A Scrappy Helen Quilt

The Helen Quilt Pattern was not originally intended to be a scrap quilt pattern, but wow, did it surprise me! My original draft of the pattern didn’t include instructions for a scrappy version, and I didn’t plan to make a scrappy sample. However, the idea made its way into my head and I couldn’t let it go!

Loving the Scrappy Version

This required a little pattern revision to fit the scrappy instructions into the printed pattern booklet, and it was well worth the effort. I am so in love with how well this quilt uses different sizes of scraps and how “scraptastic” it turned out.

Creative Star Points with Scraps

I have a large stash of leftover triangle pieces, so instead of using the 4-at-a-time flying geese method outlined in the pattern, I used this flying geese ruler and scraps to make my star points. I even made a Reel on Instagram showing you how to do this if you want to try this method. Alternatively, you can use the 4-at-a-time method with scrap squares if you prefer.

Selecting Scraps for Stars

For my stars, I used whatever I pulled out of my scrap bucket first, only omitting a few large-scale prints or really light prints for the points to ensure they stood out from the background fabric. All my background fabric, including the borders, came from low volume or white solid scraps.

Almost every larger star center square came from leftover backing fabric, and a couple are trimmed from leftover layer cake squares. Since I like to use some of my favorite prints as backing fabrics, this was perfect for using these prints again in this project.

Favorite Backing and Binding Choices

The backing fabric is one of my favorites — 108” Newsprint by Carrie Bloomston. Of course, I’ll be saving the leftover backing pieces for use as background fabric in a future scrap quilt. For the binding, I wanted to use a print that had been in my stash for a long time and found the perfect Maureen Cracknell star print from around 2014.

The Joy of Using Leftovers

There is something magical about finding a really good use for leftover fabrics, and this quilt gave me so many opportunities to do that. My next plan is to make a scrappy, rainbow version (there is a mockup of this idea in the pattern).

Get Started on Your Own Helen Quilt

If you have your own mountain of scraps (or even just a small pile!) and you’d like to make a Helen Quilt, you can find the pattern in my shop! Don’t miss out on creating your scrappy star quilt.