Got scraps? An extra jelly roll? A fat quarter bundle just waiting to be used? A layer cake languishing in your sewing room? Look no further…we’ve got a pattern to help you use up some of these fabrics (so you can make room for more, of course!)
The striped blocks in this pattern use 1 1/4 inch x 10 inch strips of fabric. Perfect for those left over jelly roll strips or layer cake blocks you are not sure what to do with!
I designed this pattern while vowing to reduce my stash and make good use of some of the skinny scraps I had on hand. If you prefer a more coordinated color scheme, choose a 40 piece jelly roll from a single fabric line to create your striped blocks.
Sadie Sue, my Miniature Schnauzer, wanted to show you the green fabric I used for the back of the quilt. It really shows off the quilting!
This is the perfect quilt for beginners! It provides a lot of straight line cutting practice as well as straight line sewing and chain piecing practice.
A Few Cutting and Sewing Tips
Because of all the cutting and sewing practice this pattern provides, Sandy and I want to share a few tips with you.
How to Avoid the “Ruler Slip Problem” When Cutting Fabric
Almost any quilter can tell stories of frustration (possibly tears) when a ruler has slipped right in the middle of cutting fabric. Yikes! This has happened to me more often that I care to admit. One day I was organizing my kitchen cabinets and had a “light bulb moment”…if my dishes won’t slip in my cabinet because of my shelf liner…maybe my quilting ruler won’t slip either!
I use a very small piece of non-slip shelf liner, roughly 1/2 inch x 2 inches and place it between my ruler and my fabric. This small piece allows me to easily move my ruler around and place it in just the right location over my fabric. Because the shelf liner is very thin, it does not raise my ruler too high above my fabric AND my ruler does not slip when cutting…hooray! Problem solved!
Give this tip a try and let us know what you think!
Use a “Leader” When Chain Piecing to Avoid “Bird Nests”
I always us little scraps of fabric for “leaders” when I am chain piecing. I use them to avoid having my bobbin thread get all twisted up creating a “bird nest” of thread on the underside of my fabric.
Garage Sales Are Great Places to Buy Sewing Room Accessories
I like to have a supply of leaders right next to my sewing machine. I was using a disposable plastic sandwich container to store these little scraps (really classy!) when Sandy suggested I up my game and spring for something better.
Since Sandy is a garage sale aficionado, she bought a pedestal bowl at a garage sale for $2.00 and gave it to me for “leader” storage. Can we all say cuteness factor + 10??? It’s a practical AND charming way to always be ready for chain piecing!
Free “Sofa Siesta” Pattern
We hope you like our newest pattern! Be sure to send us pictures of your completed work, we always like to see how others use their stash for greatness!
You can download our free pattern by clicking on this link: Sofa Siesta 05 02 18
We’ll also be posting this pattern on FaveQuilts, a website that provides us with a lot of quilting inspiration. FaveQuilts has free e-books, videos/tutorials and an entire library of free quilt blocks and patterns. FaveQuilts has a great e-newsletter, Piecing it Together, that Sandy and I subscribe to. This newsletter is a great way to keep up to date on what is happening in the world of quilting. If you’d like to give it a try, you can sign up here.
Thanks for stopping by Gray Barn Designs!
What a great pattern for using scraps!
And thanks for the non-slip tips. Genius!
Glad you like the pattern! I hope the non-slip tip works for you!
A lovely quilt to use up loads of scraps! Excellent.
Thanks, Meg! It was an easy quilt to make!
Thanks for the tips and the awesome quilt pattern! I am going to try a piece of shelf liner on my rulers to prevent that slipping!
I hope this tip works for you! It has saved me lots of frustration (and fabric!)
Thank you for the great pattern. I can’t wait to dig in and use up my scraps.
Be sure to share pics of your quilt, we’d love to see it!
Great tips and pattern – I love the name Sofa Siesta! Oh and I have had ruler slip disasters (like when it is the last piece of a hard to find fabric and you really need to get the cutting perfect….)
I have had so many ruler disasters…and like you…hard to find, no longer made, just the right color…whaaaaaa! Problem solved with shelf liner!
Such a cute quilt and I adore the fabrics!! And the quilting – and the paw – great. Thank you for sharing the pattern. Happy Friday!
