Scrappy Happy Speed Quilting

"Go Big Block 13"- Pieced using this AWESOME technique!

Hey There Fellow Quilters-

I hope you've had a wonderful Christmas and are gearing up for the New Year! I hope that you've kept all of your scraps left over from the Christmas rush because I've discovered a wonderful way to bust through them. This technique isn't limited to just scraps- I've used it on various different blocks and it works like a dream.






About a year ago, I decided that my scraps were out of control and I needed to organize my studio and make my fabric more accessible. I ended up going through ALL of my fabric and cutting it down into pre-cuts.  2 1/2 in, 5 in, and 10 inch squares, Fat Quarters, and 2 1/2 inch X WOF strips. I also left yardages of over a yard untouched. That left me with TONS of little squares.

Ahh! So embarrassed to even show
this. It is so poorly pieced! But at least it
gives you an idea of how incredible this
technique is!

Now my fabric was usable and I knew what I had, but I was overwhelmed by the little squares. How on earth was I going to get through them all? I found several quilt tops that I liked a lot, but my piecing left a lot to be desired.

I also couldn't imagine how long it would take me to get a top pieced. Those two problems combined stalled out my productivity.





I found the answer to my problem here. Elizabeth Hartman walks you through a great tutorial. It is crazy how fast the piecing goes using this tutorial. The quilt pictured below took only a few days to put together and it is an oversized queen! (I didn't sew all day either! I just sewed in the evenings or when my little was napping.)

I applied Elizabeth Hartman's technique
to "Growing up Odd" by Wedding Dress Blue. 

After I completed this quilt using Hartman's technique, it got me thinking. Could I use this same technique to piece HST and maintain perfect points? I gave it a go using the Saturday Sampler pattern I had to complete for December "Go Big Block 13".  I was blown away with the results! I couldn't believe how fast the block went together and how perfectly it was pieced!

 First you need to determine the size of the block you are going to make- in my case 9"X 13 1/2". Lay out your HST in the
pattern desired.

Then iron your blocks in place. It is imperative that you PRESS your iron without moving it to set your blocks in place.

Fold your block along the longest side and sew a 1/4" seam. Press. (Hartman's tutorial instructs you to trim off the seam and press seam open. I didn't find that necessary.) Sewing the long seam first leaves you with a perfect 1/4" seam allowance between each row.

Folded along longest side

1/4" seam allowance. 

Now fold the along the short side and sew the length using a 1/4" seam . Repeat until all rows are sewn. Press open.

Ta-Da! Perfect Points !

I loved using this technique and hope you find it as useful as I did! Happy quilting!!