I would like to add my 2 cts worth on crumb quilting.
Forget about matchy-matchy color schemes.
Forget about foundations of paper to be torn off later. Forget about muslin foundations that add weight.
Just grab, from your big bucket of assorted crumbs, 2 pcs having about the same length on a side. Sew edges together. Press, trim with rotary and ruler so you have straight edges on several sides. Attach another crumb of same length or longer; Whack off to fit later! Keep pressing and trimming after each seam---that is the secret to NO FOUNDATIONS.
I make mine 6 1/2" sq; larger than that means longer strips , and you lose the tiny-pc look that gives the crumb block its personality (and purpose).
I do at least 6 combinations in the 1st step, then press and trim. Go back to the machine and bucket of crumbs and add another crumb on any side to each; press and trim. In no time you will have 6 crumbs sqs finished and you will be HOOKED! Sometimes instead of using strings, I piece several small sqs or rectangles together to make a stripband to reach across either straight or diagonally; adds a lot of interest. Remember it is the TINY specks of color that sparkles!
Use the completed, trimmed to 6 1/2" sqs as star centers, or 4-to-a-lg-sq, or as a strippy quilt with 'wallpaper stripe' between. I have done a dozen Quilts of Valor with crumb blocks in all combinations.
Adding a spot of white in each block really sparkles, too. Diagonal seams add interest, keeps the eye moving.
Orphan blocks, wrong-sized, reject blocks, extra HSTs all end up in my crumb blocks, not just tiny cut-off corners. I easily whack up lg blocks into smaller pcs. Check out rwquilt's pics--lots of left over tree blocks used.
It does make a mess, but I am having so much FUN,FUN, FUN. Can you tell I am enthused about the tecnique? And think of all the money saved at $8-$10 a yd for new fabric. I must be making money, by now, don't you think? I dare you to try it!
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