Easy Baby Quilt with Solid Strips

Need an easy baby quilt?  Dig into your scraps and let’s get started.

Easy Scrap Strip Baby Quilt by quiltytherapy #scrapquilt #stripquilt #babyquilt #scrapbusterquilt

If you have been a reader for a while, you may know that I keep my scraps in tubs until it’s time to sort them.  Well, my solids are kept separate and they were getting out of hand.  The drawer could no longer even be stuffed close.  It was time to make something again.

Inspiration

Nothing was really speaking to me, so I headed to my Modern Quilting Inspiration Pinterest board for ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/quiltytherapy/modern-quilting-inspiration/

An older quilt from Red Pepper Quilts caught my attention.  Rita’s version can be found here.  This is a step by step guide on how to create my version.

 

Design

Tip:  Without different hues and saturation, the quilt could run together.

Off to the scrap bin I went to start gathering strips to make my version.  I was able to collect many strips and have the variety of colors/saturations I desired.  However, I didn’t have many long strips like the inspiration quilt.

Based on my scraps I could create strips in 2 inch width to get the most from my pull of fabrics.  The lengths would be 5, 7, and 9 inches.  Feel free to create based on what you have in your scraps.

Each size stack was sorted yet again by color.  Orange, yellow, blue, green, brown, black, neutrals, and gray.  Sorting will help when piecing.  I wanted to avoid having too may of the same color right by each other.

Piecing

Grab randomly from each pile and begin piecing two strips together of the same size.  Rows include 28 strips, or 14 pairs, to make a baby quilt size.  Piece all 5 inch strips first.  Starch and press the seams all going one direction.  Next the 7 inch strips.  Starch and press the seams all going the same direction.  Finally, the 9 inch strip set.   Sew and press in the same manner.   Nestle the seams of the 5 inch row and 7 inch row together, pin if needed.  Sew the rows together.  The outcome is randomly placed colors without overthinking the process.

My version goes in this order:  5 inch, 7 inch, 9 inch, 5 inch, 7 inch, and 9 inch.  If you wanted a little larger baby quilt, you could throw another 5 inch row after the last 9 inch row.

I starched the top and pressed my row seams open.  The backing is a blue print I picked up a few months ago when a local quilt shop was closing out their inventory.  With this size quilt, I only needed a yard of the fabric.

Quilting and Binding

The quilt is randomly pieced, but I knew for the quilting exactly what I wanted.  Straight lines in a light gray horizontally in the middle of each row.  A few lines in the middle 5 inch strip vertically.  In your version quilt as desired.

The secondary shapes created with colors being close together was an unintended effect.  They could have been moved, but then the random process is lost.  That was more important to me as I just wanted to create.

Finally, I grabbed Corn Yellow Kona Solid I have had forever to create the binding.  The binding was 2.5 inch double fold and completely machine bound.

Final Thoughts

Love all the crinkles in this quilt after it was washed.  Wonder what the rows would look like in an ombre?

This quilt is currently on the way to a new home.  Check out my other quilts using just solids below.  The solids scrap bin is still too full.


Linking up with Oh Scrap! and Finish it Up Friday

Quilting is more fun than Housework