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::Messing with Magic Numbers::

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My Scrappy Sunshine quilt is about a quarter there.  I’m randomly piecing it using ‘magic numbers.’  I often teach in my improvisational classes about using magic numbers for construction.  Magic numbers can make improvisational quilt construction that seems impossible a little more within reach.

I had a lot of inquiries so I thought I would do a little explanation of what numbers I used.

The easiest shape to explain are squares.  Simply take your desired finished sizes and add a 1/2 inch.  Other shapes require different magic numbers and you can find further information with a little google search.

I used 6.5″, 4.5″ and 2.5″ squares for my Scrappy Sunshine Quilt.

I apologize, I messed some of the blocks around constructing this, but you’ll get the picture!

These all nest together once sewn to produce rectangle or square blocks, panels or columns, you just need to think a little ahead to figure out the best method of construction.

I started with a layout for my block and sectioned it in two.  First I sew together the smaller squares in each section to match the blocks next to them.

So that would be 2/ 2.5″ blocks for every 4.5″ block and 3/2.5″block for every 6.5″ block, or a 2.5″ and a 4.5″ block for mating with a 6.5″ block.

Keep sewing raw edges together, pinning where needed to match corners.

Now I have two panels the same length.

Sew these two panels together to finish your block.  It would be fun to raid the scraps to create a mess of scrappy blocks.  
Hope you are all having an amazing weekend.  Starting this quilt to produce some of my own sunshine somehow made summer finally come to Seattle.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. glen in Louisiana says

    I wonder, if you wanted to make a “controlled” scrappy quilt, how many fabrics you would need as a minimum number. There must be an algebra formula to figure that out! Too bad I didn’t listen that day!

    I have some batiks, bits and pieces, that would look fabulous like this.

    glen: 3 degrees and none of them in math……..

  2. Toni says

    This is so exciting! And I’ll tell you why…until last year I did not keep “scraps”. If it couldn’t be cut into a strip of a decent length I didn’t keep up. This past year I’ve started keeping everything! At first I thought “look at all the time I’m saving not cutting these into strips”. But today I actually thought “I’m nuts to be keeping all these “pieces” (I will no longer call them scraps!). With a plan like yours I can actually start making them into something. A little bit every day. Thankyou ever so much! I can wait to start! Heck! I might start tonight! Toni

  4. machen und tun says

    yes, thanks! this will be a great way to use up scraps. or even my collection of FQ which i always forget to use because they are stored a bit away from the yardage and the scraps..
    thanks for enableling!!
    Claudia

  5. Debbie says

    Sounds fun – great! I agree with Seattle summer – my Summer Sampler did the same thing for me! (at least it tried!)

  6. Melissa says

    Thank you Katie! I think this is so exciting for some reason. I think I need to look through my scraps and see if I can start a few blocks. I don’t have a ton of scraps yet but having a ongoing project like this could possibly keep them from getting out of control.

  13. Michele says

    Very cool idea. I’ve been thinking about what to do with my quickly growing box of scraps and this just might be the idea I’ve been needing. thanks.

  15. Tinsel Fairy says

    i HAVE been wanting to know how to do this for years and years, thank you * bends down and kisses her feet* xxxxx

  16. Julie B. says

    I love the quilting on this one. Can you tell me how this is done continuously? I can’t seem to figure out the pattern of the quilting.

  19. Judy says

    It takes about 5 yards of fabric for a full size quilt. So you can pick as many different prints as you want, total of 5 yards.

    • momnquilter says

      I think the concept is: choose a basic/starting unit size (hers is finished 2″), then double it for the 2nd size (add seam allowance, hence 4.5″), then triple it for the 3rd size (6.5″) Make sense? So you could use: 1″ (1.5), 2″ (2.5), 3″ (3.5) for a finished 6″ block; 3″ (3.5), 6″ (6.5), & 9″ (9.5) for a finished 18″ block; or any set of x, 2x, 3x + seam allowances. To determine what size base unit to use, choose the size of your finished block, divide it by 2, then divide that number by 3. (This would not work well for a 10″ block.) This method would be great to make a themed fat quarter quilt rather than a scrap quilt.

  22. noduh88232 says

    I am going to try this. I have loads of scraps which I can now do something with. Thank you for keeping me going.

  23. Shelby says

    This is awesome! I started cutting my scraps up tonight. Do you know how many large squares are on your quilt? I could try and count but thought you may just know:)

  24. Susan says

    I use this method on tshirt quilts as well, only a bit larger as 12.5, 8.5, 4.5 etc, as the graphics on stshirts very in size…

  25. josie says

    just saw this and love it! I have tons of scraps as I mainly make scrappy quilts. a friend also saves all of hers for me for variety. gotta do this one!

  27. gossamerkc says

    What a GREAT idea! I’m programs chair of my quilt chapter of the AZ Quilters Guild. I’m hoping to share this with my group if that’s ok? I’m new to the Pinterest world…

Trackbacks

  2. […] It was the last thing I grabbed when I went out the door Sunday for open sew at Island Quilter, and the only thing I worked on. I pieced the center, and now I’m working on building it out to size with low volume fabrics in a variation of Katie’s Magic Numbers tutorial. […]