I L♥VE scrappy quilts! 

I love the idea of making something beautiful and original out of seemingly nothing.  I love the idea of making something useful with little or no cost. 

I love that sense of nostalgia I get when I see an old, worn, hand-quilted quilt, that was pieced together with scraps saved over the course of many years.  Scrap quilts are charming to say the least!  That's why I had so much fun making these little cuties a few weeks ago.  I called them my Scrap Jar Stars.

Shortly after posting this photo, my friend Jodi {from Pleasant Home} emailed me and said those stars were just the thing she was looking for to round out her 2012 Sew Scraps Along!  She's a girl after my own ♥ and I love that she's dedicating the whole month to sewing with scraps, including lots of great tutorials and giveaways!  Head on over to Pleasant Home for all the fun details!

Jodi asked me if I'd post a tutorial of my Scrap Jar Stars and maybe give away a few scraps as part of the fun.  I was flattered as could be that she asked and happy to do a giveaway.  Hopefully, one gals scraps will be another quilters treasure!  Edit: I now have a full pattern in my Etsy shop that includes efficient cutting instructions for 4 different size quilts (not just one block) and modified block instructions so there are fewer seams!  It's available in paper and PDF.  You can check it out HERE.

So here we are.  A little tutorial just for you! 

As part of the Sew Scraps Along, I decided to make up another colorway of my Scrap Jar Stars.  I pulled out my reds, navys, blues and aquas from my scrap jars.  I'm loving these colors against the white.  A happy and fresh combo if you ask me.  Of course, there's a million different possibilities, so pull out some of your favorite scraps and let's get started!

Cutting

(per block)

(12) 2" bright squares

(12) 2" white squares

(4) 2" x 3-1/2" white rectangles
(4) 4-1/4" white squares*
(4) 4-1/4" bright squares*

* Note: Cut more than 4 for more variety!

I like to make one block first and then when I know what I'm doing I use an assembly line for the rest. So you might like to multiply the cutting requirements (above) by however many blocks you are making. It seems to go quicker that way.

Assembly

Make Star Points: 
You will need 8 Half-Square Triangle blocks for each star.  Each pair of bright/white 4-1/4" squares will make two HST blocks.  Make extra HST's for more variety in your star points :)

Step 1: On each of your bright colored 4-1/4" squares, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.  Pair up each bright square with a white square with right sides together (RST).

Step 2: Use a 1/4" seam allowance to sew along both sides of the line.

Step 3: Cut on the line to form two HST's.

Step 4: Press the seams towards the dark side.

Step 5: Use a ruler to trim the HST blocks to 3-1/2" square.  By starting out a little big and trimming down to 3-1/2" square your star points will be more exact.  I like to use my small 6-1/2" square ruler to do this step.  Set the HST's aside. 

Make 16-Patch:
Lay out sixteen 2" squares next to your sewing machine (alternating 8 white with 8 bright).  Use a 1/4" seam allowance to sew the squares together in rows. 

Press seams towards the bright fabrics.  Then, sew the rows together (butting up alternating seams against each other and pinning in place).  Press row seams in one direction.  Set aside.

Assemble Star Blocks:
First, lay out 2 HST blocks on each side of the 16-patch block to make the 8 star points.

Sew each set of HST's together with RST.  Press the seams open.

Sew two of the sets of HST's to opposite sides of the 16-patch.  Press seams towards the 16-patch.

Before sewing the other sets of HST on, you will need to make the corner blocks.  I like to sew them together at this point (instead of earlier) so that I can make sure the bright corner fabric is not the same as the two star points on either side of it.  So lay out the desired 2" bright colored squares in what will be each of the outer corners of the star block.  Then lay out a 2" white square next to it (on the inside) and a 3-1/2" rectangle above or below them (depending on which side of the 16-patch unit you will be sewing it on to).

Make the corner blocks by first sewing a bright 2" square to a white 2" square with RST.  Press seam towards the bright square.  Then sew that unit to a 3-1/2" white rectangle and press seams towards the white rectangle.

Sew a corner block to each side of a set of HST's, making sure to keep the bright square in the outer corner (see photograph below). 

Sew two of these units to the sides of the 16-patch unit to complete the Scrap Jar Star.

This unit should measure 12-1/2" unfinished.

I made four blocks and sashed them with (4) 2" x 12-1/2" white strips and (1) 2" bright colored square in the middle.  I'm still deciding whether to make a table topper or a throw size quilt.  Any thoughts???

So there you go!  I hope you liked this tutorial
(and I hope it all made sense ~ my brain is fried right now :)
They're really fun to make and if you haven't been there already,
go to Pleasant Home to see Jodi's "camping" colorway! 

