Orphan Blocks + Negative Space = Quick Twin Sized Quilt

As part of Quick & Easy Charity Quilt Month here, I wanted to show how just a few blocks could be made into a good sized quilt.  I knew when our guild decided to make blankets for children in foster care I wanted to make a twin sized quilt.  (I think teens sometimes get overlooked and babies get tons of quilts.)  But I knew the quilt couldn't be super complicated or else I would never finish it.

The beauty of this quilt is that it uses orphan blocks (you know, the ones you have abandoned in the bottom of your drawer  ;) ) and a bunch of negative space to make a large sized quilt.  Since the quilt blocks are already made, the time needed to complete the quilt was minimal.

These quilt blocks were from a Block of the Month Club at my LQS from 2003.  Yeah, ten years old.  It was time to stop storing them and give them a new life.  Here's what I did:

1. I started by sewing four blocks together with 2.5 inch strips of fabric between them.  Then I sewed the block panel to a large chuck of fabric that was 44 inches wide.
2. Next I sewed the lower three blocks together with 2.5 inch stripes of background fabric.  Added a piece of fabric to the end that was as tall as the blocks and sewed that strip to the bottom of my first piece.
3. Then I added a 10 inch strip to the top.
4. And the bottom.
5. And sewed a 2.5 inch strip along the right hand side.

Here are some examples of other ways you could use your orphan blocks to make a larger sized quilt.  The possibilities are endless.   What about blocks around all the outer edges?

Now I've just got to get it quilted.  Maybe with Denyse Schmidt inspired figure eights?

I just heard that Katie at Swim, Bike, Quilt is finishing off her 100 Quilts for Kids quilt drive at the end of the month.  Read more about it here - there are lots of prizes for donating a quilt to charity.  

Don't forget that I will be having a link up - with more modest prizes :) - at the end of the month too.  Let's get sewing!