Scrap Fabric Quilt Block Tutorial for Floral Scraps!
This tutorial will help you create a super easy scrap quilt block for spring.
This quilt block is perfect for any floral scraps of fabric you might have in your scrap pile.
If I can avoid measuring pieces I do, so this block involves no measuring until the end when you only need to measure and trim the size of the finished block.
I’ve made 8-inch quilt blocks for this blog post, but you can scale them up or down to suit your needs.
I am always looking for inspiration for scrappy quilt blocks that are easy on the eye and not too cluttered. Floral scraps can be difficult as they are often busy prints so for this block I’ve paired one floral print and one geometric or solid print as the central unit for the block.
Materials Needed: Floral Scrap Quilt Block
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- Floral Print Fabric Scraps
- Less busy Scrap in a coordinating color – either geometric, dots or solids.
- White or Neutral Scrap Fabric (for the background) – preferably in strips. Leftover white or neutral low-volume jelly roll strips are perfect.
- Square quilting ruler the same size as your desired finished quilt block (mine was 8″)
- Coordinating thread
Floral Scrap Quilt Block – Video Tutorial
Step 1: Pair your Scraps
For this scrap quilt block, I am starting with small floral scraps. No set size but roughly 1-3″ x 2-4″.
I was looking for scrap quilt ideas for the floral scraps in my scrap bin – something that wasn’t too busy.
So I started with 5 floral scraps (just for the purpose of the tutorial not because I’m only going to do 5 blocks!) and then I wanted something to contrast so I paired them with a geometric or solid print.
To do this, I seek out colors within the floral scraps and match them up with a color of a contrasting print scrap crumb I have in my crumb box.
It doesn’t matter how big these pieces are, we will cut them down if necessary later.
Step 2: Chain piece Pairs of Scraps
Take each pair of scraps and sew right sides together using a 1/4″ seam allowance. I usually align my two scraps along the longest edge they share as I know I can trim them down if I want to later.
Continue to do this in a chain without cutting your threads with all of the other pairings that you have.
This technique is called chain piecing and is much easier than cutting your thread in between sewing each unit.
A note on chain piecing
If you are chain piecing and you have a piece of scrap that is longer than the paired crumb just rotate the fabric under the needle instead of continuing to sew on one piece of material (see video tutorial if you aren’t sure what I mean here).
Step 3: Press & Trim
Once you have chain pieced all of the pairings cut them apart and press them.
This is where you will want to trim with your rotary cutter so the size of the two pieces line up.
A note about pressing your fabric
This helps you when cutting down the scrap units and helps you to get the sizing right.
Press the quilt block unit every time you add a piece of scrap fabric to it. It’s a bit tedious but it’s one of those steps I don’t skip (I often skip other quilting rules though!).
Take your pairings and place them on your cutting board.
You are ideally wanting to trim to a square or rectangle shape. Use your mat to help you line up and resize your units.
The idea is to get as much length and width from your scrap crumbs whilst cutting them into the shapes of rectangles or squares, depending on the original size.
Repeat step for all of your pairings.
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When sizing, it is all about what you think will look right based on how much floral versus the other prints you want to see. There is no measuring here and there is no right or wrong.
These scrap units will now create the centers of your scrap quilt block.
Step 5: Building your Quilt Block
The floral and geometric prints are the showcase of the quilt block so the rest is the background fabric.
My floral and geometric prints were relatively bright or dark so I chose white for my background fabric.
You can use any white fabric you have in your fabric stash, I had a bit of shirting fabric and even some off-white pieces that I am using here. I used some jelly roll strips and also some larger pieces of oddly shaped scrap pieces of fabric that I trimmed into long strips. Have a look through the neutrals in your scrap bin and use whatever you have to hand.
If your florals are lighter in color you could consider a contrasting dark background instead – I would recommend a solid if you are going to go that route.
Using the chain piecing method, add your floral and print center blocks to a scrap strip of white. If the white strip is longer than the unit you started with add the next floral unit to it – you can trim them apart later.
I snip the units at the back of the chain apart, press, and then continue adding them to the chain I am sewing, picking a new strip of background fabric every time I get to the end of one (see video if this doesn’t make sense!)
Rotate your blocks each time you add a new background fabric so that the floral unit stays in the center (doesn’t need to be perfectly central of course!).
If you have an 8-inch square ruler to use to trim your block at the end you can also use it as a guide as you go to help determine how many more pieces of background fabric you need to add to each block.
Step 6: Trim your Blocks
As your block gets bigger continue to measure it against your square quilting ruler if you have one.
If your block is larger than you simply need to center the floral unit as desired and trim – making sure not to place any of the background fabric seams too close to the edge of the block as this will create bulky seams when you join them.
You may find that you are caught short, if so, just add another white strip to it until you have your 8-inch scrap quilt block.
Finished Floral Quilt Blocks – and how to use them.
Now that you have your finished floral scrap quilt blocks you can use them to create many different projects. Of course, you could make a whole quilt top of these blocks but if you don’t have that many floral scraps you can also:
- Add them to a Row Quilt
- Put a few in a Sampler Quilt
- Make a Baby Quilt
- Make Coasters
- Make a Cushion
- Use them for the panel of a bag
- Use two to make a square Zipper Pouch
Main things to remember:
- No measuring needed – Use the longest edge to match with each scrap fabric crumb. You only need to measure once you have the approximate size quilt block you are aiming for.
- If you are caught short just add another white scrap fabric strip until you have your 8-inches.
- The center block doesn’t need to be centralized. You can have it off-center to create a different look.
Printable Instructions
Floral Scrap Quilt Block for Spring
Easy Scrap Quilt Block Idea for your Floral Fabric Scraps! Pair your florals with geometrics and solids for a more modern floral scrap block.
Materials
- Floral Scrap Fabric
- Geometric or Solid Scrap Fabric
- Neutral or Low Volume Background Fabric in Strips
- Coordinating Thread
Tools
- 8" Square Quilting Ruler (or any size you like)
- Sewing Machine
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
Instructions
- Pair small scraps of floral and sold or geometric print fabric
- Sew all units right sides together with a 1/4" seam
- Press and trim units to square or rectangle shapes - no need to measure
- Add to these central units with scrap strips of white, neutral or low volume background fabric
- Chain piece to get through the process quicker
- Press after each piece is added
- Rotate the block as you add background stips to keep the floral print unit central (ish)
- Use your square quilting ruler to check the size of your blocks and trim to size when it is big enough
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