Lil' Orphan Scrappy Free Tutorials

 Hello Everyone,

Through the intense heat wave in California, I've have sequestered myself away in my sewing room.  While working on some special projects, I've been creating a lot of scraps.  I have the perfect pattern to use up those scraps as the largest piece you need measure 5-1/4". That pattern is called Lil' Orphan Scrappy and I have FREE tutorials for you posted below. I made this Lil' Orphan from all of my Marcus Fabrics scraps.

This was a fun one to quilt.  I knew I wanted to have feathers running across the quilt.

I love being able to put those scraps to good use to make quilt instead of storing them away in a closet never to be seen again.

In the past couple of weeks, I had the pleasure of seeing two Lil' Orphan Scrappy's.  The first one was made by my friend Mary Sue.

Mary Sue plays the French Horn which made the perfect center for one of her blocks.

My sister also finished up all of her blocks and she's getting ready to sew the rows together.  She would have had it completed if I didn't have her working on a project for me!

I looked through my blog and found some more Lil' Orphans made by my friends.  Here's Jeanne's quilt.

Here is Paula's quilt which she showed us at one of my retreats.

I put some tutorials together so you can create your own Lil' Orphan Scrappy.  The tutorials are totally FREE, and you do not need to purchase the pattern if you follow the tutorials.  

PART ONE is located HERE.

PART TWO is located HERE. 

PART THREE is located HERE.

Every Lil' Orphan Scrappy quilt is unique to the creator and is a reflection of your quilting style and stash.  Make a few blocks a week, and before you know it, a quilt is born.

We are still in the grip of a massive heatwave here in California which is extremely tiring day after day.  Not to mention the fear of fire as the forest around us is tinder dry.  We don't have AC, but we do have fans and open up the house every morning to let the cool air in, then we close it all up around 10am to keep the intense heat out.

Enjoy the tutorials and stay cool!

Soon,

Lynn

Lil' Orphan Scrappy Tutorial Part Three

 Hello Everyone,

This tutorial is the 3rd and last one in the series for Lil' Orphan Scrappy.  The tutorial will cover the final border and how to put the quilt together.

Begin by cutting (26) 5-1/4" x 5-1/4" light squares and (26) 5-1/4" x 5-1/4" dark squares.

Place the squares right sides together.

©      I use a small Omnigrid™ ruler that has a centerline ¼” from both sides of the ruler.  Place the ruler diagonally on the wrong side of the light fabric and draw a faint line on each side of the ruler using a marking pencil or quilting chalk.  Make sure it is a very thin line.

Stitch directly on the lines. Cut them apart between the stitching lines.  Open, and then press seams toward the dark fabric for half of the HST.  Press the other half toward the light. You will have (2) half-square triangles. I used a Bloc-Loc ruler and trimmed the HST to 4-3/4" x 4-3/4".
  

       Sew the HST together in groups of two and mix the colors together. Since you pressed half of the HST's to the dark, and half to the right, use one from each pile.  The seams will nest together. After you stitch two together, press seams to one side. 

        
       Make 26 sets.

Make (4) light HST for each of the corners in the border.  Cut (4) light squares 5-1/4" x 5-1/4"   Place them right sides together.  Draw lines just as you did in the prior step.  Cut the HST apart.  Trim to 
4-3/4" x 4-3/4".

Now you are ready to layout your HST and blocks.  If you have a design wall, use it.  Blocks look so different when you lay them out on the floor.  I suggest you take a picture of the layout, and if you have the capability, turn it into gray scale.  You will be able to see the contrast much better in gray scale.

Alternate the direction that you press the seams. Press one row to the right, and the next row to the left so the blocks will butt up against each other.

      

      The quilt should measure 77” x 86”.  There are a lot of seams in this quilt.  If you are remotely close to the final size, be happy!

Here is an up close image of my machine quilting.  I purposefully planned the layout with staggered blocks, so I could have a quilted line of feathers between the rows.  I also quilted a tight stipple in the light areas of the blocks.

Here's the quilt on my long arm taken from the side of the quilt.  It is so hard to get a good picture to highlight the machine quilting.  In the zig-zag area, I used a golden thread color.

