By Kathleen Barkley
SCRAP QUILT: Strips and Spider Webs
BY
Marcia Lasher
A Quilt in a Day Publication, Inc.
1955 Diamond Street
San Marcos, California 92069
In the Scrap Quilt book two distinctive traditional patterns are featured: the Strip and the Spider Web pattern. The Strip pattern is simpler, faster, and a great pattern for those beginning quilters. The Spider Web pattern, an intermediate project, takes more time and involves working with bias edges.
The Scrap Quilt book includes yardage and instructions for both patterns in various quilt sizes. The author recommends using 100% cotton muslin for the background of your quilt blocks. Pre-washing and starching are also recommended. Lasher emphasizes the importance of using a lot of lights, mediums, and darks for contrast in your blocks. The whole idea is to use up the scraps in your stash. When using either of these patterns, the author suggests sewing with a small stitch, 15 stitches to the inch or a #2 on most machine settings.
In closing, to quote Marcia Lasher, “Because blocks for a scrap quilt are so simple, it is a wonderful project to work on when you don’t feel like thinking, when you are tired, when you are distracted, worried, or under stress. Regardless of your state of mind, you can still do what you enjoy doing most--sewing.”