Speaking of Jodi, ever since she contacted me about her Sew Scraps Along, I have been looking forward to emptying out my scrap jars for a giveaway.  It's a new year and time for a fresh start!  If you'd like to enter to win some of mine, please leave a fun comment below.

* THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED *
Here are the details:

Giveaway will end on Saturday, January 21st at midnight.
Leave one comment below for one entry.
For a second entry, leave another comment telling me that you're a follower.
I will announce a winner on Monday.

If you'd like the full pattern which includes efficient cutting instructions for 4 different size quilts (not just one block) and modified block instructions so there are fewer seams visit my Etsy shop HERE!  It's available in paper and PDF.  Or shoot me an email (gigisthimble@hotmail.com) for wholesale prices.

Happy Sewing!
Amber

A Not-So-Scrappy Scrap Jar Stars Quilt

 Hi friends!  I'm happy to share a recent quilt finish with you today!

I made this just for fun as I thought it would be beautiful in my own home.

Towards the end of August 2025, I got a wild hair to take one of my most popular patterns,

Scrap Jar Stars and make it not-so-scrappy!  I love two-color quilts and thought it would

be fun to see a simplified, timeless version it!

It was love at first block!  And it brings me so much joy every time I look this quilt because

all of the fabrics are fabrics I designed!  The background fabric is called Sketchy Leaves

in the color Linen from my Feels Like Home collection with Riley Blake Designs. 

The blue fabric is called Daisies in the color Sky from my collection Honey Locust

with RBD.

I got most of the quilt top put together at a quilt retreat that I went to in September.

(My friends and I did a photo shoot with all of our quilts on the last day of our retreat.)

I am not gonna lie, it's all I got done at the 5-day retreat (besides our daily walks,

chatting, floating a river, cooking and eating, shopping, a few naps, etc.  It was a GREAT retreat!)

I brought a bunch of other projects but unfortunately, this took the majority of the time.

I added the border once I got back home.

This pattern comes with 4 quilt-size options - baby, lap, twin, and queen.

I added on one row to the twin size to make it a little wider.

My friend Jen Ostler in Highland, Utah quilted it with straight lines.

Those are always a win in my book!

The backing fabric is also from my collection, Honey Locust with Riley Blake Designs.

It's called Hydrangeas in the color Sky.  I hand-bound it in the blue daisy fabric.

It had been a while since I've hand-bound a quilt and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it!

And per usual, I added one of the simple labels I get from Ever Emblem.  They're so easy to sew into the binding so I don't have an excuse to not label my quilts!  I get the 2" cotton, fold-over, sew-in labels.  If you want to get some for yourself, you will just have to pick one of their basic cotton labels and customize it from there.  I machine stitch my binding down around it because it's hard to hand stitch through it (but then I usually hand stitch the rest of my binding down to the back of my quilt).

I'm not sure where this quilt will "land".  On the back of a sofa, a chair, or on a bed?

But I know I will not regret having this timeless blue and "white" quilt in my home!

This one is definitely a keeper!

I want to give you the fabric requirements in case you want to make a two-color

version of Scrap Jar Stars.  First, you will need the pattern.  You can get the 

paper pattern HERE or the PDF pattern HERE.

All fabric requirements will stay the same, except that instead of using bright print fat quarters,

you will need:

Baby quilt = 1-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Lap quilt = 2-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Twin quilt = 2-7/8 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Queen quilt = 5-1/2 yards of 1 accent color + the optional non-scrappy binding fabric

Cutting will be a little different, so here are the number of 2" and 3-1/2" strips to cut for each quilt size:

Baby quilt = cut (8) 2" strips and (9) 3-1/2" strips

Lap quilt = cut (13) 2" strips and (15) 3-1/2" strips

Twin quilt = cut (16) 2" strips and (18) 3-1/2" strips

Queen quilt = cut (32) 2" strips and (36) 3-1/2" strips

Then cut the necessary squares for your chosen quilt size.

Hope that helps!  Let me know if you decide to make a two-color version!

Or even a scrappy version!  They're both so fun!  Who doesn't love stars and patchwork!?!

Happy quilting!

My Red, White, and Blue Quilts

Hey friend.  I've been meaning to share with you all of my 

red, white, and blue quilts - together in one place.  

Hopefully, if you're wanting to make a

patriotic quilt, you'll find some inspiration here!

First up is my Star-Spangled Pineapples quilt.

This is a free pattern that Amanda Niederhauser (@jedicraftgirl) 

and I created for our Five Fat Quarter Fun series a few years ago.

HERE is a link to the free PDF pattern and

HERE is a link to the original blog post with more photos and details.

Next up are my beachy, faded Stars and Stripes quilt

and my No-Point Stars quilt.

Both of these patterns are by other quilt pattern designers.

