Playing with Quilt Blocks

Let’s build on last week’s fun post on favorite blocks. Now it’s time to plan on making blocks for your next project. Before starting on the actual blocks for a quilt, I like to make blocks to test colors and also to see if I can improve on the piecing methods. I call those blocks “orphan” or “test” blocks. These blocks may end up in quilts or they may not. Who knows? Let’s get started.

Testing Fabrics and Colors

This is how I usually end up with a lot of random blocks. It’s one of my favorite tips. Audition fabrics for your next quilt project by first, choosing fabrics and then next, making a test block.

When I am beginning a new quilt, I look at the blocks and decide how many different colors I want. Whether I want 3, 4, 5 or more colors. Then I lay out fabrics in a row to “audition” how they play together.

By laying out the fabrics like above, I can see what fabrics seem to work together and which ones don’t. Sometimes it’s because of the color or it could be the prints in the fabric that clash. You can do this at the quilt shop with pre-cut or bolts in a well lit area. This will also serve to save you money because you won’t buy a fabric that doesn’t fit in. If you’re like me, you’ll probably be buying that fabric anyway. LOL!

The next step is to dig through fabric scraps to find fabrics that match the ones you are thinking of using. I like to use similar scraps to test blocks so I don’t cut into large pieces of my good fabric in the stash. Here’s one of my bins of scraps:

I also dive into these bins for appliqué projects. I don’t like to toss fabric because of the expense so I try to use it in as many ways as I can think of.

After I have chosen some scraps, I start making test blocks to see how they look together. Here’s a few I have made.

Once you put together some different options, you can choose the color combination that suits your project best. And all without cutting into your expensive fabric!

What to Do With All These Blocks

Now that you have a stack of these blocks laying around, what do you do with them? I have several ideas.

Idea #1: Use up some random scraps in your stash to border the test block and you instantly have a gift for your non-quilting family members and friends. That’s what I did with this block:

The center star block was a test block for a project. I just went through my strip collection and attached three borders, one pieced, and I had a cute candle mat.

Idea #2: Frame the block! It’s a fun way to create art for your quilt studio and it can also be a nice gift for a quilting or non-quilting friend. Here’s one I made:

I sandwiched and quilted the block before framing it.

Idea #3: Make a pin cushion. Sandwich and quilt the block (quilting is optional) and then lay it face down on a face up piece of fabric. Stitch on 3 sides and then turn right side out. Fill the pouch with crushed walnut shells and stitch the last side closed with a ladder stitch.

Crushed walnut shells are recommended over sand. Sand can attract moisture that will eventually rust pins and needles stuck into the pin cushion. You can find crushed walnut shells at your local pet supply store.

Idea #4: Once you have a large number of blocks, make a sampler! You can make a wall hanging or a larger quilt if you have a lot of blocks. It can also serve as a fun resource for future projects. It’s like an encyclopedia of blocks. Something like this:

Of course, I added some fun scrappy borders to the one on the left and some consistent setting blocks to the one on the right.

Well, those are my ideas. Have you made blocks like these to test fabrics and colors? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll draw a name from the commenters to win my pattern, Star Wheels.

This quilt pattern will give you a good opportunity to audition fabrics for fun color combinations. The drawing will be on Monday, February 16th. ***We have a winner! Congrats, Claire W.!***

Happy Quilting!
Deanne