Sunday is for Scraps

The wind is howling in Colorado today.  So I'm listening to The Mists of Avalon on my ipod while I'm sewing, turned up loud enough that I can't hear the wind.

And since it's Sunday -- it's scrap quilt day.  "Xs and Os" is an easy peasy quilt that uses 4 1/2" squares of a plain background and 2 1/2" squares for the print corners.  Four squares make each block, with the prints to the center for the "O" blocks and to the outside for the "X" blocks.

Here's how to make the squares:  After cutting the background and the print 2 1/2" squares, place a print square on opposite corners of the plain background.  Then either draw a line from corner to corner on the print square . . 

or draw a line on the bed of your sewing machine straight out from the needle:

This is faster to sew corner to corner on the print squares.

When you have a pile of squares sewn, clip them apart.  I found this clever little tool at quilt camp in Idaho last October.  I thought it was a stupid tool until I had 1400 half-square triangles to cut apart, and The Cutting Gizmo was on sale, so I bought one.  Now I use it all the time, it really is faster than using scissors to cut apart multiple squares or blocks.

Next, cut off the corner of the print square 1/4" away from the stitching line.

 Press toward the print square, and repeat until you have a pile of squares (you need four for each block).  My quilt will be 6 blocks by 4 blocks, so I need 96 squares. 

Arrange on the design wall to make "X" blocks alternating with "O" blocks.  I have 24 blocks.  I could have sewn the squares into blocks before putting them on the design wall, but I wanted to be sure no two alike fabrics were touching.

I haven't decided whether or not to add a border -- what do you think?  This will be a baby quilt for the new son of an IBMer on the DH's team.  Final photo follows later this week!