Cracker Scraps

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. 😉

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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.

Cracker Scraps

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

Cracker Scraps

68 thoughts on “Cracker Scraps”

  1. Oh my wow- you did it again! Another wonderful pattern- love your take on it- it tmakes me smile! I immediately thought Cracker Jacks when I saw the title- guess our brains are similar 🙂 hehe! Must be the math mind! Love it! And the fabrics are perfect!!

  2. As soon as this block started to come up on my screen I was in LOVE. Of course, yours has a lot to do with the colors you choose too. It would need some serious auditioning from my scraps.

    What a great new block tho!

  3. As with all your tutorials, I LOVE this one! Being a bit slow on the technology front, however, do you have a printer friendly version of it? I have my own low tech way of copying and printing it, but would love to have a nice clean (well formatted) copy for my Book of Blogger Quilts. As always – gorgeous!!

    1. Thanks! I bought some. This is still one of my most favorite quilts of all time. Its so pretty! I was wondering now, do you have a quilting software to make that quilt layout or do you use an adobe product to design your quilts? (Ps. Name change, I got married in August. 🙂

  4. thanks for the tutorial! I am working on this right now as my first quilting project.
    I have a question–when you press the seams on the rectangles of the inner square, which way do you press them? I am using a white fabric, as you did, so I am tempted to press them toward the darker fabrics, but I don't know whether it is more important to press them consistently, block-to-block.
    also, is it important to use quilting thread? what's the difference?
    thanks
    Margaret

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