The Summer Scrap Elimination 2021: Week 6

Good morning Scrappers! It's the last week of the 2021 Summer Scrap Elimination and I think we've had a good run this time. I hope you have been enjoying the projects from the Studio as well as the fabulous additions from our guest designers this time. I know I have been thrilled to read through the great ideas put forward by our lovely guests this summer and they've given me a few ideas as well. The best thing about our amazing community of quilters is that we often feed off each other when it comes to ideas. It's one of the best reasons to share our work with others.

This week we're back to making a quilt block with our scraps and I love, LOVE how easy and fun this project was to make. It's also a quilt block that lends itself to multiple arrangements very well.

Cutting for 1 Block (finishing 9 1/2" x 9 1/2"):

2 Light rectangles 3" x 8"

2 Medium rectangles 3" x 8"

2 Dark rectangles 3" x 8"

I decided to keep my colors to warmer lights, mediums in yellow orange and red, and warm/dark browns. This gave me a pretty sizeable pile of scraps to work with so I cut 84 rectangles of each value with the plan to make 42 blocks to give me 6 columns and 7 rows.

Step 1. Create two rail fence blocks using one of each of the Light, Medium, and Dark rectangles.

Press all one direction toward the darker fabrics as shown in the image above.

Step 2.

Cut each of your rail fence blocks on both diagonals

Step 3. Using the units cut from two of the rail fence blocks, rearrange the pieces to form new variations on the blocks.

The first variation I liked was this X block. If you have a Marvel's X-men fan in your life, this could be a fun option with black, grey, and yellow.

The second one I arranged made me think a little of a fire or a flame and as we begin the 2021 Summer Olympics, perhaps this will be your Olympic Tribute quilt using the colors of the Olympic Rings.

The third arrangement ended up giving me a set of shapes that I enjoyed just a little more than the first two and I decided to use this one for the quilt top I was creating.

It can be hard to visualize where all the pieces go as you create new blocks from the pieces of the two rail fences you made in Step 1.

I created a short video for you to show how the pieces are rotated and put together to create each of the three variations. Use one of these or created your own variation.

Step 4. Stitch each corner of the block as you would a Half Square Triangle and press each one as shown here.

Complete the assembly as you would a 4 patch block.

This block will now measure 10" x 10".

Each block variation creates a fun and unique layout as you begin to assemble the larger quilt.

Variation 1

Variation 2

Variation 3 came together beautifully and I'm really pleased with the results.

This quilt is easy to expand by starting with larger rail fence blocks at the beginning or just by making more blocks.

You can also start with smaller rail fence blocks and make blocks that might be more suitable to a baby project. It's often true that smaller can be cuter.

Visit Swan Amity Studios on Facebook this Friday to see how our bag handles turned out from last week. Also enter our prize drawing this week as we finish up together. Here's how to get your name in the drawing. 1. Make sure you are subscribed to the website. 2. Make sure you have liked the Facebook page. 3. Comment on the post for Week 6. Do these three things by the end of Sunday and be entered in our prize drawing for a pattern and a fun stack of beautiful fat quarters from me!

But wait, there's more! We have one more wonderful guest designer for you this week. Shankari Patel from Sewl Sister is joining us this week to offer us a blog on Scrappy Strips and Braids. One of the wonderful things about Shankari is her dedication to keeping fabric out of landfills, by using scraps and upcycling some of the fabrics we might not normally consider for quilted or home decor projects. She and her brand are all about improving the world by empowering others. This designer is such a great person for us to have at the end of the Summer Scrap Elimination as she and her brand stand for exactly the principles that we are aiming for with this program. Don't let those scraps go to waste!

It's been my pleasure to bring you another year of scrappy projects. I hope you all have had as much fun as I have! Save those scraps you make over the year and I'll see you again next summer as we stitch our way through the only elimination diet every quilter needs!