Making the Most of Your Fabric Scraps!
This is the first tutorial of the series
15 Techniques Any Quilter Should Know

 

As quilters, we all have fabric scraps that hold a special place in our hearts. Whether they’re remnants from previous projects or small pieces of a favorite fabric collection, it’s hard to part with them. That’s why I’m excited to share a simple yet fantastic technique that every quilter should know!

This technique is easy and fun and you can use scraps in any size, squares, or rectangles. It is perfect for small pieces, even 1” x 1”.
Even if you’re new to quilting, this technique ensures accuracy and makes piecing a breeze.

Gather your fabric scraps and cut them in the same size. My rectangles measure 1 1/4” x 2”.  You can use squares as well.

You will place the fabric pieces onto a piece of NON-WOVEN LIGHTWEIGHT fusible interfacing. Keep the interfacing with the fusible side up. Work on the pressing board.

Make sure the interfacing is large enough for all your scraps.
Square up the interfacing  – you need straight bottom and left edges and a 90-degree angle between these edges.

Start placing the fabric pieces onto the interfacing: align the first row with the bottom edge. Lined up the pieces of the second row with the pieces of the first row.

Continue until you place all the fabric pieces on the interfacing. Keep the alignment of pieces as accurate as possible- the accuracy of the piecing depends on it.

Press with a hot iron, making sure you keep each piece in place.
Trim off the excess interfacing.
Let the piece cool.

Fold the piece on the line between the first and second vertical rows.

Stitch la 1/4” from the fold.

Repeat and fold the piece on the line between the second and third columns.

Continue in the same way and stitch all the vertical seams.

Trim into the seam allowance as shown below, between pieces, close to the seam but make sure you do not cut the seam.

Here is a close-up view.
Repeat for all the seams.

Now fold the piece on the horizontal line between the first and second rows.
Nest the seams: orient all the seam allowances of the top layer in the same direction and all the seam allowances of the bottom layer in the opposite direction.

I used pins to show the orientation of the seam allowances but you don’t have to; you can use only a few clips and turn the seam allowances in the correct direction as you sew.

Here is the first horizontal seam.

Continue in the same way, always nesting the seam allowances.

Once the piecing is done, press all the horizontal seams in the same direction.

Here is my piece – not perfect, but if you are just a little more careful than me, you should have a perfect patchwork piece.

This piecing is better!

This technique is faster, easier, and the piecing more accurate, than regular piecing. It works particularly well with small pieces of fabric.

You can incorporate such pieces in bigger blocks or use them for small quilted items.

NOTE about interfacing
Non-woven fusible interfacing is available in various thicknesses. When selecting your interfacing, consider the final use of your pieced panels. For small pieces of fabric, I recommend using very lightweight interfacing for the best results with this technique.

I hope you will give this technique a try!

Happy sewing!

---

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to
15 Techniques Any Quilter Should Know
FREE TUTORIAL SERIES

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to create beautiful, professional-looking quilts.
All lessons are free, and your subscription will ensure you never miss a tutorial!

---