A little bit ago, I shared a few doll quilts sewn up for donation to the Festival of Trees.
They turned out– totally spec-tac and I thought this would make a perfect tutorial for anyone who has a bunch of UFO quilt blocks leftover from a project.
Now, if you are like me…. you would have a drawer filled with leftover blocks! I am not sure why I have this collection. Why is there so many blocks leftover? I am thinking they are experiments or the wrong size {darn that 1/4″ seam. Sometimes it just isn’t right} and maybe the wrong fabric, color. Whatever the reason. I have a drawer of them.
This tutorial is a little different from the regular easy pattern tutorials I have. This is suggestions on how to put all those random quilt blocks together. Each of you will be sewing with your own private collection of quilt blocks and giving specific measurements just won’t work here.
1) gather up all of your UFO blocks– if you are super picky you can divide them into groups of like prints/style, like colors, ect. Size isn’t an issue here since you will be adding spacers to get things to the correct larger size.
2) Find a large enough area to lay out your pieces and blocks. Lay all your blocks down. Start moving them around —kind of like a puzzle! You will move them around until you find a layout that will work, looks good and doesn’t need too much adding. If you find that putting the blocks right next to each other is too much, then leave a gap. You can fill this in with a spacer piece when sewing it all together.
3) Sew the blocks together that will make one nice section. I have highlighted a few below~
the black square shows 2 quilt blocks sewn together side by side
the red square shows a block and rail fence block sewn together. Some spacers are sewn together on the left side to make it as large as the 2 blocks on top.
The green square shows a few blocks sewn together with some additional spacers. Because of this length- the red square section gets an additional spacer on the bottom
the blue square is a few strips sewn together to make the length 20″
The pink square shows a few more spacers added to the one edge to square out the whole doll quilt top
When you lay your blocks, remember that when they are sewn together- they will shrink 1/2″!! I suggest that you sew a few blocks together, iron them and then lay them back down with the others again to make sure your spacers that you have chose will work.
I would not pre cut everything unless you are math wiz. and can figure out that 1/2″ shrinkage.
Here is another example of a doll quilt sewn with UFO blocks.
Starting with a large quilt block then added a border on the right and then on the top. I believe these were trimmed so the next side could be sewn on.
The 1/2″ square triangles were sewn down the side and to make the doll quilt more square in size/larger another spacer strip was sewn to the bottom.
Here are the other doll quilts that were sewn together~
They don’t have to always be complicated either- This one used a bunch of 1/2 square triangles sewn into blocks and then large background spacers were used to spread them out and make them into a final size- somewhere around 20-22″ square.
The blue one had enough squares leftover from a quilt that they could just be sewn together and done! A few small borders were added around the whole top to again- make it a bit bigger.
The last two are a little more complicated with a lot of little pieces. These keep with the patchwork quilt style that is for sure!
This style of doll quilts is very forgiving. You are not winning a state fair prize here– don’t worry about the points getting lost in the seams. Or that they end up not really matching in fabric style. The overall patchwork design is perfect for a doll. This little doll quilt will get a lot of loving, snuggling, dragging, wiping up of tea party delights and more! You need them to just be cute, and loveable by the little girl who will receive them.
After you have them all sewn together to the size you like- it’s time to finish them.
4) Measure the top and cut a back the same size. I did not use batting in between. I used flannel for the back and thought that it was snuggly enough. You can use batting if you’d like. Cut it the same size as the top and back.
5) Pin the front and back right sides facing together with the batting on the bottom. Sew all the way around the doll quilt top leaving a 3″ opening for turning.
6) Trim the corners and turn right sides out
7) Iron the seam of the opening inside
8) Sew all the way around the doll quilt top making sure you sew that opening closed.
9) Tie if you’d like or quilt just a little bit to keep the batting from shifting when you wash it
These were tied by a bunch of girls before they were donated.
I’d love to see any doll quilts you sew up using your UFO quilt blocks!
Becky Jorgensen is the creative quilter behind Patchwork Posse, the Patchwork Planner and her online quilt group Patchworkers Plus. You can find her patterns in books, magazines, and her quilt membership. Gather your quilting supplies, organize your sewing space, explore the process of disappearing quilt blocks, or finish a free quilt pattern. I'll help you use what you have, finish what you start and make your quilting journey fun!
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I’m really inspired by your resourceful doll quilts. I also have a stash of leftovers in a bin next to my ‘real’ stash and it’s been bugging me – now you’ve shown me how to get rid of it. Great! Thanks.
shauna- i think that bin will soon take over the sewing room! That is totally what happens to me. I would love to see what you come up with!
Really cute idea, better being used than sitting in a stash. My little girls would love one
the did turn out totally cute. think i am addicted to them!
this would be the coolest way to celebrate my 33 wedding anniversary by winning this contest. i was going to say i never win but i did, the husband lottery, what more can i ask for. a little fabric would be nice though lol
I love blocks count me in i will take all you want to get rid of lol babscorbitt@gmail.com
Not a scrap quilter, never have been, never will be which has led to some pretty efficient use of off cuts, scraps, orphan blocks, etc. over the last 30+ years of quilting. After cutting out my quilt, all the fabric I used (unless it is on bolts) goes into the project box. Just in case, for whatever reason, I need more of any of it before the quilt is finished. I have another box under my sewing table. That is where trimming (e.g., ends of strip sets), not perfect blocks, and things like the triangles left from making flying geese, HST’s, snowballing, etc. I piece these as I am sewing so I have all these wonderful, smaller HST’s ready to use. At the end of the project, one of two things happen: 1. they get pieced and included in the back and I also use orphan blocks for quilt labels and 2. they immediately become part of a dolly quilt. Together with the scraps left from cutting that are in my project box, I almost always have enough to complete a dolly quilt. I quilt and bind it at the same time I work on my larger piece. This really helps keep all those bits and pieces from accumulating!