Scrappy quilts are what I learned to do. We never purchased fabric for quilts, except the backing. My Mother would take out the bag of scraps, have me iron all of them, stack nicely so as not to wrinkle, get the cardboard square, draw around the square for pattern. Stack the blocks very carefully, light & dark.
Now the most important rule was to either have the light or dark block always on the top or bottom as you stitch. Have to remember as you chain sew them. We did not have electricity until about 1943 so I learned to sew on Mom's treadle Singer. (wish I still had it!)
Just have the same light or dark value on the top or bottom, when you sew each step. That way you are always contrasting the value as you construct your quilt and no 2 same blocks together.
Try it, it really works.
Phyllis
82 yrs in Oregon
70 years quilting