Quilt Blocktober/Hexietober: A Casual Sew Along

I’ve been wanting to shift my focus in the studio back to using scraps in my stash. Scraps are my favorite thing. I love all the little pieces and the fact that I can keep getting more and more quilts out of the leftovers. It’s this magic of infinite possibilities.

I’ve been looking for a little motivation to make some blocks and baste some hexies for an upcoming project. Most of the time when I’m working I need to make EVERYTHING within a very short period of time. I wanted something a little more casual.

So I’ve decided to do a bit of a sew along.

Blocktober is an Economy Block Sew Along.

Economy Blocks are sometimes known as Square in Square blocks. They are PERFECT for using up scraps because that’s what was originally intended with the block!

You can make ANY size.

I’m aiming for one block a day every day in October.

Since those centers can be used to feature a fabric print, I’ve also whipped up a quick daily theme list!

Again this is LOW stress. Don’t like one of the days? Use any fabric you want! I am (possibly overwhelmingly) blessed with decades of scraps in my studio that I just needed a tiny bit of direction so I wasn’t spending my time digging around for that “perfect piece I used twenty years ago and kept around here somewhere”.

The block can be made at ANY size, using either traditional methods or FPP. I’m going to be doing Foundation Paper Piecing for mine because it’ll be easier to feature my center fabrics that way.

I’ve included a free download of my 7” Finished Economy Square Foundation Template (7.5” unfinished) using the button above!

If you’re looking for other sizes of Economy templates, I do have a pattern called “Building Blocks” available in my shop that includes a WIDE variety of FPP templates of different quilting blocks in multiple sizes(plus a couple fun varieties I’ve created).

Tomorrow I’ll be putting up a quick tutorial post for anyone who wants to make Economy Blocks using Traditional piecing methods (including a graph for different block sizes).

Hexietober is a very similar concept to Blocktober. I have a quilt design that has been waiting on me all year because I don’t have enough Hexies basted to finish the cover. While one a day probably won’t get me FINISHED, it will get me CLOSER and that’s all I’m looking for.

Simply baste one Hexagon for English Paper Piecing each day. Just One.

I’ve included the same prompts for anyone looking to have a fun dig around in scraps. Otherwise…baste whatever hexie you like!

Any size.

Any variety of hexie.

(Dare I be completely overachieving and do the hexies for TWO quilts each day? One is a standard hexagon and the other is elongated.)

I’ll be posting daily over to my Instagram with progress for both. And Each Friday I’ll do a post here to compile the whole week of progress (Starting Oct. 9th).

I can’t wait to see your blocks!