Making "Leftover" Quilts

One of my favorite things to do when I make a quilt is save the cut offs, trimmings, etc. and make a "leftover quilt" from what is left. I had a custom order for a heart quilt in the spring time and I used the Heart Block Pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew as my block pattern. When assembling these blocks, you'll find that you trim off HST's (half square triangles, aka LEFTOVERS!) from each of the heart points. You'll also have small HST's from the top corner of each half of the block, but beware...they'll be small! If you're into tiny piecing, they'd make an adorable project but I chose to stick to the larger HST's.

​​As I trimmed each heart block, I neatly set my HST leftovers aside. Because of how they are trimmed, the white from the border of the block and the color from the heart block were perfectly stacked, RST. After finishing the heart quilt, I was able to start assembling the HST's and planning what they could become. Tip: when sewing HST's, chain piecing is your best friend!

Once I had sewn my HST's together, I pressed them and began laying them out. I'm a rebel, so I didn't even trim them (ha!). I decided to go with a traditional HST layout and I had just enough to form the center of a baby quilt. ​​Luckily, I had a little bit of white yardage left from the same project that worked perfectly for the border. I love how the border really makes the colors in the center pop!

As you can see, I was able to yield two very different quilts from the same starter fabrics. Nearly all quilt blocks lead to scraps, so why not get creative with them and get the maximum result you can rather than just leaving your scraps in bins...or worse, tossing them out? Show me your favorite scrap busting, leftover project by using #leftoverquilt on Instagram!