The Squared Away quilt is designed based on 10-inch blocks made with squares, rectangles, and half-square triangles. This means that quilters of all skill levels can join in the fun. The plan is to make 3 blocks per month (from the same pattern) so that by November we have 30 blocks to make a decent-sized lap quilt.
Tutorials for the blocks will be posted on the first Saturday of each month, with lots of pictures and clear instructions.
Options? We have options!
There are a lot of options in this BOM if you want to customize your quilt or make something different with the blocks. Want to make the blocks in a different size? The blocks for this BOM all have units that finish at 2 inches. This makes it easy to adjust the size of your blocks. If you adjust the sizes so that each unit finishes at 3 inches, you will get blocks that finish at 15 inches square. This would make for a fast quilt! On the other side, if you adjust each unit to finish at 1 inch, you will have 5 inch blocks, a great size for a mini quilt. If you start with 2 inch squares, they will finish at 1-1/2 inches in the block, giving you 7-1/2 inch blocks.
Note that this quilt was designed based on 30 10-inch blocks. If you're making 15-inch blocks, I suggest making 2 blocks per month for a nice-sized quilt at the end. If you're making 7-1/2 inch blocks, I suggest making 4 blocks a month for a lap-size quilt. If you're making the blocks in a 5-inch size, anywhere from 1-5 blocks per month will make a nice miniature quilt.
Thirty blocks sounds like too many blocks? Make fewer for a smaller quilt! Want a big quilt? Make more blocks every month for a quilt as big as you'd like.
Really like one of the blocks? Make a whole quilt from it! Don't like a block? Skip it, or replace it with one of the others in a different color.
Just want to play along, but don't want to make the whole quilt? Make a few blocks and add them to another project!
Like the idea, but don't want a rainbow scrappy quilt? Choose your own colors and play along!
Angela and I will offer a couple of different layouts at the end, but what if you don't like them? Choose your own layout and arrange the blocks any way you want!
We've come up with the idea for this quilt, but make any changes you want to make the quilt your own.
**An important note about copyright and sharing** Angela and I created this quilt as a fun, free project. We are giving away all of the instructions, including the tutorials that will appear on either blog, without charge, but that doesn't mean that you can copy them or charge any fees for them. If you'd like to share the tutorials or photos, please send people to our blogs. That's good manners! Links to our blogs are good manners, too! No one has permission to copy and paste any of the words or photos posted for this project or to charge fees for any of them. Let's just be respectful and keep this fun, okay?
Materials: This is a scrap project, so there are no yardages to give. Each of the blocks should use less than a fat quarter's worth of scraps in the color of the month. You may want about three yards of a background to unify the blocks if you are not using all scrap backgrounds.
Dates: Block tutorials will be posted on the first Saturday of each month-- January 6, February 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1, and October 6. Finishing instructions and layouts will be given on November 3, with the finished quilt and wrap-up on December 1.
Some helpful links: Here are some links to different methods for making half-square triangles, including cutting charts and tutorials:
The traditional method of making two hsts at a time is found HERE.
To make 4 at a time, look HERE.
To make 8 hsts at a time (the Magic 8 method), look HERE.
Angela also has many helpful links and tips on a tab at her blog, soscrappy. Her page for the sampler is HERE and a post about hsts, including methods to make them using specialty rulers, is HERE.
Linkups: Angela hosts a linkup each Saturday for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge at her blog, soscrappy. We'd love to see your progress pictures as well as any other RSC projects you're working on.
Questions? Email me at academicquilter AT gmail DOT com.
That's it for the general information! This will be a fun project, so grab some scraps and join in!
January-- Light Blue and light neutrals
Red Cross, Clara Stone, 1906
February-- Purple and lavender
Wishing Ring, Mrs. Danner's Quilts, 1934
March-- Light and bright greens
Red Cross, Ladies' Art Company, 1897
April-- Yellow and gold
4X Star, Ladies' Art Company, 1895
May-- Pink and Rose
Baton Rouge Square, Nancy Cabot, 1936
June-- Aqua and Turquoise
Country Lanes, Mountain Mist, 1935
Round the Corner, Nancy Page, 1920
August-- Orange and Brown
State of Georgia, Workbasket magazine, 1935
September-- Dark blue and dark neutrals
Queen Charlotte's Crown, Nancy Cabot, 1930s
October-- Dark green and sage green
Dewey Dream Block, Orange Judd Farmer magazine, 1899
Finishing instructions--
Straight settings
On-point settings with bonus block
10 comments:
I love colorful scrappy sampler block quilts! This is going to be sooooo much fun! Thank you, Mari, and you, Angela, for creating this Rainbow Scrap Challenge Quilt. It's going to be a good RSC year.
Thanks for joining in! This is going to be fun.
I am looking forward to this Saturday and the first instructions
I think this will fit in for what I am doing this year. I can't believe how your picture of scraps looks like what I am doing right now. Yes, gathering my scraps all together and separating them into plastic bags, hopefully by color. This will use a lot of scraps!
Thank you for taking the time to make up this pattern! I've written patterns and know how difficult it can be. I would like to know what the finished quilt size will be, I know it will be at least 50x60 using 10" blocks, but does it have borders? Or are you leaving that up to us? haha I am new to your site and am enjoying it thoroughly! Thanks again, Lynn
We will offer several setting options at the end of the year. Straight set with sashing will give you the smallest size (62 by 73), but diagonal set will be larger (71 by 87), depending of course on your design decisions.
Hi Lynn,
Angela gave the sizes for what we have planned, but any other borders or variations will be up to you. Thanks for joining in!
I’ve done my January blue blocks. Finished is better than perfect! but I like them. Thanks for a pretty cross block.
I love this block. I made a single block which will be a coffee mat. Posted it on instagram and linked it to you. Thanks
For the first time since this started, I'm caught up! I have two squares per month (x2 because I'm trading with my sister, so a total of 4 each month) and finally, today, I have them all made. But now I'm wondering -- what are the last two colors going to be????
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