piece of fabric, cut to your desired size before you begin sewing. This fabric serves as a guideline for your scrap piecing and helps you stay on track. Becky from Patchwork Posse has two really great tutorials on this subject on her blog.
Becky is no stranger to The Sewing Loft. She has challenged us with quilt alongs, inspired us to think out of our tool box and has a cool on-line quilting guild for all to join. But what you may not know is Becky is known as a speedy sewist – according to her, her sewing superpower is speed! She says, “I can stitch faster than anyone around! I am always the first one done and am picked to help other finish theirs because I have nothing to do! I always have to bring extra projects to fill the time.”
Even if you’re not a supersonic sewing speedster like Becky, you can still finish these tutorials in record time, thanks to the speed of working with scraps and random fabric placements!
Check out this hanging plastic bag holder that Becky made for National Sewing Month.
You can even transform the tiniest of scraps into foundation fabrics and make this scrappy needle keeper.
Another great tutorial from Becky involves string piecing a quilt. This is a great technique for anyone with a supply of leftover fabric strips – if you’ve ever made 4-patch or 9-patch quilts, you probably have a bunch. These types of leftovers can really add up fast and foundation fabrics is a great way to make the most of them! So, if you’ve got a stash of strips, be sure to read Becky’s tutorial and find out how to use foundation fabrics to make your next quilt, one block at a time.
Don’t forget to check out Becky’s blog for a lot of other great tutorials, and more information about her on-line quilting guild! Patchwork Posse is the perfect destination for sewists looking for a place to learn new techniques, participate in swaps, sew along with others, meeting online new and talented designers and so much more.
Thank you for joining US today, Becky!
For more information on scrap piecing your projects, check out these posts:
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