** Let's create a Traffic Jam! **
Welcome to my 2020 Wednesday Sewalong!! And yes, it's Tuesday because I thought it would be way more fun to kick off on New Year's Eve! You know we quilters like to party, if party means sewing in our jammies, wink!
I'm excited to see all the great creations you make while you bust your small pieces of fabric, better known as 'scraps'!
I created this 'all squares' block a few yrs ago for the sole purpose of using up 2.5" squares.
- Download the pattern at the end
- At the END share photos of your scrap piles and your blocks, I can't wait to see
This is my original quilt. I looked around and I couldn't find it. I may have given it away. With a lot of green and orange in my scrap bins, those are the 2 primary colors. I added in white, light blue, and a bit of red.
So why did I call it Traffic Jam? It was a fun way to say that my fabric was not going to cause me any 'delays', it looks like a roadway intersection, and it's fun to say!
** Selecting Fabric **
There are many ways to approach deciding on the fabrics you want to use. Personally I'm a 'controlled scrappy' person that likes to have the fabrics go together in some way. I have seen this done with total random colors, so don't be afraid it that is what you want to do. When doing totally random I recommend one fabric for the squares and sashing. Like white,cream, or black. The holds all the random colors together.
- If you already have a lot of 2.5" squares cut, pick colors that you have the most of so you reduce that pile
- use some of those mini charms you have been hoarding
- Or a charm pack cut into 4 sets of 2.5" squares
- Pick your fabrics then place against a background,
- look at options OTHER than white or cream.
** Pop in video **
Here i'm talking about my Bonnie Lane Sew along, then showing some of my traffic jam blocks
** How to sew Efficiently **
- How to look at a block for sewing order
- Oh i approach the order of Traffic Jam to sew Faster!
** Options - show how to think it through **
After sewing the 2.5" squares I tried out 4 different backgrounds.
Note that I sewed the 4patches and I sewed the center 2 x 6 unit so that it's easier to audition
Using a Design board REALLY helps me!
You can cut the squares like I did with these charcoal ones
Or open the fabric and place the squares on top
** Blue & White **
- The main quilt I'm doing for this is the Blue & White.
- My brother wants a 'bigger lap quilt' since he is over 6' tall, so this will go to him!
- I'm planning on a 6 x 5 block setting.
** Assignment **
- Pick your 2.5" square fabrics
- Pick a background
- Start making blocks
- Share photos of your fabric and blocks below!
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Download Pat Sloan's Traffic Jam pattern
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