Scrap Wall Quilt

I just love it when I am able to use up my scraps and make something really pretty. Recently, I made two wall quilts as contributions for the hope chests of two young ladies in my church. The quilt top is simple — half-square triangles, each made from a light and a dark fabric, and arranged in a somewhat random order. In my fabric bins, blues, greens, tans, creams and some whites dominated as usable scraps, so those are the colors I included. I think this quilt would turn out just as captivating without being limited to any color scheme at all.

Scrap Wall Quilt
Finished size: 28 by 28 inches

Needed Materials

• (32) 4″ x 4″ squares of dark fabrics
• (32) 4″ x 4″ squares of lights fabrics
• (2) 2-1/2″ x 26″ strips (borders)
• (2) 2-1/2″ x 32″ strips (borders)
• (3) 2″ by 45″ strips (binding)
• (1) 8-1/2″ by 27″ rectangle of backing fabric (for hanging sleeve)
• (1) 32″ by 32″ square of natural cotton batting
• (1) 32″ by 32″ square of backing fabric (backing)

Notes: All seam allowances are 1/4″. Press seams in the direction that will result in the least amount of bulk. Where possible, press seams toward the darker fabrics.

1. Create Blocks

Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of each of the light squares. Match each light square with a dark square. Place each set of two squares (a light and a dark) right sides together. Sew 1/4″ away from each side of the drawn diagonal line. Repeat for all sets of squares.

Cut each set of squares on the drawn line.

Press open, with seams toward the darker fabric. Press firmly but gently so as not to distort the resulting half-square triangles.

Create 16 blocks by arranging groups of 4 half-square triangles with two darks pointing in and two lights pointing in, as shown in the picture.

With right sides together, sew each block together by sewing the top two half-square triangles together, then the bottom two half-square triangles together. Press open and press seams toward the darker fabric. With right sides together, sew the top row to the bottom row. Press open and press seams in the least bulky direction.

2. Assemble Quilt Top

Arrange the 16 blocks in 4 rows of 4 to your satisfaction, maintaining the orientation of darks and lights pointing in to the middle. For instance, if you wish your darks to point in from the top left and bottom right, make sure all blocks are oriented this way. With right sides together, sew the blocks of each row together, and press.

With right sides together, sew each row to the other rows. Press.

3. Add Borders

With right sides together, sew (1) 2-1/2″ x 26″ strip to the left side of the quilt top and then sew the other 2-1/2″ x 26″ strip to the right side of the quilt top. Trim strips to the correct dimension. Press seams open with seam allowance toward the border strips.

With right sides together, sew (1) 2-1/2″ x 32″ strip to the top side of the quilt top and then sew the other 2-1/2″ x 32″ strip to the bottom side of the quilt top. Trim strips to the correct dimension. Clip threads. Press seams open with seam allowance toward the border strips.

4. Assemble Quilt Wall Hanging

Starting from the bottom, stack the pieces in this order:

a. backing, wrong side up
b. batting
c. quilt top, right side up

The batting and backing should be larger than the quilt top, so center the quilt top in the middle. Pin layers together.

5. Quilting

Use your preferred method of quilting — either tying, or hand- or machine-stitching — to secure all layers together. I machine-quilted this wall hanging by stitching an outline just outside the entire quilt top, on the borders; and also by sewing diagonally through the center of each block in both directions, creating a diamond grid.

6. Assemble Double-Fold Binding

Take two of the 2″ x 45″ strips. Right sides together, place the end of one strip perpendicular to the end of the other strip, with each strip set in 1/4″ from the end of the other strip. Sew a diagonal seam to join the two strips so that they are now one long continuous straight strip. Repeat to add the third 2″ x 45″ strip.

Trim the excess, leaving a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Press seams open. Fold and press the long strip in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together.

7. Create Hanging Sleeve

With the 8-1/2″ by 27″ rectangle of backing fabric, hem the shorter edges with a 1/4″ hem. To hem, turn under 1/4″ on each shorter edge and press. Turn under another 1/4″ inch and press. Stitch next to the pressed edge.

Fold and press the sleeve in half length-wise, wrong sides together, aligning the two raw edges.

Align the raw edges of the sleeve with the top edge of the quilt, centering it. Pin in place.

8. Attach Binding

Start attaching the binding in the middle of the bottom side of the wall hanging, not at a corner. Align the binding strip right sides together with the edge of the quilt top, raw edges even. Fold over the beginning raw edge of the binding approximately one inch. Begin sewing 1/2″ from the fold.

Sew the binding to the first side of the table runner, through all layers, 1/4″ from the raw edge.

Stop sewing 1/4″ before the corner. Backstitch and remove the table runner from the sewing machine.

Clip threads. Fold the binding strip up away from the quilt and make a diagonal fold. Hold the diagonal fold in place with your finger, while bringing the binding down so the raw edges of the binding are aligned with the next side of the table runner and stitch this side.

Repeat this technique around all sides, until you approach the beginning of the binding. On the top side, you will catch the raw edges of the hanging sleeve, which has been pinned in place.

Cut the binding end so that it will overlap the beginning binding by 1/2″ to 3/4″. Sew in place.

Backstitch and remove the table runner from the sewing machine. Clip threads. Press open.

Trim away the extra backing and batting, leaving 1/4″. Turn the binding to the back side and hand stitch in place, covering the machine stitches and the raw edges of all layers (including the hanging sleeve) with the folded edge of the binding. Hand stitch the bottom loose edge of the hanging sleeve in place, being careful not to sew through to the front of the quilt.

© Copyright 2006 by Wardee Harmon. Used with permission from the author.