At the end of May, Cynthia (Many Hands and Many Hearts) shared her latest charity block request: scrappy chains. These blocks will be used to make quilts for veterans, so the call was for scrappy red and white, blue and white, and half red/half blue and white blocks. I spent this week making 20 blocks that I will pop into the mail to her today.
Scrappy Chains – Fabric Prep
On Monday and Tuesday, I got all the fabric cut and the blocks laid out and ready to sew. Looking back at Cynthia’s post now, I realize that I just didn’t really do these blocks as fully scrappy, so hopefully my blocks that have the columns using the same fabric will blend in well enough. Oops.
Scrappy Chains – Sewing Progress
I sewed together 8 blocks on Tuesday afternoon and averaged about 20 minutes per block. I thought about that overnight, so on Wednesday afternoon I shifted my method: I started by sewing the remaining columns together. By the end of my available time Wednesday, I had 4 more fully finished blocks and the final 8 ready to finish on Thursday.
Scrappy Chains – 20 Blocks Ready to Ship
Thursday I was able to finish putting all the blocks together, and it was a treat to see them all together on my design wall.
Scrappy Chains – Seam Securing Stitches
My final step, as with all blocks I make and plan to sending off in the mail, was to add a seam securing stitch across all my seams that go to the edge of a block. I try to stay 1/8″ or closer to the edge with this stitch.
Cynthia and her organization do good work in the world. It felt good to spend my week putting energy into something that will be put to such good use. I hope you’ll consider making and sending in some scrappy chains blocks for her current drive.
The blocks look great! I need to get busy and make a few to send.
Great looking blocks! How nice of you to send along so many.
Love your blocks for Many Hands and Many Hearts. Do you add the extra 1/8″ seam around the edges to prevent distortion in the mail? I was taught that “bulk” is a four-letter word in sewing, and it seems to me this would just add bulk in the seams when they are sewn together again and in the quilting process.
The last time I contributed, I was surprised to receive an emailed form that said I could include postage in recording costs of my charitable contribution for tax purposes. With your widespread international readership, do you think if you mentioned that it would possibly increase participation for Cynthia?
Your blocks look great! I saw Cynthia’s post and pulled fabric, but then stalled. I need to get busy working on those and your post was the reminder I needed. :-) Thank you!
Good for you! A lovely way to spend the week’s sewing time.
Those are beautiful blocks! I find that when I get in a rhtym with making blocks it all feels so much better.
Your blocks are really beautiful together, and will be greatly appreciated.
Wow! on those blocks. Maybe it is the way you arranged them, or the pop of the reds and blues against that white, or that our patriotic month is just around the corner, but I just loved these. I inferred from what you wrote that you tried two different methods, and that the one where you made columns first, then sewed them into blocks was the more successful method. Since I’m tucking this idea away for a rainy day, I appreciate that tip. So terrific of you to make blocks for donation–these are so wonderful!