Scrappy Jean Quilt!

            Welcome to this week’s blog.  We have a project today that I think you will find easy and enjoyable to make.  If you find yourself sometimes just wanting to sit and sew, but not having to think about what you’re doing, then I have a quilt for you! 

         I had saved all our jeans from when my boys were toddlers through high school because I knew I wanted to make some kind of “jean quilt” one day.

         All the jean quilts I have seen have been very heavy.  I came across a picture that showed a square of fabric with a scrappy border.  I thought this might work well with jean squares in the middle.  I then came across the idea of sewing fabric to adding machine tape and voila!  It creates a jean quilt that isn’t quite so heavy!  Let me show you how easy this is.

You will need the adding machine tape to help stabilize your fabric and give you a cutting line to create equal borders! 

1.     I started with a 6 ½” jean square. Remember it doesn’t have to be jean fabric.  You can use any fabric here, and it can be any size.  Set it aside.

2.     Next, I tore about a three-foot piece of “adding machine” tape off the roll.  Use your smaller scraps here.  They only must be wider than your tape.  Mine are all different sizes in length.  I also decided to stay within a color scheme.  You can see there are endless possibilities as to how you might want to approach the border.

3.     To begin sewing your fabric to the tape, start with your first piece right side up.  Take your next piece and place it on top of your first, right sides together.  I like to use a smaller stitch here because it makes the paper tear off easier when the time comes!  Continue sewing your next pieces on with right sides together until you reach the end of the tape. I like to quickly press after sewing each piece on, just to keep it even and flat. Have your iron nearby so you don’t have to get up every time to press.

4.     Now, take your tape to the cutting table and turn it upside down.  Line up your ruler along the paper and cut off the excess fabric.  Do this along both sides and you will get the same size width border every time!  Keep the paper on until you are ready to sew the border to the square.  Cut your first two strips 6 ½” or whatever size block you are making.  Gently tear the paper off the back and sew to your block.   I like to sew both sides to the square first, and then measure and sew the top and bottom.  Continue making blocks until you reach the size quilt you are wanting.

This is one of the quilts I have on my list to finish this year.  I think it would be great to use in the car or to take on picnics.  It should hold up well and I didn’t buy any fabric to make it!  Let me know if you are thinking about trying this quilt!  I still have jeans left so I’m on the search for “recycled jean projects”.  I’ve seen some cute jewelry, handbags, potholders, etc. all made from recycled jeans.  Who knows, I may have more projects using jeans in the future!

Have a great week, and Always Find Time to Sew,