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!