Jingle

I never need leaders or enders as my two main straight stitch only machines never pull fabric into the bobbin area.

My other machines did when I used the plate for zigzag instead of straight stitch plate with a small hole in it.

SusieQOH

Thanks for the link. She's made some beauties out of them!!

cashs_mom

Wow! I've gotten all inspired by this thread to use leaders and enders and then make a scrappy quilt out of them. I happen to have some 2 1/2 squares left over from my EPP project. I think I'll put them in a little box so I can have them next to my machine.

LAF2019

Thanks to all the wonderful members on this board! It makes more sense now and I will consider making some some blocks with my new leaders. Thank you. :-)

Irishrose2

Are you sewing with a zigzag machine with the large hole plate on? I have no problem with beginnings being eaten with a machine with a small needle hole. My zz machine that only has a wide hole will eat the beginning corner of a half square triangle, but she isn't allowed to quilt, so it's not an issue.

My current leaders are going into an Arkansas Crossroads so I need 16 patches - lots of 2 1/2 squares used up.

ktbb

After finishing a quilt I keep all my scraps together and use those as leaders/enders and make a random-pieced slab of fabric that can be used as a doll quilt, or as an art quilt, or as a non-traditional block in a quilt - this uses up scrap fabric with pieces that have already been color coordinated. I even appliqued several "spiders" to a small art quilt (3 per row and 3 rows) to make a cool small quilt. There are uses!

Kitsie

You don't use them the quilt. I use, like most others, scraps left from piecing. And yes, they do get full of thread which is the purpose. I save all scraps and toss them frequently after several uses. Maybe you are a very accurate cutter, but I usually cut a bit bigger and there are always "bits". You only need an inch or so, folded in half.