Use Up Those Scraps! Part 2

Scrapbuster Series, Part 2 – Scrappy Pavers – All Sizes

By Kelli Nemec, with Barb Middleton and Peg Adams

Barb Middleton generated so much interest (aka fun!) with the first part of this Scrapbuster Series, several of us wanted to play along for this second round. This scrappy adventure will highlight our Scrappy Pavers pattern. If you click the link in the headline above, the pdf pattern will open in a new window. The pattern is available in Toddler, Child, and Teen size. Two copies of the pattern are shown on each page. This allows our kit coordinator to cut each page in half and assemble two kits per printed page. Here’s a quick cut list for each blanket size:

Toddler (40″ x 46″)
18 – 4 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ bricks
18 – 4 1/2″ squares
3 – 5 1/2″ x 38″ sashing
2 – 5 1/2″ x 40″ sashing

Child (40″ x 50″)
20 – 4 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ bricks
20 – 4 1/2″ squares
3 – 5 1/2″ x 42″ sashing
2 – 5 1/2″ x 40″ sashing

Teen (40″ x 58″)
24 – 4 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ bricks
24 – 4 1/2″ squares
3 – 5 1/2″ x 50″ sashing
2 – 5 1/2″ x 40″ sashing

This pattern is another that lends itself to using up our scraps. At our most recent bee (Pyle Center – September 2019), we had piles and piles of scrap fabric to give away to our volunteers. I perused the piles and noticed a few fun boy prints that would go well together in a blanket. I collected enough to make some bricks for a Child size Scrappy Paver blanket. I used scraps of solid blues for the squares, and a piece of solid red from my stash, for the borders. This is how it turned out:

 

My first thought, looking at the photo of the assembled top, was that it looks nothing like the Scrappy Paver pattern. I let it bug me for about 3 seconds, then decided that was ok. The child receiving the blanket will have no idea what the pattern looked like. They’ll be too busy looking for cars, and robots, and tools, in the various prints I collected.

Barb put several together from her scrappy stash:

I love her scrappy borders. Those are not part of our pattern. The point is to use what you have. The middle quilt has an owl theme. The other two are simply colors that look great together. If your scraps are too small to make our exact pattern, do a little measuring and a little math. Figure out what size bricks you can cut, then cut squares to match. Sew a couple rows of the zippers (the bricks look like zipper teeth coming together). Put a strip of sashing between them. Then measure the width of your top to see how much you need to grow it. Barb’s owl quilt has a skinny orange inner border and a thicker owl print outer border. Use our size/age guidelines to grow your top:

Infant – 38″ to 40″ square

Toddler – 38″ x 44″ to 40″ x 46″

Child – 40″ x 48″

Teen – 40″ x 56″ to 42″ x 60″

Keep in mind, these are cuddle quilts. We keep one of the measurements of the quilt sizes within a typical width of fabric (45″), so that we can use one solid piece for the backing. If the fabric prints are more juvenile, keep the quilt smaller, for an infant or toddler. If the prints would be appropriate for an older child, grow the top to a teen size blanket. Also, the sizes don’t have to be exact. Close counts!

Peg made a “controlled” Scrappy Paver with batiks:

She used 10 different batiks and two different white-on-white fabrics, because, you guessed it – that’s what she had. She tends to make most of her scrappy quilts this way: keeping fabrics by type. Like all batiks, all dog or animal prints, all Christmas, or scrappy colorways with neutrals as the squares and sashing.

More scrappy pavers came through during a recent Spray bee:

A few of us got together recently to spray baste quilts that were layered with batting and backing. Several volunteers like to use our Scrappy Pavers pattern. It’s quick, easy, and versatile! Give it a try and email your Scrappy Paver pics to info@azblankets4kids.com so we can spread the Scrappy Paver love to all our volunteers!