If any of you ever have a question, I'm just an email away.  Here's my email address:
sewnwildoaks@gmail.com

I hope you enjoyed the tutorials.  I would love to have you send me pictures of your blocks, and of course pictures of your finished Lil' Orphan Scrappy quilt!

Stay safe and healthy.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S. If you want to purchase the pattern, it is located HERE in my Etsy shop.

Springtime Lil' Orphan Scrappy

Hello Everyone,

I saw this Springtime Lil' Orphan Scrappy online and contacted the maker to see if I could post it on my blog.  Ellen, thank you so much for saying yes.

I love to see my designs made in a different colorway.  Here's what Ellen said about her quilt.

It's made entirely of scraps from other projects. I wanted to have a springtime feel... a happy warm smile.

Some people think less of scrappy quilts, but honestly I think the time and originality each one takes makes them very special. It's a challenge sometimes to coordinate your scraps into a cohesive look.

I begin by sorting my scraps into groups that looks great together.  You'll know if one of them doesn't fit in and play well with the others.  You know what you like.  Trust your instincts.

Each and every scrap quilt is unique like a snowflake....no two are ever alike.

Make snowflakes today.

Soon,
Lynn

Lil' Orphan Scrappy Tutorial Part One

Hello Everyone,

 

This is Part One of my Lil" Orphan Scrappy quilt tutorial.  There are a lot of pictures, so I'm breaking it down over a couple of posts. 

 

Begin with an interesting center.  Key off of the colors in the center to help you select the fabrics. It is helpful to have at least three colors in your center square.

 

 

 

Schematic of the block. 

Cutting Instructions:

" (1) A 2-1/2” x 2-1/2” – Use an interesting fabric that has several different colors

" (4) B 2-1/2” x 2-1/2” – Light fabric, checks, stripes and diagonals are good

" (1) C 3-1/4” x 3-1/4” – Medium/Dark fabric

" (1) D 3-1/4” x 3-1/4” – Light fabric  (This can be the same fabric as B)

" (2) E 3-1/4” x 3-1/4” – Dark fabric

Place the two "E's" face up on a cutting surface.

Place a "C" and a "D" on top of the "E's" Right sides together.

I use a small Omnigrid™ ruler that has a centerline ¼” from both sides of the ruler.  Place the ruler diagonally on the wrong side of the fabric and draw a line on each side of the ruler using a marking pencil.  I use a very fine, Frixion pen for marking.

If you don't have a 1/4" ruler, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner.  Stitch 1/4' from each side of the line.

Stitch on the line.  Or stitch directly on the inside of the line, closest to the center line, if you tend to run small. Begin with your needle down, and have the fabric touching the needle.

Cut apart between the stitching lines.

You will have (4) half-square triangles.

I run a line of Best Press spray starch along the stitching line.  You can also use a brush to apply the starch.  This helps to keep the components nice and flat.

Press toward the "E's".

 

©      Place the half-square triangles on top of each other, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line perpendicular to the seam allowance from corner to corner  Make sure to ‘butt’ the two seams together and pin to secure   

Peel the top back to make sure the seams and the placement are accurate.

Mark and stitch on the lines.

Cut them apart.

I gently pull the seam back and remove about 3 stitches.

 

I turn the unit over and do the same thing on the other side.

 



Apply spray starch along the thread line. I guess I was feeling a little woozie here with my wavy line!

 Press it like this.  The back is nice and neat and is very flat.

Trim to 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" and cut off the dog ears. (Don't let Mazey hear me say that!)

I you are working with directional fabrics, make sure it is all going in the same direction.

Pin, stitch press toward the squares.

Now stitch the rows together.

Have your needle pass through the intersection of the previous seams.

Square to 6-1/2" x 6-1/2"

Here are some other color combinations.  There are endless possibilities.



Make a few blocks and see how it goes.  I'll be posting a continuation of this tutorial later this week.  If you would like to purchase the pattern which contains more, detailed instructions, it is available HERE in my Etsy shop.

Thank you all for the get well wishes.  I'm feeling better this morning, but I'm not ready to run a marathon.....or the 50 yard dash.....or a 10 yard dash.  Now if one of the bears we have around here was after me, that's a different story!

Soon,
Lynn