Cracker Scraps

Here is the newest block that I have been working on. I’m naming it Cracker Scraps as it a variation on a quilt commonly known as Crackers or something like that…I’m using scraps and it all kind of sounds like Cracker Jacks. Yep. That’s how my brain works. Aren’t you all lucky to know that. 😉

I made a couple of trial blocks as I’m having my two bees both work on this block for me for the month of October. The VIBees and the Stash Trad Bee will both be working on it. One group will be getting fabric from me and the other will be using their own scraps that coordinate. The background is Kona Bone. They all need instructions on how to make the block, so you all are getting instructions too!

The block is made of two mini-blocks that are mainly based on Kona Bone and two mini-blocks that are mainly based on the color. So that is four mini-blocks all together for each large block.

For each Kona Bone based block you will need:

(1) 6″ square of Kona Bone
(2) 6″ squares of Color
(1) 2 3/4″ x 7 1/4″ rectangles of color
(2) 2 3/4″ x 7 1/4″ rectangles of Kona Bone

Cut each 6″ square into (2) triangles by cutting along the diagonal from one corner to the opposite corner. You will use both Kona Bone Triangles and (1) of Each of the color triangles. (save those other triangles for another block or simply discard them)

Sew together the rectangles with the colored piece in between the two Kona Bone pieces, sewing along the long edges.

Before sewing on the triangles, you will need to find the center of all four sides of your new fabric piece and all of your triangles. I do this easily by folding my fabric pieces in half and quickly pressing the edge of the fold.

Sew a Kona Bone triangle to the set of three rectangles.(longest edge of the triangle/hypotenuse to short edge of rectangles) Remember to match the centers together first and pinout from there.

Press seams toward the triangles.

Sew the Colored triangles to the long sides of the rectangle, again matching first at the centers. Press the seams toward the triangles.

I’ve deliberately oversized this, so that you can trim it down and have a nice square (quarter of a ) block. I find it easiest to square up a block using a square ruler. I square the block so that there is a 1/4″ seam allowance along each edge based off of the intersections. These square up to about 10″ square.

To make the other type of square, follow all the same directions as the first, except cut two-color rectangles and one Kona Bone rectangle. Sew the color triangles to the SHORT side of the rectangles and the Kona to the long sides.

With a nicely squared block, it is easier to sew together the four smaller squares. I pin them together first at the points that I want to make sure match up.

Make two of each type of block and then sew them together in an alternate pattern as you see in my examples.

Pretty soon you’ll have a whole quilt…especially when you have the help of bees!