~smile~ Roseanne
Thanks, Roseanne! I just couldn’t resist showing the paw! She wanted to lay on the quilt in the worst way…of course I let her because she is my official quilt “tester”.
Thanks for the pattern–I pinned one of your pretty pictures
Thank you for pinning a picture! It’s going to rain here so I just might take a “sofa siesta” today with a new book I checked out of the library. Hope you are having a good Saturday!
LOVE Sofa Siesta! After many decades piecing & quilting, it’s always a delight to see something that is new, in its own way.
My fave are mostly multi-fabric “scrap” quilts, so this is right there for me. And you didn’t shy awake from lotsa cutting, sewing, tiny &/or skinny pieces. Brava!
I’ll probably do at least some of the solid blocks as “I Spy” ones, and might even decide on a different background color… I’m considering how the contrast with black or dark purple will set it off.
Just one suggestion to improve it, perhaps. Great picture of a corner of the back and the actual quilting. Since it isn’t a quilt until it’s quilted, please consider including a sketch of your quilting too? Even if it’s a meander of some kind, seeing the quilting across a few blocks is very helpful.
After pages and pages of pictures and directions on piecing a top, a few paragraphs and a sketch of the quilting would be very much helpful and appreciated!
Especially for newbies trying to figure things out & who question their ability to pay a longarmer for every top they want to make.
Meanwhile. Thankyou so ery much for sharing this very lovely and ver usable pattern.
~ RRIS ~
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Hi RRIS! Thank you so much for your helpful comments! This quilt really helped me clean out my scraps. I like your idea about making the some of the solid blocks as “I Spy”, it adds a nice, personal touch. After making this quilt, I started thinking about different color combinations and I may give it a try in blacks, grays and lime green. This was quilted on a longarm and I can’t find the name of the pattern. It was something like “floating diamonds”. My longarm expert recommended something with curves because of all the stripes and straight seams. She told me NOT to pick a quilting design that had right angles in it and I am glad I followed her advice…she always has good suggestions and she does a great job on all my quilts. During the day tomorrow I will see if I can get a better picture of the quilting. If I can get a better pic, I’ll send it to you via email. We’d love to see a picture of your quilt when it’s done!
Sofa siesta is so fun! You are an excellent pattern designer as well as writer. It is not easy, so many steps and details to explain.
I love the paw! Sadie Sue did an excellent job pointing out the lovely quilting 🐾
Thanks, Abbie! I do try to make things step by step and often spend hours writing the patterns…possibly more time than actually sewing! Sadie Sue was right by my side when I was taking pictures and that paw shot was too cute to pass up! It might look staged but was totally spontaneous. She’s a sweetie pie!
I believe it! I’m writing my first ever pattern for the Fall QAL and I think I’m on my 10th draft 🤪
Too cute is right! I love pup and kitty paws, you never know where they’ll put them 🙂
A genius idea and a wonderfully colorful quilt both in one blog post!
Would you like to check out bonnie hunter, leader and Enders. Great idea. I have made lots of extra quilts with her idea. Always have a basket in the draw next to my machine with a quilt cut ready to sew as leaders and Enders. Thank you for your pattern.
Kerryn, Isn’t it great to make two or more quilts at once? I will definitely check out Bonnie Hunter’s site. Hope you like the pattern, be sure to share a pic if you make it!
Just downloaded the pattern. I live how scrappy it is. Can’t wait to make this with the scraps I have accumulated. Have also pinned it. Thank you for the tips and the pattern.
We can’t wait to see your version!
Thank you, Camille! I am glad you like the pattern! I still have lots of scraps after making this quilt…perhaps I’ll make another in a limited color scheme! Send pics of yours when you are done…and thanks for pinning!
Great pattern! Thanks so much.
I put an “Ender” on too. It then becomes the next Leader
Well thanks! That’s a great pattern for scrappy pieces. I use a lot of shoeboxes and kleenex boxes. No fancy bowls here. LOL
Ohhhh, I like the Kleenex box idea! You can just put your hand in and pull out a random scrap. Plus they have the nicest patterns and designs on the boxes…quilters are the ultimate repurposers (if that is really a word)!
Love love love this quilt!!!
Thanks, Wanda! Did you make one? It’s an easy pattern and I just love all the colors!