Work in Progress
The last few months have been hard, really hard. Our family has suffered losses (not covid related) which have left us with in deep shock and aching hearts, all made more difficult by a hard lockdown due to the pandemic. Although our lockdown has indeed come at great expense and many sacrifices we have eased out of isolation to find ourselves in an enviable position with currently no active covid cases in our state!
During this period I have aimlessly dithered around my cutting table and sewing machine. I have started several quilt projects but failed to complete any - as yet. I've lacked focus and commitment but have allowed myself to take it one day at a time. I knew that eventually the joy of working with fabric would return, even if that means short bursts of activity on some days and none the next. I'll take it.
This quilt in progress was again inspired by a vintage quilt. It is a simple four-patch set in a square. It is a perfect scrap buster project as you only need small scraps of fabric for each block, and many of the fabric pieces were indeed pulled from my scrap bin. I set myself a small target of making just 10 blocks a day as a starting point, and pushed myself last weekend to complete all blocks - a total of 324 blocks.
QUILT DETAILS
Four-Patch in a Square Scrap Quilt
Quilt top measures 63.5 inches x 63.5 inches.
18 rows of 18 blocks ~
324 blocks in total ~ 2592 patchwork pieces.
Each finished block measures 3.5" x 3.5".
BLOCK TUTORIAL
I used step 1 to 4 from my Economy Block Tutorial to make these blocks.
**I have substituted the centre square for a four-patch block by cutting
four 2" squares, sewing the four squares together, then trimming
the four-patch centre block to measure 3" x 3".**
You'll find the tutorial here:
(Step 1 to 4 only for this block)
I find the sew and trim-to-size method easier for small patchwork pieces. It is a lot of extra work but it results in accurate patchwork pieces, and as a result the blocks and matching seams come together neatly. Yes, this quilt does have some bulky seams!
It feels good to be back at it, but I make no promises. The only thing for sure is that I have plenty of fabric on hand and all the tools to make many more quilts. There will be more quilts and I will continue to share them here on my blog and on Instagram as and when that happens. I am quietly excited to see what 2021 brings.
As always, thank you for stopping by and scrolling through the photos.
Happy stitching,
Rita
RELEVANT LINKS
Economy Block Tutorial (Step 1 to 4 only for this block)
More RPQ Scrap Quilt Projects:
Follow RPQ on:
COPYRIGHT: Do not copy or use any content or photos from my blog without my written permission. This is original content from www.redpepperquilts.com.
