I don't have the patience to assemble them one stamp at a time, I prefer to strip-piece them. :)

neither do I, but this is to use up bits and pieces. It's a nice in between project to sew on. Good piecing therapy while you plan out your masterpieces ;-) The little memories attached to all the different fabrics are fun to revisit too.

I like scrappy, but I think you do need some variety to get some visual movement. So I would make sure to include some lighter fabrics. If you are short, maybe you can go to the trading section of the board and ask to get some from people. Then you have a better variety.

I agree with assembling 4 patches and then making those into 16 patch blocks.

I have a bag of 2 1/2 inch squares that I got with a sewing machine. I use them as leaders and enders and making 9 patch blocks. I try to be random but I find myself doing a bit of lights and darks like you would a regular 9 patch pattern.

Look forward to seeing pictures of your progress.

i am currently working on 2 postage stamp quilts (psq), one is random pieced and the other is perkiomen daydreams by bonnie hunter. i had 1000's of 1.5" squares already cut and have used these for both quilts. also i am strip piecing for both quilts but mainly for the perkiomen daydreams quilt. you can sew these squares as leaders and enders (bonnie hunters method) to get through them quicker. i havent done so yet.

i am using both lights, mediums and darks for the random pieced quilt not in any particular order. the perkiomen daydreams quilt has a specific color order for the squares. i am posting my progress on both postage stamp quilts on my quiltboard blog so take a look.

there are so many ways to approach a postage stamp quilt (random, ordered, patterned) so i would suggest doing a search and see what style suits your fancy and have at it. there is a postage stamp fabric swap going on right now that you may want to consider participating in if you want to collect some different prints for your psq. i hope to see your psq progress real soon.:)

http://www.quiltingboard.com/member-...a-t185361.html

very nice! has a color wash look to it.

I am also working on a postage stamp quilt. I'm doing 4 x 4's to make a 16" block. I have purposefully added lights so it wouldn't be too dark. I just takes two piles and pick one front each pile and sew them together. So far it is coming together well. Waiting for my next swap which closes Sunday to swap another 2000 blocks to add to it. Can't wait.

This is my favorite postage stamp quilt: http://audreypawdrey.blogspot.com/20...most-done.html. I'd like to make one similar, but I don't have a lot of orange in my stash (on purpose). When I do finally make one, it will be with large blocks, then sashed.

Cheers, K

what postage stamp block swap are you in?

Postage stamps are fun, and whimsical. I'm collecting squares for a personal quilt. I call it "A Quilter's Quilt", and I cut 1-2 squares that are 1.25" from fabrics that I liked and used in other quilts. When I'm done I'll have squares from fabrics that I put into quilts for my boys, my nieces and nephews, my grandmother, squares from my favorite jeans or favorite shirts, etc.

I would agree with Coyote Quilts about how to do it. And for more creativity, when you begin sewing all of those little squares, sew them in 2's and that way you can keep a straight line going in a string. Snip the threads that join the sets in the string. Toss the sets in a bag and then pull out 2 sets at a time, join them, and form another string. You now have rows of 4 squares. Mix those up and stitch your blocks.