Just One Slab (Or 6)....

I had so much fun digging through my scraps to make some Slab blocks for the people of Southern Alberta. I love these blocks because I get to use my favourite scraps, and it feels like a puzzle putting all of the pieces together.

I started with green. Really, I could probably make five more in green....there are just so many green scraps.

Green slab block for Southern Alberta

That block was so fun, I decided to make a pink one:

Pink Slab block for Southern Alberta

Then last Friday, I took a trip to visit my friend, Kristine. She has amazing scraps. And she loves 'girly' fabrics in pink and purple. She was sweet to let me dig through her scraps and take some home to make more slab blocks. I couldn't resist the cute seahorse in this one:

Another Pink Slab Block for Southern Alberta

Kristine had so many purples, I was able to make both a light and dark purple block:



Light Purple Slab Block

Dark Purple Slab Block

 

 

After I made the pretty purples and pink blocks, I made a quick aqua block with my own scraps.

 

Aqua Slab block

 

Making these blocks really reminded me of crazy piecing the kite blocks for my Maple Leaf Rag. It is so satisfying to grab a bunch of scraps and just sew, sew, sew. It was my favourite part of that entire quilt.

 





Crazy Pieced Kites for Maple Leaf Rag Quilt

Here are a couple of quick hints on how to make a successful slab/crazy pieced block:

1. Sort your scraps before you start. If you have lots of scraps (like me), you may be able to make a light and dark block from each colour. I did find that some scraps fit well into both the light and dark blocks.
2. Don't think about it too much, just sew.
3. Start by sewing 6 or 7 sets together of one colour. Then add to those sets at least once before you start sewing the sets together. This will help you avoid a log cabin look to your block.
4. Once you have some larger pieces, I lay them out on my cutting mat, and start puzzling them together.
5. Don't think about it too much, just sew.
6. Make your block at least an inch bigger than you need (15.5"). I didn't want any seams in my seam allowance, and having a bigger block allowed me to trim as needed.
7. Once I got started, I made 2 or 3 blocks at the same time, which lets you chain piece. But once I got to the puzzling stage, I focused on just one block at a time.
8. Don't think about it too much, just sew.

These blocks are very addictive.  And to be honest, I think they are one of those blocks that look better in real life than in pictures. Now I want to make an entire quilt. And of course, I have enough scraps.

Aren't they pretty?

Are you making Slab blocks for Southern Alberta?