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As many of you know, I love Second Chance Quilts. They come to me as pieces-parts, or partial finishes, or groups of blocks. This one has its own story, as it is made from two different block sets from two different people.

The larger blocks are 12″ (11 of those) and the smaller blocks are 8″ (32 of those). They sat around for a while until I realized they could be one quilt: Just add borders to the smaller blocks!

To keep it from looking clunky, and to tie it all together, a double border seemed best. Half of the ...

It started with a box of hand-me-down Half Square Triangles.

And an IDEA (this is based on the layout she called Diamonds).

Finally a flimsy.

And now a quilt! As the original maker likely didn’t plan for this to happen, some of the Half Square Triangles didn’t have much contrast. I am still pleased with the results.

It finishes at 56″x64″, a nice size lap quilt.

And, finished IS finished.

When the bag arrived, I was immediately excited. The fabric is lovely, and the strips would save a lot of cutting and piecing time.

A variation on a Churn Dash block seemed a good solution.

Cutting directions for each 12″ Dash block follow.

1. Background: 2 5″ squares, 4 2-1/2″x4-1/2″ rectangles
2. Primary Fabric: 2 5″ squares, 1 4-1/2″ square.
3. Inner Dash Bar: 8 2-1/2″ squares (or, separate the strips already sewn together into sets of 2). NOTE: If you have a charm pack, it could be a good starting place for this quilt. Just cut into ...

It started out as an untidy pile of promising pieces.

Now it is a finished quilt.

The common denominator number is 4″. That is the finished size of the blocks, except the star blocks, which are 8″. It went together fairly quickly, once I had the idea.

I am so happy with the finished product. Someone out there will be happy to receive this piece of sunshine.

I received a bag of 2-1/2″ HST, carefully made and even seams pressed open. But a little dated. And maybe some odd fabric choices. But, I wanted them to be…something.

It isn’t perfect, but it is a flimsy. And a good reminder that finished (or nearly finished) is better than perfect.

I inherited a pile of 9-patch blocks. Sort of I-Spy style. Maybe a block exchange?

The point is that they deserved better than the trash. But, just joining them together would make a quilt that was too busy and too small. (Sorry for not enough pictures. I don’t know where they went…there are many mysteries.)

The solution was to add quarter square setting blocks. Using solids adds a unifying factor and keeps from adding to the busy-ness of the 9-patch blocks.

The 9-patches are based on 2-1/2″ squares, so the blocks finish at 6″. The quarter square ...

Friend Cheri shares her leftovers with me from time to time. It is always exciting to get a new bag of possibilities.

Sort and straighten and ask, “What do you want to be?”

Somehow, I was seeing stars. And that gave me a place to start.

I added a few fabric scraps from stash and adjusted as I went along. I don’t know how I would write a pattern, or even a tutorial for something like this. It is an interesting process, though. A discovery every step of the way.

And the, Ta-dah! A quilt!

Finished size is 33 ...

You know by now how these things get started: someone gives me something. In this case, as part of a larger bundle of possibilities, there were three matching 6-1/2″ applique hearts. Much too cute to trash. I did consider pot holders, or a table runner, or a banner. But what they wanted to be was a baby quilt.

I had a little bundle of fat eights that “happened” to match perfectly. I love it when that happens. All that was needed was some background fabric and something to make centers for 6-1/2″ star blocks. I really wanted to ...

I really like hand-me-down projects. They introduce an element of mystery and challenge my skills and assumptions.

The bag held a pile of friendship stars. Some had names written on the seam allowance, leading me to believe they were part of a long-ago block exchange. Some spin one way, and some another. Maybe that is what held the original maker back?

They finish at 6″ square, so, to make something of a usable size, something would need to be added. Sashing is an easy go-to. But, what color? Not white. Not cream. Not black. None of them worked. Oddly, as ...

There were 21 blocks in the bag. The construction technique is one I am not familiar with, so making more wasn’t really an option, but 20 blocks was enough to make a baby quilt.

A quick trim squared them up to 7″.

The blocks are interesting, but not enough on their own. What was needed was sashing, something dramatic, to complete them.

I settled on 2-1/2″ sashing with coordinating colors in the cornerstones.

And matching binding.

