Red Pepper Quilts: Confetti Drunkard's Path Scrap Quilt ~ Part 1

Work in Progress.

Confetti Drunkard's Path Scrap Quilt | Red Pepper Quilts 2016

As promised, this week's quilt is a scrap buster quilt. I don't manage my fabric scraps well. My scraps are all odd sized pieces, a mix of prints and solid fabrics, in every color of the rainbow and more, all squished into two over-sized plastic tubs. It's not a pretty sight ... until you tip them over and see the treasures that are in there.

Almost all of the printed fabrics used in this quilt top have been rescued from my scrap bin. Admittedly, some are new fabrics that recently arrived and were still sitting on my cutting table, and I just couldn't help cutting into them! More scraps were made. The solid fabrics - all of which are Robert Kaufman Kona Cottons - were taken from stash. I think that is a well balanced quilt top ~ some rescued, some just in, and some fabrics from stash.

The quilt design is a traditional Drunkard's Path block sewn together in four-patch units to form a complete circle. I set out to make 100 full circles. That's 400 Drunkard's Path units. The circles are small, measuring 4 inches in diameter, and I used a specialty ruler by Bloc-Loc (a 3" Finished Drunkard's Path ruler) to piece each of the Drunkard's Path units. Bloc-Loc templates and rulers are based on over-sizing and trimming blocks (squaring up) for accuracy, and that is exactly how I like to sew.

The Bloc-Loc trimming template has a groove that hugs the curved 1/4" seam which makes trimming quick, easy, and accurate - with the standard being that the curved seam is pressed away from the inner quarter circle. However as I wanted all of the seams to nest I pressed the seam allowance for half of the Drunkard's Path units towards the quarter circle. I was still able to use the Bloc-Loc trimming template to square up the units simply by lining up the line on the template with the seam. Initially I clipped the curved seam allowances prior to pressing but soon realized that the curve was just as smooth and neat without clipping. Furthermore, no pins were used to make this quilt top!

QUICK QUILT STATS

400 Drunkard's Path Units.

800 patchwork pieces.

100 four-patch Circle Blocks.

Each Drunkard's Path unit measured 3.5" x 3.5".

These units were then sewn into four-patch units to form a circle.

Each four-patch Circle Block then measured 6.5" x 6.5".

To create the balance of printed fabric vs solid background fabric I trimmed

the four-patch Circle Block to measure 5.5" x 5.5".

All solid fabrics are Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton.

Quilt top measures 50.5 inches x 50.5 inches.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of piecing this quilt top and I LOVE how it has turned out. It's bright and colorful, and although you would not know it by looking at my scrap bins, I have rescued at least 200+ small pieces of scrap fabric!