Build a Quilt One Block at a Time

encouragement process scraps Mar 02, 2021

Save yourself the overwhelm, the intimidation, and potential frustration and make your quilt one block at a time.

Better yet, don't even worry about making a quilt. Just make blocks until you get bored. If you are enjoying the process there is no reason to stop. If it gets to be too much or the joy disappears then step away. The only person holding you to making the entire quilt or finishing something you don't like is you.

These crumb blocks can be easily overwhelming. If you take an IKEA bag of scraps and try to imagine them as a quilt it can quickly turn into tears or a trip to the garbage bin instead of the sewing machine. Many of us would shut down in the face of it, and that is totally understandable.

Instead, grab a handful at a time and make one block. Alternatively, set a timer and sew for a specified amount of time and walk away when the alarm goes. 

This truly comes down to thinking about the product more than the process. We are here because we are quilt makers. If all we want is a finished product we can go to the mall and buy one. By focusing on the process, one block at a time, we giving ourselves the opportunity to dive into our personal creativity. One block at a time we are building ourselves AND building a quilt.

Eventually, you will have a pile of blocks that can be turned into a quilt. It will happen when it happens. In the meantime, you've given yourself the gift of time and creativity.