Look around your sewing space and see if you have a bag of possibilities. Sashing might be just the thing you need ...

There were around 200 4-patch blocks, most alternating background/print, and some, what I would call, mixed patches. All came together in a box.

They had issues–mostly inconsistent seam allowance. And some people might have considered them dated.

But there was something interesting about them. So, first things first–Square Up. I chose 3-1/2″.

Alone they weren’t enough to make a sizable quilt, so I explored a number of different options for the alternating squares–too light, too dark, too dull, too print-y. None were quite right. Then, I remembered, when struggling with colors, there are a ...

It started as a block. A LARGE block–25″. It was beautiful, and someone worked very hard on it. And abandoned it. And it was lonely.

What to do…

Well, I also “happened” to have (if you believe in coincidence) these leftovers someone shared with me. The colors worked. The strips weren’t very big and about 3/4″ across, finished. I cut them into 2″ wide sections and pieced those together.

Also, found this lovely yellow in my stash with just the right print on it. I love being lucky, don’t you?!

Around and around until there were ...

I recently saw a curtain rod quilt hanger on someone’s blog (probably yours…feel free to remind me and I will add the link).

It was exactly what I wanted. (NOTE: The quilt shown is a new Second Chances Quilt that will be published soon. )

Good husband was glad to help (or said he was) and now I have a lovely addition on the wall above Machine #2 (belonged to my maternal great grandmother). YAY ME!

Here are the links to what I purchased. Not an affiliate, but in case you want a lead: ROD and CLIPS.

I enjoy thrift stores for many reasons, but, while I always check the fabric section, I rarely find anything that suits me.

But today…

WOW! I am so pleased: 14-1/2 yards for $1.60/yard.

Can’t beat that. I see a quilt kit, backs for a twin donation quilt and three baby quilts, and red dots (because a person can always use red dots). YAY!

What if you have a pile of color-coordinated bits and pieces, but they aren’t the same? Can you combine blocks, crumbs and braids? Well, you can try.

I used the existing crumb blocks as a starting point. They measure 6-1/2″. Cutting, turning and trimming the braids yielded enough parts to create seven more blocks. For a baby quilt, 9 blocks is enough. NOTE: You could create this same pattern using any 6-1/2″ blocks you might have laying around.

NOTE: These blocks have a lot of bias edges. Consider starch to stabilize.

Add a border around each block ...

Possibly it was always this way, but it seems that the rise of pre-cuts has led to certain sizes being used more often in piecing quilts.

Because of that, sometimes you can take leftovers from different projects and find that they can play surprisingly well, like little kids who just met on a playground.

Just start trying to match things up and see what happens.

Well, there you go!

It doesn’t take long to finish when the pieces have a common denominator, in this case 2-1/2″ squares.

You could make the same design from scratch with those mini-charms ...

What to do with three blocks?

Maybe a table runner? Wall hanging?

The good news is that you don’t have to create something from scratch. I did a quick search for “table runner 9 inch blocks.”

This near perfect solution came up: A free pattern from All People Quilt. That is the website associated with American Patchwork and Quilting, a magazine (in addition to the Online Quilt Magazine, of course) that is worth subscribing to. Yes, the block style isn’t the same, but everything else checks out.

And gives those blocks a second chance, and you a quick ...

Can you guess what these turned in to?

Come back in February and find out!

Susan shared a few of her bits and bobs with me.

The blocks were already 6″, so I did all I could with the assorted half-square triangles and leftover scraps, adding a few other 6″ blocks that caught my eye.

Those strips of 2″ squares became the border.

And, ta-dah!, a cute Christmas table topper or wall hanging. It finished at 30″ square.

Don’t give up on those bits and bobs (or odds and ends, or leftovers). Sometimes they are most of a pretty good idea and just need a little nudge to turn into a quick finish. That ...

Can four blocks, even fairly large ones (18″) make a quilt?

Well, they will need some help. In this case I used a simple 6″ block that could be repeated and serve as a sort of background and filler, while adding texture and interest. It uses 1 2-1/2″ square for the center and 2- 2-1/2″ squares and 2 2-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ strips to round it out. They go together really quickly.

Then a small stop border and a wider (3″ finished) outside border.

And, before you know it, you’ve got a quilt.

The minkee backing ...