Stars and Stripes is by Camille Roskelly of Thimbleblossoms and it's available

in her shop HERE.  The No-Point Stars pattern is a free tutorial by

Allison Harris of Cluck, Cluck, Sew.  You can find it HERE.

I don't have blog posts up yet about my versions.

I want to share more details so I'll do that soon in another, separate post.

Another red, white, and blue quilt that I made

many years ago is my Scrap Jar Stars quilt.

This is a great stash-buster project!

This pattern comes with instructions for 4 different size quilts

and is available in my Etsy shop HERE.

I've also made my United quilt in 2 different color ways.  

It has 50 really simple flag blocks (to represent the 50 states) 

plus 5 stars and a heart block!  It's a fun make and very beginner-friendly!

United finishes at 78-1/2" x 87-1/2".

You can find the pattern in my Etsy shop HERE and

HERE'S a blog post with all the details about the navy one.

And you can see the low volume one HERE.

If you're looking for a really simple star/flag quilt

check out my Glory quilt HERE.

I share a free cutting chart & tutorial for Sawtooth

Star block sizes 3" - 20" plus all the details for this quilt.

Another option is a red, white, and blue Star Patch quilt!

I've made 3 Star Patch quilts (a colorful one, a red and white one,

and this one).  It was just screaming to be made up in 

red, white, and blue don't you think!?!

And for all you scrap lovers out there, I've got a tutorial

for this Firework quilt.  I made a baby-size but it

would be really easy to make it bigger.  A coloring sheet is included.

And if you're in the mood for some simple patchwork,

I've got this red, white, and blue Rough and Tumble quilt pattern.

It comes with instructions for 5 different quilt sizes and is great for beginners!

I think it would be cute to layer any patriotic quilts

with a simple red or blue quilt (like the ones that I made for my new book,

Quilt the Rainbow).

[Sew Delightful.  Photo courtesy of Martingale.]

[Patchwork Plaid.  Photo courtesy of Martingale.]

You can find both of those patterns in Quilt the Rainbow; available HERE.

I recently finished this

Checkered Spools quilt in red, white, and blue!

This is a 2-1/2" x 42" strip-friendly pattern with 2 size options.

Click HERE for the paper pattern or HERE for the PDF.

I feel like you can never have too many red, white, and blue quilts!

Do you have a favorite of the quilts I shared today?

I hope you found some inspiration here!

Happy Summer friends!

Heart & Soul Blog Tour

Good morning and happy Friday friends!

Can you believe it's December 1st!?!  I'm so excited!  It's apple cider everything around here and I'm just praying for snow!  I've really grown to love it and can't wait for the pretty flakes to start falling.

Today, I have a fun new fabric line I want to share with you!

One of my favorite designers from Riley Blake Designs, Deena Rutter, has just released a new line called Heart & Soul.  It features some pretty florals, geometrics and text prints in some of my favorite colors ~ coral, teal, gray and navy.  It even has some really cute panels:

I was lucky enough to be able to work with some of Deena's new line recently and decided 

to make another Scrap Jar Stars quilt!!!

They're such fun blocks to make.

PSA: Did you know that I have a free tutorial for these blocks that you can find HERE?

I also have a complete pattern with four different size quilts (so you don't have to do all that math!) that you can purchases HERE!  Plus, I simplified the block instructions in my complete pattern to take out a few unnecessary seams.  It's fat quarter friendly (OR a great stash buster)!

These fabrics are so pretty, don't you think?

Heart and Soul wasn't in stores when I finished this quilt so I decided to back it with this gray and white gingham fabric I had in my stash.  But don't worry, it's in stores now for all of you!!!  If I could've I would've backed it with the main floral print in blush.  It's my favorite.

These are the big jars I use to store all of my scraps (color coordinated, usually).  I got them at Walmart and I love being able to see what I've got.  Every once in a while I'll go through my scraps and cut them into squares of different sizes so they're ready for my next scrap quilt!  Hence the name for this pattern, Scrap Jar Stars.

I love that some of the prints in this line are faith based.  The panels include such sweet, uplifting thoughts and the text prints state values, such as "faith", "individual worth", "knowledge" and "virtue" just to name a few.

The modern loop quilting was done by Kaylene Parry from Lehi, Utah.  She has quilted a lot of quilts for me over the years and she is one talented lady.

One last picture for the road.  I hand-stitched the binding down on the backside while I was on vacation in California last week so I couldn't resist a photo shoot on the beach! 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this share today.  

Tell me, do you have a favorite color or print from this line?  I'm kind of dying to get my hands on one of the panel prints now.  I heard they're arriving in stores soon.  If you could, what would you make with a panel?

Stop by Riley Blake Designs to see the rest of the beautiful fabrics from Heart and Soul!
And click HERE to see my friend Andy Knowlton's Heart and Soul project.  It's so cute!!!

Have a great day friends!